PEARL — Picayune’s Tony Washington started at safety for the Class 5A state football championship team when the Maroon Tide took the title in December in Jackson.

On Monday, the senior sprinter returned to the Capital area and captured another state title.

Washington raced to the championship in the 400 meter dash with a time of 48.79 at the overall Class 5A state track and field meet. He nipped Joseph Collins of Jackson Wingfield, who finished at 48.98. Collins had the best recorded time in the state this season coming into the event.

“Tony held the course in his training this year, he never let up and he stayed very competitive,” Maroon Tide head coach Dodd Lee said. “He broke 49 seconds, and that’s pretty dang good. He is very deserving of everything he has earned, plus he is an outstanding kid.”

With his first place finish, Washington accounted for almost all of the Maroon Tide’s 13 points in the event. Picayune finished 16th in the boys competition.

Tyler Smith finished seventh in the 100 meter dash for Picayune, and Jaylin Dees finished eighth in the 300 meter hurdles to complete the Maroon Tide’s scoring card.

Despite winning only one event, Oxford won the school’s fifth championship, albeit its first in 5A. The Chargers edged Vicksburg 76-73. Mike McGhee, who started at linebacker for Oxford when Picayune beat the Chargers 42-35 for the state football title, won the shot put for the with a throw of 54-2¼. Oxford clinched the championship with a fourth-place finish in the last event — the 1600 relay.

• In the girls competition, Picayune finished a solid eighth with 24 points.

Picayune’s Quiarra Wilson finished sixth in the 200 meter dash and seventh in the 100 meter dash. Sarah Richard finished seventh in the 200 meter dash, just behind her teammate. Lacey Polderman finished fifth in the 400 meter dash.

The 4×100 relay team of Richard, Wilson, Jasmine Flowers, and Polderman finished fourth and the same quartet finished sixth in the 4×200 relay. In the field events, Richard was sixth in the triple jump and Keira Bell was sixth in the discus.

Canton won the 5A girls title with 94 points, edging defending champ Pearl (81).