GISA state track meet gets underway

ALBANY — If either of the Deerfield-Windsor track & field teams want to win a state title, they will have to bring their best effort.

The Knights and Lady Knights finished Thursday’s Georgia Independent School Association qualifying at Hugh Mills Stadium in good position, but both teams could be missing crucial parts of the team due to injuries.

The Deerfield boys might have to head into Friday and Saturday without Trey Young, their fastest runner and the anchor of the 4×100-meter relay team.

Young was injured during the region meet two weeks ago on one of the final events.

“We are confident with who we would replace him with,” DWS boys coach Craig Rhodes said. “Obviously, Trey is probably the fastest guy on the team. I think our 4×100 relay is seeded third going into the finals. We are in good shape.”

Sophomore Garrett Jones replaced Young on the relay team. Rhodes said Young ran on Wednesday, but hasn’t decided if he will participate in Friday and Saturday’s events.

Rhodes said the key for his team is getting off to a good start during Friday’s field events.

“We need to have a big day tomorrow,” Rhodes said. “We will need to have a big day in the field events just to be in the top of the heap of teams. That is our strength of field this year.”

The Knights placed at least one person in every field event except triple jump during the Region 3-AAA meet.

The Deerfield girls, who are going for their third straight state title, will have to do so without Virginia Moore. The Georgia signee suffered an injury that will keep her out of the state finals.

“Her being hurt puts us behind the eight ball a bit,” Deerfield-Windsor girls coach Allen Lowe said. “We’ve had a good qualifying though. We got some girls in that we needed to get in that were on the bubble. We just need a good day on Friday to set it up for Saturday and we will see what happens.”

Moore won the 3200 meters, 1600 meters and was part of the Lady Knight’ 4×400-meter relay team.

The Lady Knights had two eighth-graders on the 4×100 team on Thursday. Senior Tarah Young sensed the need to be a leader and try to calm her younger teammates down.

“I just tried to keep them on a level playing field,” Young said. “I know as an eighth-grader, I was super nervous and I really messed up. I didn’t want them to be in my shoes. I told them ‘This is our race.’ I tried to keep their spirits high.”

Friday afternoon could be also be a record-breaking day for Terrell Academy’s Ross Hunter. He is looking to win his fourth straight high jump title with a victory.

During the region meet, Hunter cleared 6-feet, 1- inch to win.