or Parkersburg High School’s 4×400-meter relay team, winning the state championship wasn’t enough. They wanted more — something historic.
And they got it.
Just one week after setting the all-time West Virginia record in the event, the quartet of AJ Payne, Christian Rutherford, Jackson Wharton, and Landen Deuley stepped onto the track at the state meet with one goal: break the state meet record.
Mission accomplished.
When Deuley, the team’s anchor, crossed the finish line, all eyes turned to the scoreboard.
3:22.53.
Not only had the Big Reds claimed the state crown — they had demolished a 45-year-old meet record set by Wheeling Park in 1980.
“It’s my last race with these two seniors I’ve run with for a long time,” Deuley said, nodding toward Rutherford and Wharton. “Our mindset was simple — get the win and break the record. We did both. It feels amazing.”
Their journey to the record books was months in the making.
Just over a month ago, at the Russ Parsons Invitational, the team ran a respectable 3:29. Then, at the Mountain State Athletic Conference championships, they shaved that down to 3:25.
By the time regionals rolled around, they were ready for something big — and delivered with a jaw-dropping 3:21.68, setting a new all-time West Virginia high school record.
“We really started grinding at practice,” said Deuley, who also won the individual state title in the 400 earlier in the day with a time of 49.10. “We started believing that if we committed, we could do something special. We trusted each other completely. I knew when Jackson came off that turn, he’d get me the baton in first place. From there, it was all heart.”
The race unfolded like a well-planned relay playbook.
AJ Payne got the team started strong. Then Christian Rutherford kept the momentum going. When Jackson Wharton took over, Parkersburg was running neck-and-neck with Cabell Midland, who would go on to finish second in 3:25.89.
Wharton knew what he had to do — get the baton to Deuley, their closer.
“Lately, we’ve been blowing everyone away,” Wharton said. “But we knew Midland had a strong second leg, so I had to clean things up a bit.”
He paused, motioning toward Deuley.
“I just had to give the state champion 400 runner a little space. I knew he’d bring it home.”
And he did.
With one final sprint, Deuley sealed the win, the record, and a moment that will live in Parkersburg High track history.
For a team that started the season with potential and ended it as state legends, this wasn’t just about medals — it was about setting a new standard.
One race.
Four teammates.
One unforgettable legacy.
