ST. JOSEPH – The Ring Lardner Vikings competed against nine schools in the St. Joseph D’Agostino Relays on Wednesday finishing second overall.

The relays held in St Joe each year are co-ed, that is they are run with both boys and girls in the same event. For example there would be two boys and two girls running in a race instead of just four boys.

The Vikings have been competitive there the past nine years capturing three seconds and winning it six times. Wednesday was no exception with the team going into the last three events with a chance to win.

It was not to be as the Vikings came in second to a very strong St. Joe team 67-57 with Lakeshore in third at 47 and Dowagiac next with 40.

The team started badly with the 6,400-meter team ending in a sixth place and the shot put and high jump teams finishing in fifth.

Jamal Hinds and Keilah Dos Santos provided the first spark with a second in the long jump going 32-feet in a combined total.

Hinds then helped his 800 team of Tala Gentry, Kale Pollard and LaShonda Greene to a 2nd in place finish. The hurdlers then took another second with Rusty Feeback, Boston Hand, Kierra Fillwock and Taylor Glenn running one second behind the winners Edwardsburg.

Niles kept adding seconds in the next two races once again losing by just eight seconds in the Distance Relay and one second in the 400 relay.

Sean Craig, Haley Aikey, Mike Geiger, and Kylee Myer ran in the Distance and Hinds,Pollard, Greene, and Maggie Hoff participated in the 400.

The last three races were the difference makers. The Vikings were only able to take a third, a fourth and a fifth place finish.

The Vikngs finish the season with the Allegan Relays, which are also co-ed and will be against opponents from different parts of the state.