They ran their first relay races together – and put up two of the fastest times in the nation

The Adonica Ferguson Panther Relays on March 3 were the first chance for Smiths Station runners Charles Hughes, Dawson Jeffcoat, Kentray Mercer and Treyvon Jones to run the 1,600-meter sprint medley and the 1,000 Swedish sprint medley together. By the day’s end, it was apparent the four have set themselves up for a special spring.

The four Panthers runners clocked in at 3:34.14 in the 1,600 sprint medley and 1:59.75 in the 1,000 Swedish sprint medley, good enough for first in both races. The times were not only the best at the meet, but later they learned they were first in Alabama and fourth in the United States in both events.

Thanks to their outstanding times, Hughes, Jeffcoat, Mercer and Jones are the Ledger-Enquirer’s Male Athletes of the Week.

“That feeling, it was indescribable,” Jeffcoat said about seeing the relay team’s national ranking. “It felt good to see we were able to put this school on the map. It showed we could actually do something.”

“We knew they are all quality athletes – it was just ‘can we put it together early?’ ” Smiths Station boys track coach Ron Peters said. “We got home and checked it out and were like, ‘Wow.’ No. 1, 2 and 3 are out of Florida and Texas, and they’ve been running since the beginning of February. They’re four weeks into the season, and we’re in Week 1.”

Although it was just the start of the outdoor season, all four Smiths Station athletes benefited from their winter work.

Hughes, Jeffcoat and Jones competed in the indoor track season, with Hughes taking the Class 7A state title in the 800 and Jones taking third in the 400. Mercer, meanwhile, spent his winter with the Smiths Station basketball team, which paid major dividends when he returned to the track.

“The workouts in basketball were quite difficult, but they helped me,” Mercer said. “When I came out here, that’s when the coaches told me I’d gotten way faster. It improved our time as we ran.”

As important as their stamina was to start the outdoor season, the quartet’s familiarity with each other means just as much. All four are seniors. Hughes joined the track team as an eighth grader, Jeffcoat and Jones as sophomores and Mercer as a junior.

Learning how to work as a team was important, but the fact they knew each other so well made it a less daunting task.

“We grew up here,” Hughes said. “I came here to Smiths Station in eighth grade, and ever since I’ve been running with these guys over the years. We’ve grown a strong bond. I have complete trust in them.”

The group’s appearance on the national level is a new experience, but the same cannot be said for their track team. The Smiths Station track program is an annual contender in Alabama, and individual national championships in 2011 and 2012 illustrate how the Panthers and Lady Panthers often set themselves apart.

For Hughes, being part of the Smiths Station tradition is a motivator on its own.

“Running under the Smiths Station name, it’s a step higher in running,” Hughes said. “It’s like leaning on a legacy that’s already been placed on that name.”

The four seniors are working to add their own stories to that legacy.

The Panthers have a busy few weeks ahead starting with Saturday’s Homewood Invitational at Samford University, a meet which should draw the top 10 Class 7A schools, three or four of the best Class 6A teams and opponents from Mississippi and Tennessee. Besides a break in competition during spring break at the end of March, the track team is working non-stop into sectionals at the end of April and the state meet at the beginning of May.

The ultimate goal for the four Panthers is to take a state title and qualify for the New Balance Outdoor Nationals in June. Whether they make it that far or not, Jones is more concerned with he and his teammates giving their all.

“My goal is to reach our full potential,” Jones said. “I want to leave it all on the track.”

This story was originally published March 15, 2018 at 4:03 PM with the headline "They ran their first relay races together – and put up two of the fastest times in the nation."