Is this déjà vu? No, Mississippi is just this fast right now.
Just thirteen days ago, I wrote about Clinton breaking the 4x400m state record at the Woody Barnett Invitational. Yesterday, it fell again, and the record books are rewriting themselves
At the MHSAA 7A South State Championships, Pearl lined up for their final race of the day with a real shot at history. Two weeks earlier, they had run 3:55.14, making them the second-fastest 4x400m squad in state history, but still finished behind Clinton, who set the record at 3:52.89. That loss clearly stuck. Pearl came back with something to prove.
Tamerial Wilson got things started with a strong opening leg, splitting around 58 and closing hard to keep Pearl right in it. She handed off to Maliyah Seals in a tight race for the lead. Seals didn't stay there long. She broke it open, pulling away from the field and extending the gap with another ~58 split before passing to Marley Yarbrough.
From there, it turned into a race against the clock. With no one around her, Yarbrough ran solo and kept the momentum rolling, splitting around 59 and putting Pearl in complete control heading into the anchor.
Ja Saria Harris took the baton with a clear lead and one job: to finish it. Like the previous leg, it was just her and the clock. Harris stayed composed, powered through the final stretch, and crossed the line in 3:52.08, another state record. She split around 57 to close it out.
This record alone is impressive, but what's even crazier is that this entire squad is made up of juniors. This means that they have all of next year to push this record even faster.
