It's hard to argue with Joey Thompson when he says, in as unassuming of a tone as he can, that there isn't much more for him to accomplish at the high school level.

Over the past three years the Howard senior has won six state titles, spread out between cross country, indoor and outdoor track, with the most recent coming this spring in the 1,600 at the outdoor state championships in late May. He's won gold at regionals four times and placed first at a county championship meet another seven times.

Thompson acknowledges that his final outdoor season never quite lived up to his expectations, especially based on his prior achievements, yet he still managed to win a pair of county titles and a regional championship to go along with his effort at states. And at the end of the day, for the third consecutive year, he has separated himself as the Columbia Flier/Howard County Times boys outdoor track Athlete of the Year.

"I could sit here and look at my times and be disappointed that they didn't improve much, if at all, from sophomore year, or that I only won one state title this season, but in the big picture I've accomplished a lot," Thompson said. "I crossed off almost all of the things I wanted to do."

Thompson burst onto the outdoor scene as a sophomore, winning the 1,600 and 3,200 at the state meet and setting a Class 2A record along the way with his time of 4 minutes, 17.24 seconds in that 1,600-meter race. He followed that up as a junior by setting a new 2A record in the 3,200 (9:19.90).

Then, before stepping onto the track this spring, he won states during cross country and also took first in the 1,600 at states during indoor.

"You look at what he's done and there was absolutely some pressure (heading into outdoor)," Howard coach David Glenn said. "He knows that people are looking at him as the gauge and the person to beat, and at the same time he has high standards for himself."

Pressure, however, wasn't what hurt Thompson in the early going this spring. Instead it was a rash of injuries, including tendonitis in his ankle shortly after the indoor season, blisters on his feet and a sore knee later on, that kept him from ever really getting into a rhythm.

At the Howard County Spring Classic the first week in May, the impact of the nagging injuries showed as Thompson finished third in both the 800 and 1,600. The 1,600, where he posted a time of 4:24.18 and lost to Atholton's Graham Bazell by five seconds, had him particularly concerned.

"That was supposed to be my race and I wasn't even in it. I was third the whole time," Thompson said. "At that point I really didn't know what I had left in the tank."

Thompson had more left than he thought, however, as he put together what he called his "best race of the season" in the 1,600 a week later at the county championships May 8. His time of 4:18.86 not only beat Bazell by four seconds but turned out to be his fastest time in the race the entire post-season. Thompson later added a first place showing in the 800 (1:58.78) at the meet as well.

"That's just how Joey is," Glenn said. "No matter what goes wrong, no matter how far behind it appears that he is because of all those other things, he peaks when it counts. He has that timeline in his head and he knows what he has to do in order to pull it all together."

Thompson kept the momentum going the following week at regionals, winning the 1,600 in 4:19.19 and finishing second in the 800 and 3,200 as well. He then wrapped things up at states with his championship in the 1,600 (4:20.74) and a close second in the 3,200 (9:19.66). His time in that final two-mile race was 15 seconds faster than at regionals and 26 seconds faster than counties.

Next fall Thompson will suit up for the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, where he plans on running all three seasons.

"I'm going to take a two-week break and then start building up my base for cross country. It's going to be an exciting new challenge," Thompson said. "I feel like this is a good time for me to move on, turn the page kind of. ... It's been a fun few years."

Named to the all-county first team are:

Kadeem Bailey, Atholton senior. There were no first-place finishes during the post-season for Bailey, although the Raiders' senior came awfully close on several occasions. At the county meet he was second in the shot put and tied for second in the high jump. He improved on both distances at regionals, throwing 44-4 1/2 in the shot put (third) and clearing 5-foot-9 in the high jump (fourth). Then he wrapped things up at states by finishing second in the high jump with a height of 6-0 and throwing 45-0 to place sixth in the shot put.

Graham Bazell, Atholton junior. Returning from a stress fracture in his ankle during indoor, Bazell again showcased why he's one of the state's elite distance runners. He completed a post-season sweep of the 3,200, setting an outdoor personal record time at regionals by crossing the line in 9:15.63. Bazell also fared well in the 1,600, finishing second to Joey Thompson at each of the three post-season meets in that race. His best time in the mile came at the Howard County Spring Classic, where he posted a 4:19.65.

Adam Davis, River Hill junior. Davis was the only member of either River Hill squad to make states last spring and he was again at the forefront this year. Individually, he was the best triple jumper at the county meet with a distance of 41-5 1/2. He then followed that up by finishing sixth in the event at regionals. Davis also finished sixth in the 800 at regionals. On top of all that, he ran the third leg of the River Hill 4x800 relay squad that won gold at counties, regionals and states.

Nate Gant, Hammond junior. The speedy Golden Bears' junior was less than a second away from capturing three gold medals at the county championship meet, falling just short of Long Reach's Obi Ukwuoma in the 200. Still, he walked away with first place in the 100 (11.23 seconds) and first place in the long jump (21-0 1/2). At regionals he was second in both the 100 and long jump (22-6) before falling just short of scoring in those two events at states.

Jackson Jordan, Mt. Hebron senior. Jordan was the class of the county in the hurdle events all spring, cruising to victories in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles at the county championship. Issues with his hamstrings at regionals played into slower times in both races and second place finishes, however he bounced back at states. His time of 14.86 seconds in the 110 hurdles was a post-season best and earned him a gold medal.

Vince Mak, Centennial junior. There was quite a crowd atop the county in the pole vault, but in the end Mak finished as the only one this post-season to clear 12-0. That height, which he accomplished at states, earned him a fourth place finish. Earlier, at counties, he cleared 10-6 to finish second and then at regionals he posted a height of 11-4 to finish in fourth.

Phillip Moorehead, Hammond senior. Moorehead made the most of an abbreviated outdoor season, as he returned to the track only weeks before the county championships from a hamstring injury and still shined in the 400. He pulled away down the stretch at that county meet, crossing the line first in a time of 50.11 seconds. He then was even faster the next week at regionals in the 400, finishing second in 49.66 seconds. His time of 51.20 at states, though, wasn't good enough to score.

Craig Morgan, River Hill junior. Based on the state championship meet alone, no one else was in the same class as Morgan this spring. He walked away from the track at Morgan State University with three gold medals (800, 1,600 and 4x800 relay) and one bronze (3,200), winning each of his races in comeback fashion. Earlier in the postseason, Morgan had compiled third place finishes in the 800 and 1,600 at counties to go along with a first-place effort in the 800, a second in the 3,200 and a third in the 1,600 at regionals.

Marquese Pratt, Wilde Lake senior. Pratt wasn't quite as good as he was last spring as a junior, where he cleared 6-0 in his final three meets, yet he was still good enough to capture another county championship in the high jump. His height of 5-10 was two inches better than a group of four others that tied for second at that county meet.

Jake Robbins, Centennial senior. Robbins only placed once in the discus this postseason, but he made that throw count. His throw of 137-6 at the county championships not only earned him first place, but it also went down as the farthest throw of any county competitor over the final three weeks. The next closest was 136-10.

Alvin Thomas, Long Reach senior. Thomas was definitely the most consistent thrower from the county, excelling in both the shot put and the discus. He was first in the shot put both at counties (44-10 1/2) and at regionals (47-11) and then also added a second in the discus at the county championship (132-1). At regionals Thomas took third in the discus, before finishing his season with a throw of 136-10 at states to finish fourth.

Obi Ukwuoma, Long Reach senior. One of the county's best with a basketball in his hands, Ukwuoma also showcased a tremendous amount of speed on the track in the 200 this season. He finished first at the county championships with what turned out to be his fastest time of the postseason (20.05 seconds) and then finished second at regionals and third at states. He also was a member of the winning 4x100 relay team at counties, which also took third at regionals and states.

Zach Weinstein, Mt. Hebron junior. The highlight of the season for Weinstein was undoubtedly the regional championship meet where he finished first in both the 1,600 and 3,200. His time in the 3,200 that day of 9:51.07 was his best of the post season. At the county championship, he was fifth in both races and at states he was sixth in the 3,200. In addition, he was a part of the Vikings' second place 4x800 relay squad at counties and regionals.

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