Despite a small amount of rainfall to begin the event, the sky cleared at W. Clair Harris Stadium last Thursday allowing Winder-Barrow High School and Apalachee High School to engage in the next chapter of the Battle of Barrow.
With this meeting on the track, WBHS swept county and region rival AHS. The Bulldoggs took an 84-57 victory while the Lady Bulldoggs won 82-55.
The event was initially scheduled to be a tri-meet including Jackson County High School. However, with the Panthers and Lady Panthers on spring break, JCCHS coaches said they did not have enough available athletes to make the trip. In turn, that allowed WBHS and AHS to go head-to-head.
The Apalachee teams had competed the previous day at North Oconee but still had plenty of energy Thursday to set three new school records. Saboyce Shelton set a new school mark in the shot put throwing 34-2.5. Jordon Tullus set a school record in the girls pole vault at 7-2. Jared Burney also established a new school record for the Wildcats in the pole vault with a 10-2 effort.
WBHS did not set any school records but several individual records were broken Thursday. Delorean Itabiyi threw 118-2 in the discus while Caitlin Connell set marks in the 1,600-meter (5:28.63) and 3,200-meter (12:19.67.)
Lady Bulldogg Whitley Kennedy continued her standout spring with a personal best in the 400-meter run (1:01.40).
Anna Dean, one of the top distance runners for the Lady Bulldoggs, had a personal best of 12:19.67 in the 3,200-meter run. Dean and Connell ran stride for stride for most of the eight-lap race.
Dean and Connell helped the WBHS girls win the 4x400-meter relay along with Kennedy and Amber Palmero.
Kennedy added to the Lady Bulldogg point total with a victory in the 800-meter run (2:28.08). Delaina Sylvain won the 100-meter dash (13.14) and the 200-meter dash (27.70).
Macy Hayes won first in the high jump for WBHS (4-11) as well as winning the 100-meter hurdles (19.21).
Overall, the Lady Bulldoggs took first place in 12 of 17 events.
For the Lady Wildcats, Carlee Brodie won the long jump (14-11) and triple jump (30-7). Brodie was second in the discus (106.4.)
Kate Gorczynski won the 300-meter hurdles for the Lady Wildcats in 56.70 and was runner-up on the 100-meter hurdles 19.85.
For the WBHS boys, Jamonte Riden, William Wright and Robert Woods helped lead the team with two wins each. Quintin Long, Kendall Isler, Jordan Duncan, Tamarick Watson and Alex Martinez also earned indivudal victories.
Riden continues to excel at each meet winning the long jump (23-0) and the 100-meter dash (11.16). Riden helped lead the 4x100-meter relay team to a victory along with Watson, Duncan and Marquis Mitchell 944.05).
Woods, sporting a pair of bright pink socks, won the hurdle events in 16.05 and 44.96. Woods was also part of the 4x400-meter relay team which earned a win in 3:46.02. Woods was also third in the triple (38-2).
Wright took first in the 1,600-meter run, just ahead of teammate Martinez. Wright’s time of 4:53.21 was just a fraction better than the 4:53.22 from Martinez. Wright also won the 3,200-meter run in 10:52.53.
Martinez won the 800-meter run in 2:11.54 and Duncan won the triple jump (42-1.5). Long took first in the discus with a throw of 147-2 while Isler won the high jump (6-2) and Watson was the victor in the 400-meter dash (52.98).
Long was called upon by the WBHS coaches to compete in the high jump and he turned in a second-place effort of 6-0.
For AHS, Tyler Cash won the shot put with a meet best throw of 40-3.5 and Jeremy Lotts won the 200-meter dash in 22.84.
The Wildcat 4x800-meter relay team of Nick Zvirbulis, Burney, Johnathan Carranza and Erick Dotson was first in 9:27.96.
The WBHS and AHS track teams will compete at the Jefferson High School Relays Saturday. The teams will then look to region at Loganville.
