Another Georgia track season has come to a close and the boys state meet provided a fitting ending for a fantastic season. Justin Oliver, of Redan, capped a memorable senior season both individually and collectively as he led his team to a dominating win in AAAAA. Winning the state chamionship would have been fine in and of itself but the senior capped it off with a nation leading time as well. He then came out and helped Redan set the number 5 all time mark in the 4x400m relay. When one goes to the all time Georgia honor roll to see where young Mr. Oliver now resides, some impressive names jump out at you. First and foremost is Danny Bugg of Avondale all the way back in 1971 who is now removed from the top 10. Directly above Justin is former Olympian Angelo Taylor, Antonio Pettigrew, along with former phenoms Goodman and Witherspoon and at the top of the list...none other than Antonio McKay...pretty heady company Mr. Oliver. Congratulations on a tremendous season.
Jordan Scott of Oconee Co. has made headlines all season long. At one time, the nations leading pole vaulter, Mr. Scott saw his dream of winning gold slipping through his fingers at the state meet as he had two misses at what turned out to be 15\'11 1/2\". Casey Herndon had already done his part in clearing the height to set a new Georgia Olympics record and the pressure rested squarely on the shoulders of the shoulders of the junior from Oconee Co. This is what championships are made for. The opportunity to look defeat squarely in the eye and overcome it provides an emotional rush that few will understand. Mr. Scott took that opportunity and ran with it, eventually ending up at 16\'6\" and a new Georgia Olympics record. The dream match up did not disappoint and two of the best vaulters in Georgia history did us proud.
Tavaris Washington is a young man who has also produced some eye opening times earlier this year. He came to this meet with the pressure of having to live up to the hype. He too did not disappoint as he took gold in both the 110m and 300m hurdles in impressive fashion. Breaking into the top 10 all time list in Georgia is quite a task. The names Trammell and Kingdom jump out at you from the list and while Tavaris came up a bit short on breaking into that elite crowd, he was able to post a top 10 all time mark in the 300 hurdles with his 36.74 time. Mr. Washington\'s name now rests between Roy Cheney, now at Clemson, and Stanley Blaylock as the 7th best mark of all time. Nice job on a great season Tavaris and best of luck at Auburn.
The throws provided a glimpse of the highs and lows of individual competition such as one faces in track and field. Quincy Marshall came into the state meet highly touted with some impressive throws and yet on this day, it wasn\'t meant to be. A tough day in one event led to an equally disappointing finish in the other. It was a disappointing finish for a young man that has been one of Georgia\'s most consistent performers this season Witness Pierre Turner, of Collins Hill High School to see what tough defeats can do for a person. Midway throough the season, a young man by the name of Israel Machovec was overcoming knee surgery and working his way back into the ring. Machovec produced some pretty heady numbers as a freshman before competing in the GISA his sophomore year. Turner, who had been number one all season long in his region was now faced with a fierce competitor in his own region who eventually passed him at the region meet, relegating Mr. Turner to a 2nd place finish at the region meet. Adversity can either bring out the best of us or the worst of us and fortunately for Pierre the former rather than the latter was true. In his biggest moment, he stepped up to the plate and delivered a home run as he broke his personal best mark with a throw of 175\'1\", an improvement of over 8 feet in this , the biggest event of his high school track career. Machovec, who ended up 3rd in the event, did not go home empty handed though. He earlier had put together his own championship effort in winning the state meet with a 55\' effort and while not the best throw of the day, it certainly had to rank as one of the most impressive. You see Machovec, who stands about 6\'5, is not your stereotypical shot putter weighing in at about 190 lbs. after a plate of biscuits.
The distance events provided fireworks as well. There is a young man out of McEachern, by the name of Ben Hubers, who wrapped up an incredible sophomore season with a stellar showing in winning both the 1600 and 3200m races. Nathan Frasier of Collins Hill can look back on this meet with no regrets. In the 3200, Frasier gave it everything he had coming down the front straight away after making a bold move, but Hubers would not be denied and claimed his 3rd state chamionship this season, winning in dramatic fashion. An exciting end to what has been an incredible season for the young runner from Cobb. The 3200m all time list is littered with times from the 70\'s. With two years to go, young Mr. Hubers appears ready to add his name to that list.
There were others as well who took to the stage and basked in the limelight. Kirk Carter of Oconee posted the top time of the day in the 800m. Trey Fletcher, of Carrollton, took home double gold in the 110 and 300 hurdles in the hotly contested AAA division. His efforts led Carrollton to another state championship as they easily outdistanced their closest competitor. Will Bonn, of Landmark Christian, captured yet another pair of championships winning the 1600 and 3200m races. It\'s been a great year for Georgia track and field. Congraulations to all the athletes who took home gold this weekend. You are to be commended for your accomplishments and your dedication to this great sport that so many of us love.
Another Georgia track season has come to a close and the boys state meet provided a fitting ending for a fantastic season. Justin Oliver, of Redan, capped a memorable senior season both individually and collectively as he led his team to a dominating win in AAAAA. Winning the state chamionship would have been fine in and of itself but the senior capped it off with a nation leading time as well. He then came out and helped Redan set the number 5 all time mark in the 4x400m relay. When one goes to the all time Georgia honor roll to see where young Mr. Oliver now resides, some impressive names jump out at you. First and foremost is Danny Bugg of Avondale all the way back in 1971 who is now removed from the top 10. Directly above Justin is former Olympian Angelo Taylor, Antonio Pettigrew, along with former phenoms Goodman and Witherspoon and at the top of the list...none other than Antonio McKay...pretty heady company Mr. Oliver. Congratulations on a tremendous season.
Jordan Scott of Oconee Co. has made headlines all season long. At one time, the nations leading pole vaulter, Mr. Scott saw his dream of winning gold slipping through his fingers at the state meet as he had two misses at what turned out to be 15\'11 1/2\". Casey Herndon had already done his part in clearing the height to set a new Georgia Olympics record and the pressure rested squarely on the shoulders of the shoulders of the junior from Oconee Co. This is what championships are made for. The opportunity to look defeat squarely in the eye and overcome it provides an emotional rush that few will understand. Mr. Scott took that opportunity and ran with it, eventually ending up at 16\'6\" and a new Georgia Olympics record. The dream match up did not disappoint and two of the best vaulters in Georgia history did us proud.
Tavaris Washington is a young man who has also produced some eye opening times earlier this year. He came to this meet with the pressure of having to live up to the hype. He too did not disappoint as he took gold in both the 110m and 300m hurdles in impressive fashion. Breaking into the top 10 all time list in Georgia is quite a task. The names Trammell and Kingdom jump out at you from the list and while Tavaris came up a bit short on breaking into that elite crowd, he was able to post a top 10 all time mark in the 300 hurdles with his 36.74 time. Mr. Washington\'s name now rests between Roy Cheney, now at Clemson, and Stanley Blaylock as the 7th best mark of all time. Nice job on a great season Tavaris and best of luck at Auburn.