LAST WEEK: Leake Central's Caleb Wilder
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In this week's edition of 'Future Stars,' we highlight Henry Richardson of the Hattiesburg Forerunners!
Richardson concludes the 2022 outdoor season as the fastest eighth-grader in the state in the 1600m and 3200m. He set his 1600m PR of 4:45.81 at the 2022 Forerunner Warm-up Meet on Feb. 26 and his 3200m PR of 10:20.52 at the 2022 Coastal Mississippi Classic on April 2. Richardson finished either first or second in all of his 3200m races this season, including a first-place finish at the 2022 Mid-South Homeschool Championships and a second-place finish at the 2022 HXN Championships.
Richardson has also been successful in cross country. He was the top-ranked eighth-grader in the 5k for the 2021 cross country season, with a PR of 16:48.00 set at the HXN Championships on Nov. 6. Richardson went on to finish in the top 25 at the 2021 Mississippi XC All-State Meet of Champions, the fastest middle-schooler in the race.
RELATED: Mississippi 8th-grade Boys 5k Rankings
Richardson's eighth-grade success builds on several years of competition, including an impressive seventh-grade season. In the 2020 cross country season, Richardson was the fastest seventh-grader in the 5k with a time of 18:14.36, with which he won the 2020 MSAHA (Homeschool) Championship. He was also the top-ranked seventh-grader in the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m for the 2021 outdoor season, winning every single one of his races in each of those events.
With these excellent middle-school performances, Richardson is clearly a talented athlete, and we look forward to seeing what he achieves moving into his high school years!
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