ALBANY — The Bulloch Academy boys’ track team amassed 138 points to blow away 17 other teams to win the Georgia Independent School Association Class AA track and field championship Saturday.
“I thought it was an outstanding effort,” said Bulloch Academy head boys’ and girls’ track coach Clint Morgan. “Trinity Christian School knocked us off of our streak five years ago (the Gators won three straight titles) and had their own run. Now, we’ll just start a new streak.”
Bulloch won by 68 points over Trinity of Dublin. Brentwood School from Sandersville was third (51), Southwest Georgia Academy from Damascus was fourth (46) and Tiftarea Academy from Chula was fifth (41.50).
The Gator guys captured five individual-event state titles and both relay titles enroute to their overwhelming victory. Bulloch had 17 top-four finishes.
“It’s like I’ve said all year long,” said Morgan. “You win championships in track with depth. Having as many top-four finishes as we did just shows how deep we really are.”
The Gator girls tallied 126.50 points but had to settle for the runner-up trophy. Trinity Christian School won the title with 142.50 points in the 15-school competition. Gatewood School from Eatonton was third (95) while Brookwood School from Thomasville was fourth (88.5) and Briarwood Academy from Warrenton was fifth (56).
“I’ve seen years when half as many points would win a state championship,” said Morgan. “It’s just a tribute to the strength of Trinity’s program. Our girls exceeded my expectations every day this year. The one thing that makes me most proud is that the majority of them are coming back and none of them are satisfied with second. They have already promised a clean sweep next year.”
Ethan Lovett, who won the pole vault title Friday, won both the 110-meter hurdles (15.34) and the 300-meter hurdles (40.08) and ran the anchor legs of the first-place 400m (45.52) and 1600m (3:40.05) relay teams. He netted a perfect 35 points and won the Class AA high-point trophy.
“Only one person in the entire state can win this award,” said Morgan. “For it to be a perfect score is amazing but there’s no one in the state who deserves it as much as he does. His work ethic is amazing and his will to win is even greater.”
Troy Poulin took the title in the boys’ 400m (52.80) with a gutsy performance at the finish line.
“The 400-meter was the greatest race I’ve seen at the state meet in the 14 years that I’ve been coming down here,” said Morgan. “It wasn’t about the time. I t was the sheer effort that he put into winning. Regardless of time, no one would have beat him today.”
Darion Carter won the 200m (23.32).
“Darion told me walking into the stadium today that he was going to be the new 200-meter champion and he delivered,” said Morgan. “That’s not arrogance when you can back it up. He was just that confident.”
Both the 400 and 1600-meter relay teams won the crowns. Lovett, Poulin, Jordan Walker and Chan Newton comprise the short-relay foursome while Lovett, Poulin, Walker and David Poole make up the long-relay team.
“I felt real good about both relay teams,” said Morgan. “They have worked so hard all year with their exchanges and with their starts. You could just sense the confidence that they had.”
Walker was fifth in the boys’ high-point totals with 18 points.
The Lady Gators had claimed individual state titles Friday in the discus with Sally Marie Futch and in the high jump with Taylor Collins. On Saturday, Rachel Gilbert gave the BA girls another title, the 200m (63.35).
“Rachel is a true 400 runner,” said Morgan. “She’s got a great stride, good stamina and, for a freshman, she’s very, very strong.”
Gilbert also claimed state runner-up honors in the 200m (27.52).
Also for the Lady Gators on Saturday, third-place points were earned by Kelcie Jacobs (3200m, 12:58.71), Collins (400m, 64.96) and the 400m relay team of Gilbert, Collins, Kinsley Mallard and Kaylee Lanier (55.92). The same foursome took fourth in the 1600m relay.
Other finishers were Kaylee Dennard (fifth in the 100m hurdles, sixth in the 300m hurdles, Haley Burke (sixth in the 3200m), Collins (seventh in the 200m), the foursome of Dennard, Jacobs, Whitney Hinson and Heaven Hinton (seventh in the 400m relay), the team of Hinson, Hinton, Rebekah Beasley and Maddie Manack (seventh in the 1600m relay) and Hinton (eighth in the 300m hurdles).
For the Gator guys, third-place points were earned by Poole (110m hurdles, 17.27 and 300m hurdles, 43.23) and Carter (100m, 11.76). John Manack was fourth in the 3200m (10:54.18)
Other finishers were the team of Poole, Ellis Lane, Michael Kimbrell and Ben Stephens (sixth in the 400m relay), the foursome of Newton, Stephens, Lane and Kelly Williams (seventh in the 1600m relay) and Poulin (eighth in the 200m).
Riverside Military Academy (Gainesville) won the Class AAA boys title with 111 points . First Presbyterian (Macon) was second with 91 points and Deerfield-Windsor (Albany) was third with 87 points.
Westwood School (Camilla) won the Class A boys championship with 110 points. Covenant Academy (Macon) was second with 103 points and Robert Toombs Christian Academy (Lyons) was third with 71 points.
The Class AAA girls championship was won by First Presbyterian with 172 points. Mount de Sales (Macon) was second with 75 points and Deerfield-Windsor was third with 62 points.
Westwood also won the Class A girls title, scoring 136 points. Robert Toombs was second with 104 points and Covenant Academy was third with 86 points.
For Morgan, his teams claiming the top spots were just half of the fun.
“We came down here to win two state championships,” he said. “Even though we came home with a gold and a silver, there’s nothing better than being able to take a group of 31 kids off for a three-day, two night trip and never have to worry about them. That’s just the type of kids we have here. That’s the greatest reward of coaching track at Bulloch Academy.”
“I thought it was an outstanding effort,” said Bulloch Academy head boys’ and girls’ track coach Clint Morgan. “Trinity Christian School knocked us off of our streak five years ago (the Gators won three straight titles) and had their own run. Now, we’ll just start a new streak.”
Bulloch won by 68 points over Trinity of Dublin. Brentwood School from Sandersville was third (51), Southwest Georgia Academy from Damascus was fourth (46) and Tiftarea Academy from Chula was fifth (41.50).
The Gator guys captured five individual-event state titles and both relay titles enroute to their overwhelming victory. Bulloch had 17 top-four finishes.
“It’s like I’ve said all year long,” said Morgan. “You win championships in track with depth. Having as many top-four finishes as we did just shows how deep we really are.”
The Gator girls tallied 126.50 points but had to settle for the runner-up trophy. Trinity Christian School won the title with 142.50 points in the 15-school competition. Gatewood School from Eatonton was third (95) while Brookwood School from Thomasville was fourth (88.5) and Briarwood Academy from Warrenton was fifth (56).
“I’ve seen years when half as many points would win a state championship,” said Morgan. “It’s just a tribute to the strength of Trinity’s program. Our girls exceeded my expectations every day this year. The one thing that makes me most proud is that the majority of them are coming back and none of them are satisfied with second. They have already promised a clean sweep next year.”
Ethan Lovett, who won the pole vault title Friday, won both the 110-meter hurdles (15.34) and the 300-meter hurdles (40.08) and ran the anchor legs of the first-place 400m (45.52) and 1600m (3:40.05) relay teams. He netted a perfect 35 points and won the Class AA high-point trophy.
“Only one person in the entire state can win this award,” said Morgan. “For it to be a perfect score is amazing but there’s no one in the state who deserves it as much as he does. His work ethic is amazing and his will to win is even greater.”
Troy Poulin took the title in the boys’ 400m (52.80) with a gutsy performance at the finish line.
“The 400-meter was the greatest race I’ve seen at the state meet in the 14 years that I’ve been coming down here,” said Morgan. “It wasn’t about the time. I t was the sheer effort that he put into winning. Regardless of time, no one would have beat him today.”
Darion Carter won the 200m (23.32).
“Darion told me walking into the stadium today that he was going to be the new 200-meter champion and he delivered,” said Morgan. “That’s not arrogance when you can back it up. He was just that confident.”
Both the 400 and 1600-meter relay teams won the crowns. Lovett, Poulin, Jordan Walker and Chan Newton comprise the short-relay foursome while Lovett, Poulin, Walker and David Poole make up the long-relay team.
“I felt real good about both relay teams,” said Morgan. “They have worked so hard all year with their exchanges and with their starts. You could just sense the confidence that they had.”
Walker was fifth in the boys’ high-point totals with 18 points.
The Lady Gators had claimed individual state titles Friday in the discus with Sally Marie Futch and in the high jump with Taylor Collins. On Saturday, Rachel Gilbert gave the BA girls another title, the 200m (63.35).
“Rachel is a true 400 runner,” said Morgan. “She’s got a great stride, good stamina and, for a freshman, she’s very, very strong.”
Gilbert also claimed state runner-up honors in the 200m (27.52).
Also for the Lady Gators on Saturday, third-place points were earned by Kelcie Jacobs (3200m, 12:58.71), Collins (400m, 64.96) and the 400m relay team of Gilbert, Collins, Kinsley Mallard and Kaylee Lanier (55.92). The same foursome took fourth in the 1600m relay.
Other finishers were Kaylee Dennard (fifth in the 100m hurdles, sixth in the 300m hurdles, Haley Burke (sixth in the 3200m), Collins (seventh in the 200m), the foursome of Dennard, Jacobs, Whitney Hinson and Heaven Hinton (seventh in the 400m relay), the team of Hinson, Hinton, Rebekah Beasley and Maddie Manack (seventh in the 1600m relay) and Hinton (eighth in the 300m hurdles).
For the Gator guys, third-place points were earned by Poole (110m hurdles, 17.27 and 300m hurdles, 43.23) and Carter (100m, 11.76). John Manack was fourth in the 3200m (10:54.18)
Other finishers were the team of Poole, Ellis Lane, Michael Kimbrell and Ben Stephens (sixth in the 400m relay), the foursome of Newton, Stephens, Lane and Kelly Williams (seventh in the 1600m relay) and Poulin (eighth in the 200m).
Riverside Military Academy (Gainesville) won the Class AAA boys title with 111 points . First Presbyterian (Macon) was second with 91 points and Deerfield-Windsor (Albany) was third with 87 points.
Westwood School (Camilla) won the Class A boys championship with 110 points. Covenant Academy (Macon) was second with 103 points and Robert Toombs Christian Academy (Lyons) was third with 71 points.
The Class AAA girls championship was won by First Presbyterian with 172 points. Mount de Sales (Macon) was second with 75 points and Deerfield-Windsor was third with 62 points.
Westwood also won the Class A girls title, scoring 136 points. Robert Toombs was second with 104 points and Covenant Academy was third with 86 points.
For Morgan, his teams claiming the top spots were just half of the fun.
“We came down here to win two state championships,” he said. “Even though we came home with a gold and a silver, there’s nothing better than being able to take a group of 31 kids off for a three-day, two night trip and never have to worry about them. That’s just the type of kids we have here. That’s the greatest reward of coaching track at Bulloch Academy.”
