Dougherty boys win region track and field title; Monroe second

ALBANY — The Dougherty High School boys track team claimed the Region 1 AAA championship Thursday at Hugh Mills Stadium in Albany with rival Monroe taking second place. Columbus took the girls’ title with Monroe in second again and Dougherty in fourth.

Dougherty senior Austin Davis raced to first place in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes to claim the fastest man on the track title. His 100-meter time of 10.74 edged Xayden Hunt of Carver by nine one-hundredths of a second. In the 200-meter it was even tighter. Davis won the 200-meter with a time of 21.73 seconds and Monroe’s Usir Bey crossed at 21.74 seconds — a photo finish.

Freshman Zeterria Kegler gave Dougherty the region title in the 110-meter hurdles and took fourth in the 300-meter hurdles. Jaquavus Hallman won the boy’s triple jump for the Trojans and took second in the long jump. Zaterious Griffin took second in the boy’s high jump.

Monroe’s boys got region championships from Bey in the 400-meter dash, Sedrick Roundtree in the 800-meter run, Jimmy Johnson in the 300-meter hurdles and Justin Burns in the high jump. Monroe also won the 1600-meter relay.

Monroe recorded second-place finishes in the 800-meter and 3200-meter relays, as well as a second-place finish in the boy’s triple jump by Benjamin Wright Jr.

Wright’s older sister Marianna helped the Lady Nadas finish second with another championship in the girls’ 300-meter hurdles. She won the race in a time of 41.60 — six seconds ahead of the closest competitor and the fastest recorded time in Georgia this year but still short of her own state record of 40.81.

Wright also finished second in the 800-meter run behind teammate Jurdyn Johnson. 

Monroe’s girls dominated the 400-meter dash with the top three finishers — Johnson, Kaitlyn Williams and Jediah Lewis. The Lady Nadas also took region titles in the 800-meter and 1600-meter relays, plus Shandrae Savage had the best throw in the girls’ shot put at 33 feet, 9 inches.

Monroe got second-place finishes from Kaitlyn Williams in the 200-meter dash, Ricoria Winchester in the 100-meter hurdles, the 3200-meter relay team and KieAundria Acree in the girl’s triple jump.

Marley Davis gave the Dougherty girls their only region title in the pole vault.

The top four finishers in each event now advance to sectionals. The state track meet for both Class AAA and Class AAAA will be held at Hugh Mills Stadium later in May.