By Donald Heath
Special for the Effingham Herald
South Effingham and Effingham County high school athletes are approaching the finish line to the 2024 track and field season.
Region 2-6A boys and girls track and field championships April 24 at Grovetown High School produced the region’s top four in each event to qualify for Sectionals.
The elite of Region 2 will be competing against Regions 3, 6 and 7 in Sectional B at Steele Road Stadium at Morrow High School May 4.
Sectional A will comprise athletes from Regions 1, 4, 5 and 8.
The top eight from each Sectional advance to the Class 6A state track and field championships at Barron Stadium in Rome, Georgia, May 9-11.
“At this time of the year, you want to make sure you’re in the best position to be competitive,” SEHS coach Rico Campbell said.
Nagging injuries could need extra rest and treatment. Mentally, athletes need confidence and determination.
Mustangs and Rebels continued to set school records at region with an eye on the bigger prizes ahead.
ECHS freshman Chloe Adkins has had a sensational spring. At region, she set the school record in the 3200-meter run by lowering her time by almost 20 seconds to post an 11:27.90, about three seconds faster than Candace Kieffer’s previous mark of 11:30.75 in 2022.
Kieffer is now running at the University of Miami.
“It’s been a tremendous progression from Chloe running that first meet at Richmond Hill to running against Glynn Academy at region,” Rebels coach Jordan Brown said. “And she’s doing this as a freshman. Credit our distance coach Anthony Johnson.”
The girls high jump will be an event to watch as freshman Justine Nevels holds SEHS’ record and sophomore Braylin Nease holds ECHS’ record.
At region, they both jumped 5-4 but Nevels was the winner because she scratched just once and Nease scratched twice, Jordan said.
Nevels’ personal best is a 5-6 which is among the best jumps in the state.
South has other young standouts who shined at region. Freshman Brooke Crickard was a winner in the 800 and ran a leg on the region-winning 4 X 800 relay with Lydia Alderman (another freshman), Lily McDonald and Mia Fitzpatrick. The girls’ 10:04.94 in the relay set a school record, 19 seconds ahead of the 2022 mark.
The South girls’ 4 X 200 relay (Aubrey Edge, Christeon Lewis, Madison Mills and Brianna Williams) also bettered the school mark with a time of 1:47.19 at region.
School record setters Edge (pole), Syraiah Wilkins (300 hurdles), Lewis (100 hurdles) and Danni Lynn (discus) and boys’ Harrison Crofts (high jump) and Kenny Carlton (110 hurdles) all qualified for Sectionals, although they did not set school records or win their event at the region meet.
Campbell said he’ll have 30 boys and girls headed to Sectionals.
Thirteen ECHS boys and girls will make the trip to Morrow High in Ellenwood.
Rebel Dakarai Walker will compete in three events – 200, 400 and 4 X 200 relay.
Jordan said Walker has made big strides this season after running AAU track. He has also stepped up to be a leader.
Lewis (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles and 4 X 200 relay) and France (400, long jump and 4 X 400 relay) will compete in three events for the Mustangs.
Teamwise at region, South’s girls finished second behind Grovetown. ECHS was sixth. In the boys’ team scores, South was sixth and ECHS seventh.
Here are the South Effingham and Effingham County qualifiers for Sectionals:
SEHS girls – Zoe Robinson (200, 4th, 27.47), Brooke Crickard (800, 1st, 2:18.02), Lydia Alderman (800, 4th, 2:23.17), Lily McDonald (3200, 3rd, 12:29.0), Olivia Johnson (3200, 4th, 12:36.0), Christeon Lewis (100H, 3rd, 16.17; 300H, 3rd, 48.88), Syraiah Wilkins (300H, 4th, 49.02), 4 X 200 relay (Lewis, Aubrey Edge, Madison Mills, Brianna Williams, 3rd, 1:47.19), 4 X 800 relay (Alderman, Crickard, McDonald, Mia Fitzpatrick, 1st, 10:04.94), Justine Nevels (HJ, 1st, 5-4), Makenzi Polk (TJ, 4th, 33-1), Aubrey Edge (Pole, 2nd, 10-0), Allie Grassi (Pole, 3rd, 8-6), Danni Lynn (Discus, 4th, 95-8; Shot, 4th, 33-7).
SEHS boys – Q’Ron France (400, 4th, 50.19; LJ, 4th, 21-2.25), Kenny Carlton (110H, 4th, 15.81), 4 X 400 relay (Alejandro Higareda, Hayden Still, Carlton, France, 4th, 3:31.70), 4 X 800 relay (Caiden Mason, Nathaniel West, Tyler Phillips, Ben Fluegel, 4th, 8:49.90), Harrison Crofts (HJ, 2nd, 6-2).
ECHS girls –Jada Praylo (400, 3rd, 1:01.74), Chloe Adkins (3200, 1st, 11:27.90), 4 X 100 relay (Kyla Hicklen, Victoria Foskey, Kameryn Watson, Dionna Rivers, 3rd, 50.66), 4 X 400 (Foskey, Praylo, Rivers, Zaria Anderson, 3rd, 4:18.22), Braylin Nease (HJ, 2nd, 5-4), Sarah Hinely (Discus, 3rd, 99-9).
ECHS boys – Dakarai Walker (200, 2nd, 22.43; 400, 2nd, 49.68), 4 X 200 relay (Cory Dekle, Jaden Praylo, Walker, Lamar Roberts, 3rd, 1:29.63).
