CLINTON, La. &045; This time it wasn’t even close.

Although the loss of a crop of Trinity senior athletes helped their cause, the WCCA Rams ran away with the District 7-A title Saturday at Silliman. The Rams finished with 114 1/2 points, and Trinity Episcopal came in second with 53 points, just ahead of Huntington’s 50 1/2.

Tensas Academy edged out Huntington for the girls’ title.

In boys, the Saints were there without the services of Gregory Ketchings, Walt Ketchings, Ivan Nastally, Ryan Rachal and Tres Atkins and had to suit up a number of junior high athletes in their places. The Saints lost to WCCA last year but won the South State and state titles by edging out the Rams each time.

This time the Rams appeared heading toward the title before the running event started.

&uot;Our kids have been motivated,&uot; WCCA head coach Paul Hayles said. &uot;You have success in a meet against somebody and they go on to win a state championship, you think of what your potential could have been.&uot;

The Rams made a clean sweep in the field events with five first-places finishes. Brad Pritchard won the high jump at 6-2 with Stork Deville in third at 5-6, LaValle Johnson won the discus at 142-6, Brandon Wisner won the pole vault at 10-0 with Jarrett Davis in third at 8-0, Pritchard also won the triple jump at 39-6 and Travis Allen won the long jump at 19-10 1/2.

That put WCCA with 45 1/2 points in first heading into the running events. Tensas was second with 18 points.

&uot;It’s going to come down to how many firsts, seconds and third can hold true all the way through to state,&uot; Hayles said. &uot;At state everybody gets points. Right now the top four go on and the top get points. We’ll keep pushing.&uot;

In running events, the Rams’ relay swept that with the 3,200 relay running a 9:44, the 400 relay running 47.6 seconds. The 300 relay running 1:36 and the 1,600 relay running a 3:51. Other firsts were William Benton in the 3,200 in 11:37, Pritchard in the 100 hurdles in 16.5 seconds, Allen in the 800 in 2:17 and Wesley Davis in the

mile in 5:09.

The top four finishers qualify for the South State meet Saturday back at Silliman.

Others qualifying were Spike Deville in second in the 110 hurdles in 19.0, Benton in second in the 800 in 2:21, Eli Ashley in second in the 300 hurdles in 45.65 and Collin Dor in fourth in 47.21 seconds.

&uot;WCCA is going to be hard to beat this year,&uot; Huntington head coach Bo Swilley said. &uot;They’ve got some horses, and Paul does a good job with them.&uot;

On the girls’ side, Tensas got a surprise effort from seventh-grader Mary Miller Ratliff, who won the 1,600 in 6:13. That gave the Lady Chiefs a cushion they needed going into the mile relay over Huntington, and had the Lady Hounds won that they still would have lost by one.

The Lady Hounds, instead, took second and third in the mile. Marie Miller was second at 6:18.40, and Michelle Deckerlegand was third at 6:33.09.

&uot;We were expecting first and second in the 1,600,&uot; Huntington head coach Penny Moak said. &uot;They hadn’t been running anybody all year long, and they put a seventh-grader in there. She ended up winning. It kind of shocked (their coach), too. She ran a 6:13, and that was great. My girls ran some of their best times. It was just a major upset in that mile.&uot;

For the Lady Hounds, they got firsts from Jessi Moak in the 3,200 in 14:42 and the 800 in 2:48.06.

In boys, Trinity used Nason Stephens to score most of its points as he won first in the 100 in 11.35 seconds, the 200 in 23.21 seconds and the 400 in 52.53 seconds. Others results were Allen in second in 12.02, Duston Dor in fourth at 12.05 and Deville in fourth in the 400 in 1:00.

Huntington finished third in the team standings with just five participants on varsity. Results included Travis Jordan second in the discus at 115-0 and fourth in the shot at 37-11, Adam Trevillion second in the high jump at 6-2 and the triple at 36-11 and third in the 200 in 24.4 and Drew Loomis was fourth in the 3,200 in 12:26.

Micah Collard was third in the 400 in 58.81, Chad Kinney won the 300 hurdles in 44.1 seconds and Hunter Norwood finished third in the 300 hurdles. The relay team of Trevillion, Norwood, Collard and Kinney came in third in the 400 in 48.3, second in the 800 in 1:39 and second in the 1,600 in 3:58.

&uot;It was a good day to run,&uot; Swilley said. &uot;The weather was warm, and last week when we ran it was cold. We had five kids down there. Mike Ferguson was in the hospital with a sinus infection. I was pleased. You’re dealing with three sophomores and a senior. I think we’ve got a pretty good future in track if we add a little bit to what we have.&uot;

Trinity results included Austin Green in second in the 3,200 in 11:40 and fourth in the 1,600 in 5:30, Clint Easom in third in the long jump at 17-11 and the triple jump at 36-3, Stevan Ridley in third in the 300 hurdles in 45.81 and Wesley Davis in third in the 800 in 2:22.

Other Lady Hounds results were Jessi Lee in third in the long jump at 14-4 1/2 and Sarah Loomis in fourth in 13-5 3/4, Katie Moak in second in the discus at 67-2 1/2 and Maggie Blunchi in fourth at 59-2 1/2, Jessie Moak in first in the 3,200 in 14:42, Lee in first in the 100 hurdles in 17.59 seconds and Emily Johns in third in 19.28.

Also, Lee was fourth in the 100 in 14.12, Emily Anders in third in the 400 in 1:07.64 and Molly Ashmore fourth in 1:12.48, Jessie Moak first in the 800 in 2:48.06 and Whitney Bradford second in 2:50.36, Loomis third in the 200 in 30.9 seconds and Ashmore in fourth at 31.04.

In relays, the 800 relay team of Ashmore, Lee, Brittany Keahey and Anders was second in 1:59.28, the 400 relay tema of Ashmore, Loomis, Keahey and Anders was second in 56.75 and the 1,600 relay of Ashmore, Anders, Jessie Moak and Bradford was second in 4:38.8.

&uot;We’ve got lots going (to South State),&uot; Penny Moak said. &uot;That’s what we’re working for &045; to keep going. We’ll see.&uot;

In WCCA girls, Chelby Belle was third in the 3,200 in 16:03, Lil Netterville in fourth in the 100 hurdles in 19.8 seconds and Erin Ashley in first in the shot at 31-4.