COLUMBUS — One of the most historic high school track and field careers in Richland County history has come to an end.
But it was all smiles for Lexington senior Latrell Hughes. On Sunday, June 5, Hughes repeated as state champion in the 800-meter dash, this time winning the Division II Jesse Owens Ohio High School Athletic Association State Track and Field Championships title with a blistering time of 1:49.46 to repeat as state champ.
He was pushed by University School’s Thomas Lodowski who took second with a 1:49.92.
“I got out and wanted to get a good first lap time and I kind of felt that he was going to go out fast before the race even started,” Hughes said. “I was thinking about passing him on the back stretch, but he was moving pretty good, so I waited for about the 100 or 150 and saw his form change and that allowed me to kick it in and pass him.”
It is the capstone to a track career that saw him win two 800-meter titles and anchor two 4×800-meter relay state championship teams. Combine that with his accomplishments in cross country as an individual runner-up as a junior and a team state championship as a senior among many other incredible accomplishments, and it is hard to argue that Hughes just put the finishing touches on his legacy as the greatest runner in Lexington High School history.
“No one can make a good argument for him to not be considered the best,” Lexington coach Mike Moore said. “For me, he is the greatest runner I have ever coached. When he finished that race, I was in tears and that doesn’t happen much.”
Last season, Hughes won the Division I state championship with a 1:51.00 before going to the New Balance Nationals Outdoor event and posting a personal best 1:48.46 to take fifth and earn himself All-American honors in the process.
When he was standing on top of the podium at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium after completing the final high school race of his career, the term legacy didn’t come to mind yet, but it will.
“It really hasn’t hit me yet,” Hughes said. “Maybe in a week when I am completely done with everything with track and cross, I can start thinking about that stuff. All I know is I am so proud of myself. Wanted to go out with a bang in my final state track meet and make my family, friends and coaches proud. I am so proud.
“Respectfully, I think I am up there with the best,” Hughes added. “I think my coaches would say the same thing. I went to practice every day and put my heart into everything I did.”
Hughes has been battling a hamstring injury all season and has only run the 800-meter run six times this season. He won the event at the 94th Mehock Relays with a 1:53.24 before posting a 1:55.89 in a dual meet with Ashland on April 21.
When he reached the postseason, he did what he needed to do to qualify for the district finals running a 2:09.16 in the preliminary round before smoking the field with a season-best 1:51.88 to win the district title. He followed that up with a 1:52.99 to win the regional championship in the final race at Lexington High School of his career.
Moore watched Hughes developed over the last four years and never left a practice where he wasn’t amazed in his abilities on the track.
“Coming in as a freshman and being so chill in his first 4×400 at the state meet, you just knew he was going to be something special,” Moore said. “He was an anchor leg from his very first day and I thought he was good then and I have seen that kid grow so much.
“Speaking of legacy, the thing I am going to miss the most is watching him practice and how frustrated he makes us coaches because no matter what we threw in his way to push him, he did it with ease. He just kept rising up to the challenge. Through his effort, he set the bar at Lexington.”
Hughes, who was named the No. 1 returning Richland County male track and field athlete coming into the season and the No. 3 athlete in the Richland 200, ends his career with two 800-meter run state championships and a state title in the 4×800-meter relay in 2025 when his team posted a 7:37.65. He also led the Minutemen to the 2025 Division II state cross country championship.
He has lived up to all of the hype and then some.
He will take his medals and his talent to the University of Oregon in the Fall to continue his running and academic career.
“I am so excited,” Hughes said. “I am ready to compete with the best in the world, but mostly, I am just ready to get better every single day.”
The greatest runner in Lexington High School history still believes he can improve. That is the legacy Latrell Hughes will leave behind.
jfurr@usatodayco.com
740-244-9934
X: @JakeFurr11
Lexington boys OHSAA state track champions
1983: Terry Smith – High Jump
1997: Mark Simmons – Discus
1997: Mark Simmons – Shot Put
2016: Nick Stricklen – 3,200-meter run
2016: Ryan Johnston, Bailey Stach, Forest Volz, Nick Stricklen – 4×800-meter relay
2017: Mason Kearns, Tony Gerrell, Forest Volz, Hunter Biddle – 4×400-meter relay
2025: Latrell Hughes – 800-meter run
2025: Latrell Hughes, Chance Basilone, Nathan Reed, Will Perkins – 4×800-meter relay
2026: Latrell Hughes, Nathan Reed, Trevor Reed, Will Hooper – 4×800-meter relay
2026: Latrell Hughes – 800-meter run
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Lexington’s Latrell Hughes repeats as 800-meter OHSAA state champion
Reporting by Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal | USA TODAY Network
