FORTVILLE — In track and field, there are individual wins, and there are team wins. Thursday night, as the Highland boys track and field team hoisted the Mount Vernon Sectional championship trophy, the celebration marked a decisive victory.

Winning the program’s second straight and sixth overall, the Scots scored 152 team points, advancing to the regional level in 18 events.

Behind the team’s renown depth, Highland claimed five first-place finishes while adding its third school record on the year, capturing the 400-meter relay in 44.07 seconds. Before the sectional meet, the Scots set new school standards with D.J. Taylor credited at the 3,200-meter run and the other in the high jump.

“This year’s been very good. Everybody is reaching their potential,” said Taylor, who won the 3,200 with a time of 10:14.86. “This feels real good.”

The feeling hasn’t altered much this year for the Scots, who concluded the regular season undefeated in dual-meet action at 6-0-1 overall.

Since tying Perry Meridian in the season opener, Highland has walked away victorious at all six invitational meets entered, and also won the Muncie Relays and Blackford Invitational for the first time in school history.

“I’m happy for these guys,” Highland coach Cary House said. “It’s nice to see these guys have some success, and put a fire under them because I’ve already heard these guys talking about next year. Success breeds success.”

Taking the gold with host Mount Vernon (114.5) and Pendleton Heights deadlocking for runner-up, the Scots’ margin grew as the night progressed.

Yorktown (63) finished fourth and advanced six regional qualifiers with the top-four place winners in each event moving on in the IHSAA State Series.

The Tigers’ lone winner came at the shot put behind a sectional-record distance of 52-feet, 7.5 inches. The previous mark was 52-00.5, set by Highland’s Bo Price in 2005.

Mount Vernon’s Tucker Field established the evening’s only other sectional record, winning the pole vault with a height of 14-06.0 for a repeat title run.

The Marauders won six events overall and added four third-place ribbons with two fourth-place finishes.

However, the defending Madison County champion Scots paced the field behind six runner-up winners, six third-place finishers and placing eighth or higher in all but two of the 16 events.

“It seems like everybody knows what they’re doing and what they want this year,” Taylor said. “Last year, it seemed like everybody was experimenting. This year, they have the skill down pat.”

As one of the night’s two double-event winners, Highland’s Jay Mohr gave the Scots a lift from the pits, winning the long jump (20-05) for a second straight year before aiding the 400-meter relay team’s (Maurice Hall, Trey Messer, Jamie Mallory) historic run.