1A Public Boys Preview
Look for a solid 3 team battle between Claxton, Terrell County, and Twiggs County. Claxton could build a slight early lead over Terrell in the field events. Twiggs will not have any competitors until the 3200 on Friday and looks to come on strong Saturday with competitors in 6 events including 2 in both the 100 & 200. The final 3 events will be the deciding factor. Twiggs and Terrell will make up half of the 200 field as both schools qualified 2 runners. In the 300 Hurdles Twiggs will be favored, but Claxton has its final shot to claim the title with 2 hurdles qualified. Going into the 4x4 look for Claxton to have a slight lead over Terrell with Twiggs sitting close behind in 3rd. Twiggs will be the favorite in the final race, but without a team from Claxton and with Terrell poised for a top 3 finish in the race, the team that comes out on top for the State Championship will be anyones guess. more coming stay tuned
Distance
Distance isn't exactly the forte' of A Public schools as witnessed by the 2012 A XC Championships in Macon. XC Champ Bryton Wenzel of Baconton Charter is the favorite to win the 1600m after his 4:44 at Sectionals. The only other sub 5: athlete in the race will be Jenkins County's Mark Brannen in 4:55 Alex Dilliard of Claxton and Dylan Lee of Gordon Lee have the best shot at joing the sub 5: club Thursday. Irwin County's duo of Robert Bledsoe (10:23) and Denzel Scott (10:32) may sweep the top 2 spots for the Indians. Brannen of Jenkins County will need to improve on his 10:45pr to breakup that pow wow. Wenzel is hands down the man to beat in the 800m w/ a pr of 2:01, but you never know what to expect when a rural school athlete gets on the big stage and runs much faster against better competition...
Sprints/Hurdles/Relays
Like the motto in Friday Night Lights movie, Perfect Robinson from Twiggs County will attempt to be perfect and double in the short sprints. He has legitimate FAT times of 10.85 and 22.17 but will be challenged in the 100m by Jerkerious Scott from Terrell County (10.85) and Hancock Central's Cameron Mayweather (11.07) Cameron also has the best time in the 200m coming in at 21.97. Raytez Jenkins of Central Talbotton has a best of 22.30 He will attempt a double this weekend as he's the top 400m at 49.89, but Telfair County's Ricky Bell improved dramatically at the Greene Co. Tiger Invite 3 weeks ago in 50.32 Dekerrio Ramsey of Commerce should be in the mix at 50.80
Dezmond Moran of Jenkins County has clocked 15.20h in the 110h coming in as the favorite with no other hurdler within a second of him. The 300h is a different bag altogether and should be a very close race between Twiggs' TJ Lowe (42.04), Titus Lawrence of Mitchell County (42.11), Roderick McKenzie of Calhoun County (42.28) and Evan Credeur of Claxton (42.49)
Big, big points at stake for a team title in both relays for Hancock (42.29), Terrell (42.89), Twiggs (42.94) and Commerce (43.49) Twiggs (3:34.45) has a big advantage in the final event of A Public as only Terrell (amongst the team title contenders) has a dog in the fight of the 4x400m final.
Field Events
Everyone's gonna pick up some points in the Field as this title will be decided on the mondo. A Public is weak in the technical events.
Throws
Micah Easton of Commerce has the top Shot mark at 47-7.5, followed by Melvin Alexander of Hancock (46-10) and Ramon Neal of Greenville (46-2) In what may be the weakest field in the Discus of the Ga Olympics the competition will be wide open Devin Hannans of Charlton #1 at 127-11, Marquez Heathe of Talifaerro County at 127-6 and very baffling is distance ace Bryton Wenzel from Baconton Charter comes in ranked 3rd at 124-7...
Verticals
Gordon Lee is in the driver's seat to score big in the vault behind Andrew Towns (11-6) and Corey Jewell (11-0), Evan Credeur of Claxton recently cleared 11-0 The HJ is weak also with no jumper having a bar exceeding 6-0 this Spring (reported) and its as wide open as the Discus.
Horizontals
Dekerrio Ramsey of Commerce has the #1 LJ at 21-5, followed by Taylor Payne of GMAC (21-03) and Nathan Martin Turner County (20-09) Ramsey is a heavy fave in the TJ with a personal best of 45-01. The Claxton duo of Victor Brewton (42-6) and Cornelius Taylor (42-4) could enhance Claxton's efforts to break into the top 4 teamwise
1A Private Boys Preview
Defending Class A (combined) State Champ Athens Christian School will have 21 opportunities to score in Jefferson and imagine if Josiah Jenkins (Cedar Shoals 13') was still there...For the Golden Eagles to repeat all they need to do is what they've done all season (despite a late start to Track season for them) Relays, hurdles, 200-400 meter athletes, distance and Field Events they are loaded. ELCA has plenty of speed, OLM has a balanced squad, Darlington and Landmark should pile up points all around.
Distance
The 1600 begins Track events and it should be a humdinger with duel involving Athens Academy stalwart Henry Dwyer (4:15c) and Whitefield's Robby Keogh at 4:22. In 2012 Ga Olympics Dwyer fell ill and was not able to start in the 800m final per physician's recommendation so its safe to say he's hungry...Should be a nice race for Podium spots after that between Joshua Rogers from Pace (4:30), Reilly Friedman of Galloway (4:31), Grant Hicks of Mt.Pisgah (4:34), and Paul Orr of Landmark Christian (4:36). In the 3200m race Friedman comes in as the favorite at 9:52, but Shane Sullivan of Mt.Pisgah (9:57) could push him. Pace's Josh Rogers may challenge at (10:00). Following are a bevy of runners just over 10:+ racing for team points including Orr at 10:13, Morgan Bishoff of ACS (10:15) the 800m should be a GREAT race to watch as Dwyer and Keough will go at it again w/ pr's of 1:54.48 and 1:55.74 After this duo Darlington will have 2 looking to score big including Alex Cox (1:58) and Avery Cypress (2:00) also w/ a sub 2: time will be Hicks (1:59.31)
Sprints/Hurdles/Relays
Mercy's Christian Coleman has a good shot to double in the short sprints w/ pr's of 10.98/22.50, Jalen Myrick of Savannah Christian has the #2 time this season at 10.97, but George Walton athlete Stanley Williams burned a 10.92 early in the season. In the 200m Jevius Terry of ELCA (22.55) will challenge Coleman as well as Demetris Robertson of SCD (22.60) The 400 may be Brooks brother bonanza for ACS as Josiah (50.31) Justin (50.35) but Darlington's Alex Cox will try to break up that finish line party coming in #1 at 50.11Stockton McGuire of Landmark should be in striking distance at 50.89.
The 110 hurdles features 2 sub 15. hurdlers including Pace's Kenny Selmon at 14.54 and Landmark always produces hurdlers with Darius Smith at 14.88 Tae Carruth will be fighting for points for ACS (15.40) Christian Moore of FPD has hurdled to 15.10, Selmon and Smith will go at again in the 300h with pr's of 38.14 and 38.92 respectively. Christos Martinez and Marquise Christian of should collectively add to ACS's point total.
Eagles Landing Christian (ELCA) should easily win the 4x100m (42.53). Athens Christian recently has done well in the relays with the #2 times in the 4x100m (43.38) and (3:28) 4x400m Darlington will try to close out the A Private meet with a win in the 4x400m with a season best time of 3:25.61
Field Events
ACS may pile up enough points Thursday to ease any worries. ACS has thrived in the technical events for years and now they have some hops horizontally. Demetrius McWhorter q'd in 3 events with a chance to take both horizontals.
Throws
After a disapointing Sectional in 2012, where he failed to Q' in the Discus, Jordan Pickerall is back on top of A throws with a vengeance. Jordan has season best marks of 161-10 in the Discus and 57-6 in the Shot. Issac Rochelle of ELCA will challenge him in the Discus with a pr of 156-7. Pushing 150' in the Discus may be Karim Dembele of Tallulah Falls and Joseph Ruggiers of ACS. Dembele and Bobby Marsburn of Athens Academy may need to surpass 50' in the Shot to place 2nd.
Verticals
Yes, we know about vault contraversy at Sectionals, but its water under the bridge as Levi Cummings will be back to defend his 2012 title with a season best of 13-6. Stockton McGuire of Landmark will need to climb higher, perhaps, to challenge Cummings. There are a plethora of vaulters at 12-0 including Darlington's Cox who is gonna be a busy man Saturday. The Sectionals HJ competition was over at 5-06...but Darlington's Miles Bearden is in a different atmosphere with a clearance of 6-07. No other jumper has cleared a bar over 6-00 this season. Demetrius McWhorter of ACS has consistently cleared 6-0 all season.
Horizontals
Christian Coleman of Our Lady of Mercy is a definite canadite for 'high point award' if he jumps well with a LJ mark of 22-5.75 McWhorter of ACS has the #2 mark at 21-5 and Jevius Terry of ELCA (21-01) The TJ will again feature McWhorter as he claims the top mark in 2013 at 44-8.50 and to add insult to injury teamate Josiah Brooks' pr is 44-02.
