The state track meet in Jefferson is something I look forward to attending each spring.
Through the years, I have been fortunate to have athletes from the schools I cover qualify for the event. This year was no exception as three local athletes made the short trip to Jefferson for the state meet. Apalachee High School’s Tim Simonton and Winder-Barrow High School’s Jamonte Riden and Dennis Riley represented themselves and their schools in a positive manner last week and it was a pleasure watching them compete.
Simonton set a school record in the discus and finished with a fourth place showing in the event. The result was exciting for all those involved as Simonton has put in hours of work to excel in the discus.
“When you talk about Tim, you have to talk about how much he has worked at it,” AHS track coach Matt Sorrells said. “That’s why it has been so great to see him excel. We talked about the possibility of him setting a new school record and to see him go and do it is something that was a great way for him to finish his Apalachee track career.”
Simonton told me last week he is looking at continuing his track efforts at the next level. His work ethic is at the necessary level to move up and Simonton would no doubt represent Apalachee and all of Barrow County in a positive manner in whatever road he takes in the future.
For WBHS, Riden and Riley competed in the long jump and high jump respectively. With a strong support group backing them up, the two Bulldoggs gave their best although they did not earn medals.
The three local athletes represented Barrow County well last week in Jefferson. Now the attention turns to Albany as several locals will compete at the girls state meet beginning Thursday.
Track continues to be a vital part of the landscape for Barrow County athletics. The man who helped make it that way — Cook Holliday — was in attendance last week in Jefferson. The Hall of Famer worked countless hours to build a track tradition here and it’s great to see it still going.
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The Winder-Barrow High School Diamond Doggs face a tall challenge this week when they battle Pope in the second round of the state playoffs.
However, knowing the coaches and players the way I do I can assure you there will be no backing down from this challenge. WBHS has become a state power itself in baseball and a victory in this series would go a long way in helping the Bulldoggs establish themselves even more in this area.
While Pope may be the favorite, don’t count out the Bulldoggs just yet.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of the Barrow Journal. You can reach him at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
