Greenbrier West Hurdlers Go Out In a Blaze of Glory

The boys shuttle hurdles team from Greenbrier West High School made its goals clear prior to the start of the school year.

The dynamic foursome wanted to set a new Class A state meet record, while senior Isaac Agee was looking to establish the best state meet time in the 110 meter high hurdles.

Although it was a bold ambition, Agee, fellow seniors Brandon Poticher and Randy Keener, along with junior Colton Dunbar, made it happen in grand fashion.

Friday night the Cavaliers roared back and forth down the track in a record time of 58.43 seconds, breaking the old mark of 59.01 seconds set by Doddridge County in 2012.

Saturday afternoon, Agee ran a flawless race in the 110 meter hurdles, covering the ground in 14.57 seconds, also a new state meet record.

"The emotions are crazy. I got exactly what I wanted," Agee said. "I give all the glory to God. That is what I believe in. I'm happy."

Both wins gave Greenbrier West back-to-back titles in each event.

While the endgame seemed a fitting end for the Cavaliers, the road to the championship titles was far from smooth.

The record setting aspirations hit a major pothole in football season when Agee went down with a torn ACL.

Refusing to be bitter and angry, Agee turned to his faith to ride the difficult road and battled his way back just in time for track season.

Outside of a catastrophic error, the outcome of the shuttle hurdle event was never really in doubt.

Poticher ran the first leg of the relay and appeared to be shot out of a cannon. After missing the run last year due to shoulder surgery, the first team All-state football player was wired for sound.

"I have been ready to go," Poticher said. "I wasn't here last year and I had to watch them. I had to make my opportunity count. I was ready."

A week earlier, the foursome tasted some slight disappointment at the regional meet when it missed the school record by less than one-tenth of a second.

It only fueled them to drive harder.

"We knew we were coming into the state meet and everyone here was going to be pushing as hard as possible," Keener said. "They were going to be pushing as hard as possible and breaking their personal records as well. That drove us in practice to work even harder every single day."

Dunbar, whose dad was an accomplished hurdler at Greenbrier West also, increased the lead in the second leg.

"It's been a honor to be on this team with these guys," Dunbar said. "Especially with me coming in last year. It has been an honor."

By the time Keener reached Agee for the final sprint, the only question that remained was, will they break the record?

"This feels amazing. Very grateful," Agee said, smiling. "It is awesome."

Still working to return to the form he displayed last year, Agee breaking the record seemed a bit more unlikely.

Friday night in the preliminary run, Agee recorded a time of 14.89 seconds. Last year, he won the event with a time of 14.76. The state meet record stood at 14.63 seconds, set by Braden Hashman from St. Mary's in 2023.

"I really haven't had my best times and I was scared I wouldn't get back to my times from last year," Agee said. "That was what I wanted to do. I'm just so thankful."

Agee did not put in all of his hard to work to come up short. When he crossed the line in the championship final, the time read 14.57 seconds.

"There is always nerves. If you don't have nerves before a race, I don't think you have ever ran before," Agee said. "It doesn't matter how far ahead your time might be, you can always lose. I just thank God for giving me this opportunity and I am super excited."

Poticher earned All-State honors with a 3rd-place finish in his final high school race.

Dunbar was running second before clipping the final hurdle. The fall dropped him to sixth place, but still earned him an All-state nod.