Photo courtesy of Becky Staples Photography
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
Ashville’s Taylor Knight won three individual events and earned a fourth as a relay team member at the Gadsden City Track and Field Meet No. 4 on March 23 at GCHS.
Knight took home the gold in all three distance events – the 1600-meter run at 5:41.46, the 3200-meter run at 12:23.82 and the 800-meter run at 2:31.84. Along with Molly Northam, Alana Whiteman, and Allie Cone, she was a member of the Lady Bulldogs’ first place 4×800-meter relay team with a time of 10:50.60 10.
Hokes Bluff’s Bryer Morrison took home the gold in two of the boys’ three distance events – the 1600-meter run at 4:56.91 and the 3200-meter run at 10:57.58. He also placed third in the 800-meter run at 2:15.63.
Gadsden City’s Karleigh Sheffield captured a pair of gold medals, one in the 100-meter dash at 12.61 and another in the 200-meter dash at 25.77.
Also for the Lady Titans, Kyla Price placed first in the 400-meter dash at 1:01.48 and teamed with Ilyiana Huff, Mariah Ragland and Skylar Stevens to win the 4×400-meter relay at 4:16.39. Price also finished runner-up in the 200-meter dash at 26.31.
Also placing first in individual boys competition was Ashville’s Greyson Simpson in the triple jump at 40-00.00 and West End’s Kane Lawson in the javelin at 158-02.
The Gadsden City boys won both sprint relay events. Zyan Gibson, Kerrel Yow, Cameron Rolley, and Kamauri Moore captured the 4×100 at 43.20 and Caleb Davis, Braydon Mayes, Tylan Sims and Cameron Rolley took the 4×400 at 3:47.94.
Also girls’ second-place performances, Ashville’s Emma Drinkard won the silver in the 100-meter dash at 12.82 and was a member of the Lady Bulldogs’ runnerup 4×400-meter relay team 4:24.44 with Allie Cone, Molly Northam and Alana Whiteman.
West End’s Payten Battles placed second in the 3200-meter run at 13:02.37, while Ashville’s Lydia Northam was runnerup in the high jump at 4-08.00.
Also earning the silver was the Gadsden City 4×100-meter relay ‘B’ team of Nyla Franklin, Jelaya English, Jaliyah Jones and Janiyah Yow at 53.51.
Boys second-place efforts included Gaston’s Kodie Bogle in the high jump at 5-08.00 and the javelin at 157-05, Hokes Bluff’s Alexander Moland in the 400-meter dash at 53.07, Ashville’s Kanyon White in the 300-meter hurdles at 46.26, Gadsden City’s Zyan Gibson in the 100-meter dash at 11.26, Gadsden City’s Isaiah Collins in the long jump at 21-07.00 and the Ashville 4×400-meter relay team of Coby Caswell, Maddox Vann, Kanyon White and Nate Huckbay at 3:54.41.
Taking the third-place bronze in girls’ action was Ashville’s Emna Drinkard in the 200-meter dash at 26.37, Glencoe’s Ella Hines in the long jump at 14-00.00, Gaston’s Shelby Waters in the discus at 80-01 and Gadsden City’s Nyla Franklin in the high jump at 4-08.00.
Boys third-place showings were Gadsden City’s Clyde Curry in the 200-meter dash at 22.47, Gadsden City’s Cameron Rolley in the 400-meter dash at 53.56, West End’s Triston Chaney in the long jump at 19-08.00, Ashville’s Parker Smith in the high jump at 5-08.00, Gadsden City’s Christopher Butler in the triple jump at 39-05.00 and Ashville’s Greyson Simpson in the javelin at 141-04.