Marley Bell was a star for Montgomery County this weekend and propelled them to the win in 1A Division 2
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GHSA 1A Division 2 State Meet Recap
Montgomery County boys and girls were able to pull off the team title sweep of class 1A Division 2 after scoring 71 points on the girls side and 58 points on the boys side. The girls had a more comfortable victory, so we will start there. Marley Bell kicked off their scoring with her big double win in the high jump and triple jump as the only girls to clear 5-2 and with a big triple jump of 35-9.75. Jabrayla Coglin also took home a 2nd palce finish in the long jump and Jaliya Moore got 6th in the Shot Put. They were also able to score a 7th place finish in the 4x800m relay, their 4x200m relay took 4th place, their 4x400m relay was 2nd, and their 4x100m relay team placed 5th which showed that it was a full team effort from these girls to get the win. Bell added a 3rd and 4th individual title by winning the 100m and 300m hurdles in 15.27 45.44 while Laurie Conner took home 8th place in the 800m.
The battle for 2nd place on the girls side was incredibly close with Georgia Military Prep, Turner County, and Miller County being separated by a grand total of one point (Turner and Miller tied for 3rd). Georgia Military was boosted by a win in the 4x800m relay, a runner up finish in the 1600 and state title in the 800 from Maria Knapp, a 4th place and 3rd place finish in the 400 and 800 respectively from Lily Ryan, and the state champion 4x400m relay team. Turner County went 2-3 in the high jump with Tykhia Burgess and Caitlyn Burgess. Tykhia also won the long jump and Caitlyn was 3rd in the 100m while their 4x100m relay team placed 3rd. They also got runner up in the 4x200m relay. Miller County won the 4x200m relay. In the field events they got points from Zariyona Williams who was 3rd in the long jump, but most of their points came in running events. Rha'Mya Hughes was runner up in the 400 and Williams was runner up in the 100. But the 3rd time was the charm for her as she took him the state title in the 200. They also placed 5th in the 4x400m relay to guarantee themselves a tie for the 3rd place trophy.
On the boys side, Montgomery County was pushed a little more, but still ended up with a comfortable enough 12 point margin of victory. They got the scoring started with Jakobe Mobley in the high jump who placed 6th and got big points in the long jump from Ahmad Carter who won it with a jump of 21-11.5 while Jamun Coglin placed 4th in a jump of 20-7.25. Carter also doubled back in the triple jump by placing 5th in 42-7.5. Day 1 was a big day for them in terms of team points as their 4x800m relay team was 2nd, giving them a total 30 points to end the day. In the running finals they added to their total with Jordyn Patterson placing 2nd in the 400 and Jamarion Henderson winning the 800. But the best thing about this win was that it came down to the 4x400m relay. They had a lead going into the relay, but Georgia Military could have caught them. Instead Montgomery took home the win on that relay to clinch the victory in dramatic fashion.
Schley County, Georgia Military, and McIntosh County got the other podium spots. Schley County got big points on day 1 of the meet with Clinton Jackson winning the triple jump and taking 2nd in the long jump, and then going 1-2-4 in the pole vault with Levi Johnson, Declan Ekkel, and Matthew Nguyen. Georgia Military's boys were heavy hitters in the distance events. They won the 4x800m relay, Julian Council won the 1600 and 3200, and Jordan Overman was 2nd in the 3200. McIntosh County got big points from MJ Quarterman who placed 2nd in the high jump and and triple jump while Trey Miller got 3rd in the shot put and 7th in the discus.