For a long time, Vicksburg was known as a football town. For the past 15 or 20 years, it’s been a baseball town. Recently, we’ve gained a reputation as a track town.

Each of the past two years, Vicksburg has been home to the Gatorade Mississippi Track and Field Player of the Year. Vicksburg’s Terrell Smith won it in 2014 after setting MHSAA state meet records in the 100 and 200 meters, and St. Aloysius’ DeMichael Harris got in in 2015 for winning the Class 1A title in both of those events plus the 400 meters.

Harris seems like the favorite to win it again. He ran the 100 in 10.53 seconds last week in a meet at Pearl High School, and has the fastest times in the state in the 100, 200 and 400 this season.

Among the other current high schoolers, Vicksburg’s Leon Miles is the defending Class 5A champion in the 110 and 300 meter hurdles. The Gators’ boys’ 4×100 relay team has clocked a state-best time of 42.51 seconds. Jade Douglas has the top 800 meter girls’ time in Class 5A, and Tymesha Nabors the best 300 meter hurdles time.

Vicksburg’s boys team has depth and speed, which should allow them to contend for the Class 5A team championship at next month’s state meet.

Warren Central’s K.K. McCarley has broken school records in the 3,200 and 1,600 meters this season. Freshman sprinter Maliek Berry won the Little Six Conference championship in the 200 meters and joined Sedrick Jones, Corey Wilson Jr. and Lamar Gray Jr. on the winning 4×200 meter relay team.

The recent alumni are doing well, too.

Smith has moved on to Kansas State and finished second in the 200 meters at LSU’s Battle on the Bayou meet with a time of 20.65 seconds. Freshman pole vaulter Maggie Waites, a St. Aloysius alum and former high school state champion, set a school record at Division II Texas A&M-Commerce during the indoor season and cleared a height of 11 feet at a meet last weekend at Angelo State.

Football, basketball and baseball will probably always be king in Mississippi. Around these parts, though, it’s our track athletes who are bringing in championships.

Vicksburg? Pretty soon they’ll be calling us Quicksburg.

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Ernest Bowker is a sports writer for The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com