High school track: new sectional meet begins in 2012
Georgia will join most other states in 2012 when it adds a sectional meet to the track and field schedule. The Georgia High School Association approved the change on Monday.
Under current qualifications, the top two individual finishers and relay teams from each of the eight regions in each classification advance to the state meets in Jefferson (boys) and Albany (girls). Beginning in 2012, the top four athletes and relays in the region meets will advance to sectionals.
Each classification will have two sectional meets – conceivably, Regions 1-4 in one sectional and 5-8 in another. Then the top eight finishers in the sectionals will advance to the state meet.
Coaches believe this will allow more deserving athletes to have an opportunity to qualify for the state meets. The sites for each of the 10 sectional meets will be announced at a later date.
County meets preview
Athletes in five metro area counties will battle for bragging rights next week during county championship meets in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett Counties. Here’s a quick preview:
Clayton: March 29 and 31 at Southern Crescent Stadium (Drew High School); 2009 champs: Mt. Zion (girls), Riverdale (boys).
Who to watch: Mt. Zion senior Alycia Pryor has the fastest time in the 100 meters this season (11.78); Morrow senior Wayman Storey (10.90) and Drew sophomore Jadarius West (10.91) in the 100.
Cobb: March 27 and 29 at McEachern; 2009 champs: Kell (girls and boys).
Who to watch: Kennesaw Mountain junior Daina Levy has the state's top throw in the discus (130 feet, 4 inches); Wheeler senior Jamal Tiller is the state's best triple jumper (48 feet).
DeKalb: March 27 and 29 at Panthersville Stadium; 2009 champs: Southwest DeKalb (girls), Redan (boys).
Who to watch: MLK sophomore Felicia Brown has the state's fastest time in the 400 meters (55.86); Cedar Grove's boys 1,600-meter relay team has one of the nation's fastest times this year (3:19.90).
Fulton: March 27 and 29 at Westlake; 2009 champs: Westlake (girls), Chattahoochee (boys).
Who to watch: Westlake's girls 1,600-meter relay team has the top time in the state this season (3:55.62); Banneker senior Robert Brantley has the state's fastest time in the 400 meters (48.32).
Gwinnett: March 27 and 29 at Mill Creek; 2009 champs: Collins Hill (girls), Parkview (boys).
Who to watch: Collins Hill senior Nicky Akande has the state's fastest time in the 800 meters (2:18.85); Grayson senior Kirubel Erassa has the state's fastest time in the 3,200 meters (9:05.47).
Girls
Centennial junior Ashley Rosenberg won the pole vault and was a member of the Knights' winning sprint medley team at last week's Roswell Relays. ... Allie Schaich, a junior at Lambert, won the 1,600 meters at the Coaches Classic at Georgia Tech last week with a state-best time of 5:01.22. Nine of the state's top 10 times in the 1,600 were clocked at the meet.
Boys
McEachern swept the 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter relays at the Morehouse Relays last week. ... Carrollton junior Broderick Snoddy ran a state-best time of 21.63 seconds in the 200 meters at last week's Patriot Invitational at Sandy Creek. Snoddy won the 100 as well in a time of 10.75 seconds.
