15 SCPRD athletes advance to state level after district tourney in Thomasville
Published 5:36 pm Saturday, April 29, 2017
By MICHAEL MURRAY
THOMASVILLE – The Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department (SCPRD) recently had 20 young athletes travel to Thomasville to compete in the Area-Three track and field meet.
Of the 20 athletes participating in the meet, 15 performed well enough to earn themselves a spot in the state tournament, scheduled for May 5 in Augusta.
The Sumter County athletes competed against peers from Crisp, Marion, and Irwin Counties, as well as Thomasville. The SCPRD team competed in every track and field event except the discus throw and the pole vault.
SCPRD athletic director, Dwight Harris, recently spoke with the Times-Recorder to discuss the meet.
“For 15 of our athletes to be going to state is very good,” Harris said. “You qualify for state if you get first, second, or third place at the district meet… We have one guy, in particular, who won at the state meet last year. That’s Michael Terry in the softball throw. He won at the district and the state meet last year. He won the district again this year, so he’ll be going back to state to defend the title.”
“I have to say something good about my coaches,” Harris continued. “The head coach is Brandon Gooden. The assistant coaches are Marvin Harris, Brandon Barnes, and Travis Mansfield. They’ve done a great job.”
Gooden also coached the SCPRD’s eight-and-under football which won a state championship in late 2016.
SCPRD athletes who tested their skills at the district meet include Shannon Jackson, who won first place in the 50-meter dash with a time of 10.34; Y’Nyla Jackson, who won second place in the 50-meter dash with a time of 10.38; Jasmine Porter, who won third place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:31.23 and second place in the standing long jump with a leap spanning 6’10”; Kiara Thomas, who earned a second-place finish in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:17.89 and first place in the standing long jump with a leap spanning 6’8”; and Maya Wynn, who took first place in both the 800-meter and the 1600-meter runs with times of 2:45.73 and 5:58.36, respectively, as well as second place in the softball throw with a toss that cleared 108’6”.
SCPRD boys that will be competing in the state meet include: Jordan Holmes, who took third place in the 50-meter dash with a time of 10.53 and third place in the long jump with a leap spanning 7’8”; Simmiyun Phillips, who completed the 100-meter dash in 17.27 for a second-place finish; Aaron Kearse, who took first place in the 50-meter dash with a time of 9.48, second place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 15.11, and third place in the long jump with a bound that cleared 11’3”; Ishmael Jones, who took second place in the 50-meter dash with a time of 9.59, third place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 32.48, and second place in the long jump with a leap spanning 11’7.25”’ Jayshun Bobbs, who won first place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:16.69; LaVaris Milledge, who won third place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 30.37; Michael Terry Jr, who won third place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:11.98 and first place in the softball throw with a toss that cleared 119’4”; DeMarcus Deriso, who won second place in the 400-meter dash by completing the race in 1:05.32 and third place in the long jump by clearing 14’7”; Barrett Starlin, who took second place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:20.22 and first place in the 800-meter run with a time of 3:09.19; and Logan Arnett, who completed the 800-meter run in 3:35.93 for a third-place finish.
The SCPRD’s 4×400 relay team of Perry, Bobbs, Kearse, and Jones took first place with a time of 1:02.27.
Also representing the SCPRD at the district tournament were Alex Terry, Jordan Mathis, Jaison King, Caleb Mansfield, Jordan Barnes, Tyler Pritchard, Shimyjh Perry, Britain Griffin, and Sunshine Lockhart.
Athletes ages 7-14 competed in the tournament. Age brackets for the competition were 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, and 13-14.