Titans, Panthers shine at GCHS Open No. 2 track and field meet

Gadsden City High won six first-place medals and Southside earned five in the GCHS Open track and field meet on March 23. Twenty-two teams competed in the event.
First place finishers for Gadsden City in the girls’ events were Brittaney Watts in the 100-meter dash (12.65), Mariqua Adley in the 300-meter hurdles (51.63) and May Davis in the shot put (33-01.00).
The Lady Titans also won two relays. The 4×100-meter team of Cede Poe, Kenya Gueye, Jayla Hunter and Brittaney Watts came in at 50.88 seconds and the 4×400-meter team of Poe, Adley, Gueye and Jalonshae Frazier clocked in at 4:33.69.
Southside senior Hunter Nails won two events – the 800-meter run (2:00.05) and the 1600-meter run (4:37.81). Other Panthers winning gold medals were Taylor Nails in the 3200-meter run (10:46.06), Nick Shirley in the javelin (165-00) and the 4×400-meter relay team of Jordan Grantland, Austin McClellan, Seth Tunstall and Jared D’Eath (3:40.68)
Also taking first place was Gadsden City’s 4×100-meter relay team of JerMichael Isom, Tyrese Ellis, Tony Jackson and Jaelyn Fleming (44.27).
The Lady Panthers had a pair of second-place showings – Victoria Opdycke in the 800-meter run (2:35.15) and Macie Williams in the shot put (32-08.00). Other girls second-place finishes were Sardis’ Mariah Morelock in the 100-meter hurdles (18.20) and Gadsden City’s Cede Poe in the 300-meter hurdles (52.25).
Boys second-place finishers were Southside’s Taylor Nails in the 1600-meter run (4:56.32), Sardis’ Jarrod Smith in the discus (107-04), Westbrook Christian’s Mitchell Cook in the 800-meter run (2:11.50), Southside’s Tyler Cline in the 400-meter dash (53.98) and Sardis’ Luke Nelson in the javelin (158-10).
Gadsden City won seven third-place events, including Jashonna Clark in the 100-meter hurdles (18.71), Brittaney Watts in the 200-meter dash (27.30), Asia Samuels in the shot put (31-08.00), Jakari Embry in the 110-meter hurdles (17.21), Damon Thompson in the shot put (44-00) and Joe Tillis in both the 100-meter dash (11.21) and 400-meter dash (54.17).
Sardis’ Emma Schaffer placed third in both the long jump (16-02) and triple jump (31-04).
Also coming in third were Sardis’ Jarrod Smith in the javelin (142-02) and the Southside 4×800-meter relay team of Austin McClellan, Taylor Nails, Seth Tunstall and Ryan Maudsley (9:20.52).