Furlow Charter and Schley County T & F teams finish strong at state

Published 7:39 pm Monday, May 13, 2024

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COMMERCE, GA – The Furlow Charter (FC) and Schley County (SCHS) track & field teams completed their seasons with strong finishes at the GHSA 1A Division 2 State Meet in Commerce, GA this past Saturday.

The FC Falcons finished in eighth place out of 38 teams and the Lady Falcons finished in 12th place out of 37. As for SCHS, the Wildcats finished in seventh place and the Lady Wildcats finished in ninth place.

Individually, several FC and SCHS athletes finished in the top 10 of their respective events. In the boys’ 1600 Meter finals, FC’s Ibis Gonzalez finished as the state runner up with a time of 4:52.19. Gonzalez’s teammate, Ian Biedermann, finished in fourth place with a time of 4:53.36. Dennis Gonzalez was also able to finish in the top ten in the event, as he finished in eighth place with a time of 4:58.28.

Dennis and Ibis Gonzalez in Boys’ 3200 Meter Run
Submitted Photo

Dennis Gonzalez also had a strong finish in the boys’ 3200 Meter Run, finishing in third place with a time of 10:37.01. Ibis Gonzalez finished right behind his brother in fourth place with a time of 10:37.31 and Ian Biedermann finished in ninth place with a time of 11:06.55.

In the boys’ 110 Meter Hurdles preliminary round, Schley County’s Tyrese Cook barely missed making it to the finals, as he finished in ninth place in the prelims with a time of 16.27. However, Cook was able to qualify for the finals in the boys’ 300 Meter Hurdles and finished in sixth place with a time of 41.28.

Furlow Charter’s Ian Biedermann in Boys’ 4×800 Meter Relay
Submitted Photo

In the boys’ 4×800 Meter Relay event, the FC Falcons turned in a fifth place finish, completing the event in a time of 8:57.59. The Schley County Wildcats finished in 12th place in the event in a time of 9:41.12.

In the boys’ High Jump event, Tyrese Cook gave the Wildcats another top 10 finish, as he finished tied for fifth place with Dooly County’s Akeem Williams, as they both jumped six feet. In the boys’ Pole Vault event, Declan Ekkel of Schley County was the state runner up, as he cleared 11-06.00. His teammate, Sterling Blanchard, finished in fifth place, having cleared 9-06.00.

In the boys’ Discus event, Wyatt Halstead of SCHS took home third place, as he made a distance throw of 144-00.00. His teammate, Zayden Walker, finished in fifth place in the boys’ shot put event with a distance throw of 50-02.00. Halstead also competed in the event and finished in 13th place with a distance throw of 42-03.00.

Furlow Charter’s Isabel Amato in Girls’ 4×800 Meter Relay
Submitted Photo

In girls’ action, FC’s Maria Kilheffer finished in fourth place in the girls’ 1600 Meter Run and finished with a time of 6:08.83. Kilheffer’s teammates, Elizabeth Arizmendi and Karen Perez, finished in 12th and 13th place respectively. Arizmendi crossed the finish line in a time of 6:33.27 and Perez was right behind her, finishing in a time of 6:44.33. Kilheffer had another strong finish in the girls’ 3200 Meter Run, as she finished in third place in a time of 13:11.46. Arizmendi (13:58.41) and Perez (14:25.14) finished the event in sixth and ninth place respectively. Kaleigh Johnson of Schley County finished the event in 14th place in a time of 15:22.37.

In the finals of the girls’ 100 Meter Hurdles, Schley County’s Daneria Thornton finished in third place in a time of 16.18. Thornton also finished in third place in the girls’ Long Jump event, as she jumped a distance of 16-04.50.

In the girls’ Pole Vault event, the Lady Wildcats had three athletes finish in the top five. Emily Wilder finished as the state runner up (7-06.00), while Kate Saint and Emma Campbell finished in fourth and fifth place respectively (7-00.00).

In the girls’ Discus event, Layla Williams of Schley County finished in eighth place, as she made a distance throw of 86-05.00. Her teammate, TaNiya Holt, finished in 10th place in the girls’ Shot Put competition with a distance throw of 29-10.00.

Finally, in the girls’ 4×800 Meter relay event, the Lady Falcons of Furlow Charter finished as the state runner up, as they finished in a time of 11:27.24.

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