Defending champions Calabar High easily retained their Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Boys’ Athletics Championships by a massive 90.5 points and gained their 28th lien on the Mortimer Geddes Trophy.

Calabar, who were winning for the seventh-consecutive year, amassed 368.5 points and finished well clear of Kingston College (KC) on 278. Jamaica College (JC) were third with 224.5 ahead of St Jago on 146 with St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) completing the top five on 95 points.

The boys from Red Hill Road are now only three titles behind KC’s 31.

It was also Head Coach Michael Clarke’s 17 Champs title, which makes him the most successful high school coach. He led his alma mater Calabar to nine wins, seven at JC, while leading St Jago to their only title in 1987.

It would have been a fitting end for Calabar to win the championships with a record run in the 4x400m Oen in 3:05.60 minutes, but they were later disqualified for employing an ineligible athlete.

They used Class Two athlete Evaldo Whitehorne on their quartet to substitute for the injured Anthony Carpenter, but according to the ISSA rules governing participation at these Championships, no Class Two athlete should participate in more than three events, and the youngster had already participated in two individual events and a relay in Class Two.

Petersfield with a superb run from Antonio Watson, who transported them from sixth to second in 3:10.64 minutes, were awarded victory. JC finished third in 3:10.93.

Earlier, in the first boys track final, Calabar’s Lavoughn Douglas upset the applecart in the Class Three 400m, winning in a splendid 49.38 seconds. In a race in which three boys dipped below the 50-second barrier, favourite Adrian Nethersole of STETHS went out a bit fast and was caught close to home in 49.59. KC’s Tyrese Williams also closed for third in 49.83.

Once again Petersfield High’s Antonio Watson ran a strange race and left it extremely late before pipping Calabar’s Evaldo Whitehorne on the line. Watson, the 2017 World Youth champion, won in 47.08 seconds, some way off his personal best of 46.59 set in Kenya last year. Whitehorne was second in 47.15 seconds, with Zidane Brown of Glenmuir High third with 47.79.

Then KC’s captain and new-found star Dashawn Morris continued his immaculate form and showed his superiority over Anthony Carpenter, winning in a magnificent 45.09 seconds. It was Morris’s personal best and was just .16 second outside Akeem Bloomfield’s record of 44.93 set in 2015.

Carpenter was second in 45.57, also a personal best, while Chevannie Hanson of Edwin Allen was third in 46.03, just ahead of Shemar Chambers of Calabar in 46.18.

Morris is now the third-fastest 400m runner in the history of Champs behind Bloomfield (44.93) and Javon Francis (45.00). Morris’s personal best before the season started was 46.67, but since then he has times of 45.93, 46.01, 45.63 and 45.09 — rather remarkable for a runner who started in the sport in 2013.

At the end of the 400 metres, Calabar collected 32 points compared to KC’s 24 and a meagre four points for JC. The green and black boys from Red Hills Road soared to 204 points and opened up a 48-point lead.

Alex Williams of William Knibb captured the javelin open with a throw of 56.60m. Rusea’s High’s Brandon McLaren was second with 54.74 and Santino Anglin of Petersfield third with 54.08m.

The boys were really stepping high in the sprint hurdles as all three records went. The first to go was in Class Three as JC’s Neil-matthew Sutherland clocked 12.87 seconds. St Jago’s Vashaun Vascianna lowered the Class Two record with 13.45 seconds. Then, not to be outdone, the impressive Dejour Russell lowered his own record from 13.21 seconds to 13.10 seconds before heading off to the Commonwealth Games in Australia.

If there was any doubt about who would win the championships, Calabar made it loud and clear as they rattled up 40 points in the sprint hurdles. JC collected 19, while KC picked up 14 points. Calabar had raced to 245 points, 75 more than KC on 170, with JC third with 127 points.

The outstanding Jauavney James of STETHS ended his Champs career in fine style by capturing the 800m in a splendid 1:50.07 minutes after changing his race tactics to come from behind for a facile victory. JC’s Ken Reyes of the Turks and Caicos was second in 1:50.28 minutes, with Kimar Farqurharson third in 1:50.81 minutes.

Having skipped the 400m, Calabar Captain Christopher Taylor had a crack at Usain Bolt’s Class One 200m record of 20.25 set 15 years ago in 2003. But the talented sprinter fell short after clocking a personal best of 20.35 seconds. The much-improved Anthony Carpenter was second in 20.92, with JC’s Ryiem Robertson third in 21.12.

The outstanding Antonio Watson of Petersfield won his second gold of the championships capturing the Class Two 200m in 20.90 and just nipped the 100m record holder Sachin Dennis of STETHS, who did 20.95. Rajay Morris of Clarendon College was third with 21.01.

KC’s Adrian Kerr reversed the 100m placing with his teammate Bouwahjgie Nkrumie in the Class Three 200m, winning in a new record time of 21.69 seconds. Nkrumie, the 100m record holder, stopped the clock at 21.74, just outside Tyreke Wilson’s previous record of 21.72 done in 2014.

In a remarkable display of multitasking, Romaine Beckford of Buff Bay High competed simultaneously in the Class Two high jump and discus and won both. Beckford was the only athlete to clear 2.00m for gold in the high jump.

Beckford would skip across to the nets to break the Class Two discus record with a throw of 55.70m, well ahead of Daniel Cope’s mark of 53.41 held since 2016. KC’s Ralford Mullings threw 54.85m and was also above the old record.

KC’s Rasheeda Downer was a surprise winner in the Class One shot put with 18.38m ahead of Danree Delancy of Munro College, with 18.32. Courtney Lawrence of Petersfield third with 18.21, and KC’s Zico Campbell fourth with 18.08m.

KC got the relays off to flying start, smashing their own sprint medley open record of 3:25.78 minutes from 2014 and lowering it to 3:24.33 minutes on the back of a brilliant anchor 800m leg from Colin Rowe.

Calabar, with Taylor on anchor, took the Class One 4×100 in 39.17 seconds, ahead of KC in 39.92 without Jhevaughn Matherson. JC were third with 40.01. St Jago won the Class Two 4×100 in 40.73, while KC took the Class Three in 42.43.

Then fans were treated to a stellar 5,000m event won by Calabar’s Kevroy Venson in 15:14.86 minutes, ahead of KC’s Aryamanya Rodgers in 15:15.86. Renardo Johnson of St Jago was third in 15.19.20 minutes.