By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald

 

STATESBORO – It was a Wednesday of ups and downs for local athletes at the Region 1-5A track and field championships at Statesboro High School.

South Effingham’s Harrison Crofts and Kymberlea Coppin and Justine Nevels continued to soar in the high jump. But Mustangs’ recordsetter Syraiah Wilkins took an unfortunate fall in the 100-meter hurdles.

The top four in each event at region advanced to Sectional A, while the season ended for others who didn’t qualify.

“I’m excited about the ones who made it and how they’re going to do down the road,” SEHS coach Rico Campbell said.

Crofts will be among the favorites at the next stop, competing with Regions 4, 7 and 8 on Saturday at Greenbrier High School. A top eight finish there punches a ticket to the Class 5A state championships at Barron Stadium in Rome, Georgia, May 9-10.

Crofts, who has signed to compete at the U.S. Naval Academy, broke his school record by jumping 6 feet, 10 inches – a half foot higher than his closest competitor at region. He is tied for the best high jump in Georgia across all classifications and 20th best in the nation.

“Ultimately, my goal was seven feet. I set that goal as a junior and I feel like I’m in a good place. I feel like it could come any day now,” Crofts said.

SEHS also had the region’s two best female high jumpers – Coppin tied her personal best with a jump of 5-2 and tied Nevels, who placed second at state last season.

Coppin, who didn’t miss a jump, and Nevels held off Effingham County’s Braylin Nease, who placed fourth at 5-0 and also advanced to the Sectional.

Wilkins’ spill marred her day before it got started. During the spring, the sophomore set school records in the 100 and 300 hurdles, the 200 and 400 runs and ran a leg in the 4 X 100 and 4 X 200 relays.

But she suffered a leg injury in the 100 hurdles, her first event on Wednesday and didn’t run the rest of the day.

“I’ve never fallen before so I’m not too down. It was bound to happen,” Wilkins said.

She’ll have a chance to compete at Sectional in the 4 X 200 relay after freshman Giselle Lattany, an alternate, helped the quartet place fourth by .09 of a second.

Effingham County’s boys were led by Joseph Esco, who broke his school record in the 1600 with a time of 4:33.09 to finish fourth at region.

The Rebel girls’ team was led by sophomore Chloe Adkins, who placed third in the 1600 and fourth in the 3200.

Adkins said her main goal was to qualify.

“My dad said I’ve been on the 12-minute cruise,” said Adkins about running a strategic race in the 3200 and not worrying about time.

Last spring, Adkins’ 13th-place finish at state was the county’s best.

In a SEHS record-setting performance, Marcus Campbell broke his own pole vault mark by a foot by clearing 11-6 to finish fourth at region.

The Mustang girls also did well in the field events. Danni Lynn threw the discus 106-7 to place second. Allie Grassi cleared 8-0 to take fourth in the pole vault and Makenzi Polk had a hop, skip and a jump of 33-2.25 to place fourth in the triple jump.

Adyn Easton will be going to Sectionals in two events after finishing fourth in the 3200 and helping the 4 X 800 relay team take third.

ECHS sprinters had impacts. Jada Praylo had a season-best 1:00.65 to place third in the 400 and the boys 4 X 100 relay team took fourth in a race when the top four were separated by about a half of a second.

Dakarai Walker, who has the school record with a 20.93 in the 200, ran his season-best 50.16 in the 400 and won his heat. Unfortunately for Walker, five runners from the No. 4 heat broke the 50-second mark to bump Walker down to sixth.

“I thought we could have performed better in certain events,” ECHS coach Jordan Brown said. “I thought everyone competed hard, we just could have competed at a higher clip. We had a good season leading up to region, but this was a tough region.

The ones we have (going to Sectional) have to take it to another level next week.”

Teamwise, South Effingham’s girls placed fifth and Effingham County eighth in the nine-team region.

In the boys meet, South was eighth and ECHS ninth.

Here are the SEHS and ECHS athletes going to Sectional.

SEHS Boys – Aydn Easton (3200, 10:28.92, 4th), 4 X 800 Relay (Nathaniel West, Hayden Still, Easton, Ben Fluegel, 8:32.73, 3rd), Harrison Crofts (HJ, 6-10, 1st), Marcus Campbell (Pole, 11-6, 4th).

SEHS Girls – 4 X 200 Relay (Giselle Lattany, Marquavia Williams, Zoe Robinson, Madison Mills, 1:47.01), Kymberlea Coppin (HJ, 5-2, 1st), Justine Nevels (HJ, 5-2, 1st), Makenzi Polk (TJ, 33-2.25, 4th), Allie Grassi (Pole, 8-0, 4th), Danni Lynn (Discus, 106-7, 2nd).

ECHS Boys – Joseph Esco (1600, 4:33.09, 4th), 4 X 100 Relay (Jaden Praylo, Dakarai Walker, Devaughn Jones, Cory Dekle, 43.38, 4th).

ECHS Girls –Jada Praylo (400, 1:00.65, 3rd), Chloe Adkins (1600, 5:23.85, 4th; 3200, 11:52.82, 3rd), Braylin Nease (HJ, 5-0, 4th).