Southland Academy track and field teams earn region championships

Published 2:25 pm Friday, April 15, 2022

From Staff Reports

ALBANY – The Southland Academy Raiders and Lady Raiders’ track and field teams (SAR) went down to Albany and both emerged as region champions at the GISA Region 3-AAA Meet on Wednesday, April 13 at Hugh Mills Stadium.

The Lady Raiders scored 97 points to win the girls’ region championship and they were 14 points ahead of meet runners-up Brookwood (83). As for the SAR boys, they were totally dominant, winning the boys’ region championship with 107 points. The region runners-up, Tiftarea Academy, we’re left in the dust as the Panthers finished with a total of 64 points.
In girls’ action, the Lady Raiders captured eight individual events. Morgan Minick captured the individual region championship in the Pole Vault (eight feet), the 200-Meter Dash (28.02) and the 400-Meter Dash (1:06.25). Minick was a member of the girls’ 4×400-Meter Relay Team that won the event for SAR in a time of 4:51.05 and she was also part of SAR’s girls 4×100-Meter Relay Team that finished as the region runner-up in the event (54.33). Minick’s teammate, Taylor High, was the runner-up in the Girls’ Pole Vault event as she cleared six feet, six inches.
Jadie Burrell also had a great day on the track for SAR. The defending GISA state champion in the 3200-Meter Run finished as the region runner-up in that event behind her SAR teammate, Elizabeth Law, who won the event in a time of 12:51.70. However, Burrell won both the 800 and 1600-Meter events to earn region championships. Law finished as the region runner-up in the 1600 in a time of 6:05.00 and finished as the region runner-up in the 800 in a time of 2:52.27.
Burrell was also a member of the SAR 4×400-Meter Relay Team that won that event in a time of 4:51.05.

Southland Academy’s Jadie Burrell won both the 800 and the 1600-Meter events and finished as the region runner-up in the 3200-Meter Run at the GISA Region 3-AAA Meet.
Photo by Brett Law

In the Girls’ 100-Meter Hurdles, SAR’s Catie Paradise earned a third place finish with a time of 19.78 and her teammate, Cate Stallings, finished fifth in the event in at time of 21.36. Stallings finished fourth in the 300-Meter Hurdles (1:00.66) and Paradise finished fifth in the event in a time of 1:02.94. The top four athletes in each event go to the GISA Class AAA State Meet.

In the Girls Long Jump, SAR’s Wimberly Hines earned herself a berth in the state meet by finishing in fourth place, jumping a distance of 14-05.50. In the Girls Triple Jump event, Gracie Burrell finished as the region runner-up by jumping a distance of 30-00.00.

In Girls Shot Put, the Lady Raiders took the top two spots as Brylie Redding won the event (27-04.25) and Sophia Blankenship finished as the region runner-up (26-09.00). SAR’s Gracie Roth also earned a spot in the state meet by finishing in third place in the Girls Discus event (55-11).

Southland Academy distance runner Tanner Humphrey (in front) and his teammate Noah Sheff (behind) competed in the 800 and 1600-Meter events. Humphrey won the 1600-Meter Run and finished as the region runner-up in the 800. Sheff finished third in both the 800 and 1600.
Photo by Brett Law

In boys’ action, the Raiders were able to earn berths in the state meet in 26 events and several emerged as individual region champions. In the Boys 100-Meter Dash, Hudson Collins finished as the region runner-up (11.59) and finished in fourth place in the 200-Meter Dash (24.46). Collins’ teammate, Carlos Tyson, finished third in the 200-Meter Dash to claim a spot in the state meet (24.30).

In the Boys 400-Meter Dash, John Henry Crisp and Ashton Ray finished in third and fourth place respectively. Crisp finished in a time of 55.43 and Ray completed the event in a time of 58.47. SAR’s Tanner Humphrey won the Boys 1600-Meter Run in a time of 4:54.89 and finished as the region runner-up in the 800-Meter Run in a time of 2:19.37. Humphrey’s teammate, Noah Sheff, finished in third place in both the 800 and 1600-Meter events.

In the Boys 3200-Meter Run, William Kinney earned a spot in the state meet for the Raiders, finishing in fourth place in a time of 11:04.24. Kinney’s teammate, Matteson Debaise, finished in fifth place in the 3200-Meter event in a time of 11:12.34.

Southland Academy female athletes Morgan Minick and Wimberly Hines competed in both the 4×100 and 4×400-Meter Relay events for the Lady Raiders.
Photo by Brett Law

In the Boys 110-Meter Hurdles, Cayce Joyner and Mac McMichael finished in second and third respectively to earn spots in state and both Perry Usher and Ethan Peck finished in second and third place respectively in the Boys 300-Meter Hurdles.

The Raiders also won the Boys 4×100-Meter Relay event. The relay team of David Dickens, Caleb Law, Trey Sellers, Hudson Collins, Carmello Volley and Cedric Smith won the event in a time of 46.76. The Raiders also finished as the meet runners-up in the 4×400-Meter Dash. The SAR team of Tanner Humphrey, Noah Sheff, John Henry Crisp, Ashton Ray, Davis Daniel and Ethan Beck finished the event in a time of 3:52.69.

In the Boys High Jump event, Carlos Tyson and Cayce Joyner finished second and third respectively to earn spots in the state meet in that event and SAR athletes Keaton Griffin and James Wall took the top two spots in Boys Pole Vault. In the Long Jump event, Caleb Law won it for the Raiders and his teammate, Carmello Volley, finished as the region runner-up.

David Dickens earned a spot in the state meet with a third place finish in the Boys Triple Jump event (34-11.00) and Will Godwin and Colby Greene took the top two spots in the shot put event. Godwin won the event with a distance throw of 44-07.50 and Greene finished as the region runner-up with a distance throw of 38-00.25.

Godwin also won the region championship in the discus event (120-02) and Greene finished in third place with a throw of 109-08.