WINSTON-SALEM - On the back of Bakri Abushouk, the Cary boys’ indoor track and field team finished second in the 4A state championships Saturday at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem.

Knightdale needed both of its wins in the 3,200-meter relay and the 1,600 meter relay to beat Cary 55-44.

The Imps thrived on the three individual-event wins of boys’ meet MVP Abushouk in the 1,000, 1,600 and 3,200.

Abushouk’s last win of the evening came in the 3,200, when he passed Broughton’s William Roberson in the final 50 meters to win. He finished at 9:25.4, a half-second ahead of Roberson.

“I never thought I’d trail the whole race (in the 3,200),” Abushouk said. “I was really struggling throughout that race and just hoped the pace didn’t get too quick. I just pushed and was able to stay close enough. That last push was all my faith that God would push me through.”

He won the 1,000 in 2:32.73 and the 1,600 in 4:14.56.

Phillip Thomas gave Cary the win in the pole vault (14-6).

“This is just a stepping stone for moving on to vault in college,” Thomas said. “This (14-6) is the number you need to hit to get colleges’ attention.”

Knightdale’s boys’ took a huge step toward winning their third straight state championship in the day’s first event, winning the 4x800 relay ahead of Cary. Henry Kiedy, Marquavious Johnson, Marcell Johnson and Adonis Williams beat an Imp relay team that included Abushouk.

Later, the Knights got the 10 points they needed out of the 4x400 to edge the Imps. Cary was 10th in the event, two slots out of the points.

Wakefield’s girls’ needed a win in the 1,600 girls’ relay to top Southeast Raleigh 60-56.

Wakefield’s Tyra Lea was the girls’ meet MVP with wins in the 300 (38.76 seconds, a new state record) and the triple jump, at 37 feet, six inches.

Maura McDonnell of Green Hope won the 1,600, making the winning pass on the final turn, prevailing in 5:10.3. Green Hope was fourth in girls’ team scoring.

“It feels very good,” McDonnell said of her win. “I’d finished second in the 1,000 before and I just told myself down the stretch of that race that I was tired of getting second place.”

Cary’s Layla White won the 500 in 1:14.94, a new personal record.