Model boys, Pepperell girls clinch back-to-back titles
For the second straight year, the Region 7-AA boys and girls championship trophies will reside in Floyd County.
The Model Blue Devils and the Pepperell Lady Dragons each had strong overall performances over the two-day 7-AA meet at Gordon Central High and got points from several different competitors to total the most team points each claim back-to-back region crowns.
The Model boys scored 176 points to finish atop the standings ahead of Fannin County (145) and Pepperell (142) while the Lady Dragons scored 178 points to take first over Fannin County (107) and Gordon Central (93).
The Devils were led by Simon Schabort, who won the 800-meter run with a time of 1 minute, 59.24 seconds, the 1,600 with a 4:34.92 and the 3,200 with a 10:07.06. Daniel Jolly won a pair of events as well, including the high jump at 6 feet and the 100 dash with a 10.82.
Other top finishes for Model came from Jermaine Campbell in the triple jump with a 42-2, Amir Pinkard in the 200 with a 22.93, the 4x200 relay team of Campbell, Jolly, Pinkard and Lankin Dancause with a 1:34.96 and the 4x800 relay team of Schabort, Zach Mickler, Thomas Goggans and Eli Moon with a 9:08.27.
Other Devils qualifying for the sectional with top-four finishes were Campbell in the long jump (second, 20-10.0), Jeremias Heard in the shot put (second, 45-2), Mickler in the 1,600 (second, 4:38.62) and 3,200 (second, 10:09.95), the 4x100 relay team of Jolly, Pinkard, Campbell and Reginald Gamble (second, 45.39), the 4x400 relay team of Eli Moon, Mickler, Dancause and Thomas Goggans (third, 3:50.59), Callan Wilbanks in the 300 hurdles (fourth, 46.67) and Dancause in the 200 dash (fourth, 23.59).
“The boys performed great, and we really over-performed in several events,” said Model head coach Mark Jones. “Everyone did well. To go back-to-back with this team is really big because we had a lot of seniors graduate from last year’s team so this is a lot of new kids who stepped up and won it again. We were solid in distance, sprints and field events, and we are taking a ton of kids to sectionals.”
The Pepperell girls had individual region titles from Macy Galenzoski in the pole vault with a 7-6, Daja Walton in the 200 dash with a 27.05 and the 4x100 relay team of Walton, Jolie Splendore, Bethanee Wiggins and Tameeya Rogers with a 52.27.
Other sectional qualifiers for the Lady Dragons were Madison Baxter in the shot put (second, 32-6.5) and the discus (third, 89-7), the 4x800 relay team of Briley Cordle, Morgan Langley, Olivia Edwards and Anna Kate Graham (second, 12:11.89), Walton in the 100 hurdles (second, 17.38), the 4x200 relay team of Lily Hendrix, Aaliyah Barkley, Cloey Mitchell and Rhikkie Sapp (second, 1:56.77) Sakiya Winston in the 100 hurdles (third, 17.58), Splendore in the long jump (third, 15-4.75), 100 dash (second, 13.02) and 200 dash (second, 27.48), Edwards in the high jump (third, 4-6) and 800 (fourth, 2:49.85), Wiggins
in the triple jump (third, 32-1.25), the 100 hurdles (fourth, 18.85) and the 300 hurdles (fourth, 54.68), Langley in the 1,600 (fourth, 6:47.37) and the 4x400 relay team of Cordle, Edwards, Hendrix and Savannah Bragg (fourth, 5:09.12).
“This team has been building up to this all season and just kept getting better and better and better,” said Pepperell head coach Bobby Rhoades. “Our program’s success is in our numbers, and our team represents everything that is great about Pepperell High School. This is a special group for sure. We got off to a good start on Monday, and I just told them to go out today
and let their abilities shine. I’m so proud of the girls. We were great across the board this week, and that’s what it takes to win a region title.”
The Pepperell boys had a top finish from their 4x100 relay team of Alex Rhoades, DJ Rogers, Jacob Wright and Jon Shields with a time of 44.41. Other sectional-qualifying finishes for the Dragons came from Kaley Buck in the high jump (second, 6-0), Hayden Jones in the high jump (fourth, 5-8), Rogers in the triple jump (third, 40-6) and 100 dash (second, 10.98), the 4x800 relay team of Austin Meeler, Erik Jensen, Marcos Maldonado and Christian Weatherby (second, 9:23.00), Alex Rhoades in the 110 hurdles (third, 17.01) and 200 dash (second, 23.50), Shields in the 100 dash (third, 11.20) and 200 dash (second, 23.33), the
4x200 relay team of Cameron Goode, Keljin Holmes, Demarcus Ragland and Jones (second, 1:39.38), Weatherby in the 1,600 (fourth, 4:54.02) and the 800 (second, 2:05.02), Wright in the 400 (third, 55.17) and the 4x400 meter relay of Cory Moten, Wright, Chase Smith and Weatherby (second, 3:40.52).
The Model girls scored 83 points to finish in fifth and were led by Sydney Sutton, who won the 400 with a 1:01.71, and the 4x400 relay team of Sutton, Natalie Long, Jessie Shroeder and Julia Shinholster, who won with a time of 4:40.03. Other Lady Devils qualifying for the sectional were Desirae Johnson in the discus (fourth, 77-6), the 4x800 relay team of Addison Cantrell, Allie Calvert, Allie Arrington and Susana Marin (fourth, 14:34.50), the 4x200 relay team of Lillie Espy, Shinholster,
Michelle Ramirez and Annalyn Resch (fourth, 2:00.13), Shroeder in the 1,600 (second, 5:48.06) and 3,200 (second, 12:53.46), the 4x100 relay team of Espy, Ramirez, Shinholster and Marin (fourth, 55.50), Long in the 400 (second, 1:04.06) and Sutton in the 800 (second, 2:39.41).
Sophia Cook led the Coosa girls with a pair of first-place finishes as she won the 1,600 with a 5:22.60 and the 3,200 with a 12:10.62. Other sectional qualifiers for the Lady Eagles were Madison Ingram in the 300 hurdles (third, 53.46) and the 100 dash (fourth, 13.28), and the 4x100 relay team of Tanijah Dennis, Malayla Malloy, Alyssa Knotts and Ingram (third, 55.04).
Those qualifying will next compete May 7 in the Class AA sectional at Pace Academy starting at 10 a.m.