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By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
The Mary Persons girls tennis
team advanced to the AAAA
Sweet 16 for the third straight
year with a 3-2 home victory over
Shaw on Wednesday in the first
round of the AAAA state playoffs.
The Lady Dogs' No. 2 doubles
team of Reagan Dorrity and
Anna Starr secured the deciding
point on Wednesday, outlasting
Shaw in a thrilling second-set
tiebreak. Dorrity and Starr won
the first set 6-0 and appeared to
be cruising early in the second
set before Shaw rallied to force
a tiebrealc After falling behind
3-2 early in the tiebreak, Dorrity
came through with several big
baseline forehands while Starr
volleyed heroically at net to eke
out a 7-5 tiebreak win for the 6-0,
7-6 straight sets match victory.
MP's other match victories
came in No. 2 singles where
lackie Gore demolished her over-
matched opponent 6-0, 6-0 and
in No. 1 doubles where Madeline
Copeland and Audrey Parrott
prevailed in two tight sets, 6-4,
6-3. MP was defeated in its other
two singles matches with No. 1
Cadi Seitz falling 1-6, 1-6 and No.
3 Emma Cantrell losing 3-6, 4-6.
MP head coach Hannah Gross-
man said she was proud of the
clutch performance of her young
team, which improved to 10-7
overall (4-3 in Region 2-AAAA).
"We lost a lot of girls from last
year and had a bunch of new
kids out here" Grossman said.
"They% worked hard and never
gave up. And that was the thing.
They knew what they needed to
do. They don't want to lose, so
they're gonna do everything they
can do to find a way to win."
Grossman said she had a feeling
the match could come down to
two of her least experienced play-
ers, Dorrity and Starr.
"I know they're real competi-
tive" Grossman said of her No.
2 doubles pairing. "Reagan is
going to fight for every last point.
She's not going to give up either.
They're new at the game, but they
come out here all the time. Her
and Anna work together on the
weekends as well. So they put in
the time not only at our practice
but outside of practice as well. So
I think they've known where they
needed to be all season long, and
it paid offwith this match"
The MP boys team, 13-4 overall
(5-2 in Region 2-AAAA), previ-
ously reached the round of 16
with a 3-1 first-round home win
over Cairo on April 16. Both the
MP boys and girls squads were
next scheduled to travel to peren-
nial power Woodward Academy
at 4 p.m. on Tuesday for second
round matches.
Cadi Seitz is one of a pair of seniors, along
leading the Lady Dogs into the state Sweet
with Madeline Copeland,'"
16. (Photo/Richard Dumas)
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Nearly two-dozen Mary
Persons boys and girls
track team members will
compete at 10 a.m. on Sat-
urday at Kinnett Stadium
in Columbus in the AAAA
state sectional competition
after top-four finishes at the
Region 2-AAAA champi-
onship meet on April 16.
Athletes who place in the
top eight at sectionals will
then move on to the AAAA
state finals at Valhalla Sta-
dium in Rome beginning
Thursday, May 10. Athletes
from Regions 1-AAAA,
2-AAAA, 5-AAAA and
6-AAAA will be competing
in the Columbus sectional.
MP boys athletes who
qualified for state section-
als include three individual
region champions: Cond-
arius Alford, who placed
first in the high jump with
a leap of 5 feet, 8 inches,
Bralen Harve5 who placed
first in the pole vault with
a leap of 9 feet, and Justin
Wachtel, who swept the
1,600 and 3,200-meter
races with winning times of
4 minutes, 37 seconds and
10 minutes, 13 seconds,
respectively.
Other MP boys ath-
letes who will compete at
sectionals include: Alford,
who placed third in the 400
meters with a time of 53.32
seconds, Iamar Fagan,
who placed fourth in the
110-meter hurdles with
a time of 17.54 seconds,
Myles Johnson, who placed
third in the 800 meters
with a time of 2 minutes, 14
seconds, Iaques Watkins,
who placed second in the
high jump with a leap of 5
feet, 8 inches and third in
the long jump with a leap
of 20 feet, 9 inches, Brycen
Young, who placed third in
the pole vault with a vault
of 8 feet, 6 inches, Colton
Dingmore, who placed
fourth in the shot put with
a heave of 40 feet, 7 inches,
Daniel Lavelle, who placed
fourth in the discus with a
throw of 113 feet, 6 inches.
Also, MP's No. 1 boys 4
x 100-meter relay team,
consisting of Ladamian
Sands, Afford, Fagan and
Caileb Ussery, qualified
for sectionals after placing
third in region with a time
of 45.08 seconds. MP's No.
1 boys 4 x 400-meter relay
team, consisting of Malik
Davis, Watkins, Wachtel
and Alford, also made it to
sectionals, placing second
at region with a time of 3
minutes, 42 seconds.
MP girls athletes who
qualified for state section-
als include one individual
region champion: Precious
Gaines, who placed first in
the shot put with a heave of
Mary Persons freshman Justin Wachtel (right front) is expected to be MP's top challenger for an individual state track crown after
tance races (1,600 meters and 3,200 meters) at the Region 2-AAAA track meet in Spalding.on April 13-16. Wachtel is one of 21
compete at state sectionals in Columbus on Saturday.(Photo/Richard Dumas)
31 feet, 8 inches.
Other MP girls ath-
letes who will compete at
sectionals include: Erin
Hampton, who placed
third in the discus with a
throw of 80 feet, 3 inches,
]'Mya Mann, who placed
fourth in the discus with a
throw of 74 feet, 7 inches
and fourth in the shot put
with a heave of 28 feet,
11 inches, Ava McKallip,
who placed third in the
1,600 meters with a time
of 6 minutes, 1 second and
third in the 3,200 meters
with a time of 13 min-
utes, 24 seconds, Destiny
Middleton, who placed
fourth in the long jump
with a leap of 15 feet, 10
inches, and Cheyla Tafolla,
who placed fourth in the
pole vault with a vault of 7
feet.
Also, MP'S No. I girls 4
x 100-meter relay team,
consisting of Judiyah
Afford, Middleton, Daizha
Outlaw and Jordan Shan-
non, qualified for section-
als after placing fourth in
region with a time of 51.65
seconds.
Also, the Monroe County
Middle School girls track
team placed fifth out of
nine teams with 59 points
at the Central Georgia
Middle School Athletic
League championship meet
on Saturda April 14 at
Spalding.
Monroe County's Camp-
bell Brown was a double
individual champion,
sweeping the 100-me-
ter and 200-meter races.
Mary Persons freshman Justin Wachtel (above left), Bralen Harvey (above center) and
Condarius Alford (above right) were all individual region champions at the Region
2-AAAA championship meet on April 13-16. Harvey captured the pole vault while Alford
won the high jump. (Photo/Richard Dumas)
Brown's winning time ofthan second-place Upson- minutes, 46 seconds.Also,
13.08 seconds in the 100 Lee, which finished with a the Monroe County's No.
meters was just ahead of time of 53.11 seconds.2 4 x 100-meter relay team
the second-place time of Other Monroe County of Ah'Zoria Hardy, Serenity
13.24 seconds recorded by Middle School girls athletes Bland, Zora Bigham and
Kennedy Road's Alacious who scored points at Demaria Scandrett placed
Wimbush. Brown's time the Championship meet sixth with a time of 54.86
of 26.93 seconds in the included: Barkley, whoseconds, Monroe County's
200 meters was more than placed seventh in the 100 No. 1 4 x 400-meter relay
two-tenths faster than that meters with a time of 13.78 team of Brown, Webb, Big-
of second place Miralde seconds and fifth in the 200 ham and Green placed fifth
Hill of Cowan Road, who meters with a time of 28.19 with a time of 5 minutes,
finished in 27.15 seconds, seconds, Webb, who placed 6 seconds,'and Monroe
Brown was also a member seventh in the 400 meters County's No. 2 4 x 400-me-
of Monroe County's win- with a time of 1 minute, 10 ter relay team of Barkle
ning 4 x 100-meter relay seconds, Ialiyah Johnson, Alexis Dent, Bland and
team along with Amaya who placed second in the Scandrett placed seventh
Webb, Anyana Barkley 800 meters with a time of with a time of 5 minutes, 7
and Alyssa Green. The 2 minutes, 56 seconds, and seconds.
Lady Dogs' winning time Caroline Hampton, who Upson-Lee was the girls
of 52.78 seconds was more placed fifth in the 1,600 meet champion with a total
than three-tenths faster meters with a time of 6 of 97 points, followed by
winning a pair of dis-
MP pthletes who will i
i
second.place Pike County
with 84 points and third-
place Peach County with 71
points. Other participants
in' order of highest to low- I
. . ~41
est finish included: Carver
Road, Kennedy Road, 4
Cowan Road, Rehobath
Road and Lamar County.
Meanwhile, the Monroe
County Middle School ,-
boys track team placed
eighth out of 11 teams with
14 points at the area cham- !;
pionship meet on April 14.
Monroe County Middle
School boys athletes who 7.
scored points at the cham-
pionship meet included: *"
D.J. Martinez, who placed
sixth in the 200 meters with-
a time of 25.17 seconds "
and sixth in the 100-me- '
ter hurdles with a time of ,"
17.26 seconds, Dylan Ivey, ;
who placed sixth in the
1,600 meters with a time of
6 minutes, 1 second, Bobby
Bond, who placed seventh <
in the 3,200 meters with ' q
a time of 13 minutes, 55 -::
seconds, and Kam Casser, :.'
who placed fifth in the high' !
jump with a time of 5 feet. '
Upson-Lee was also the J:
boys meet champion with "i
a total of 118.5 points,
followed by second-place
L Larnar County with 107 tr"
points and third-place C-
Carver Road with 79
points. '<
Other participants in :';
order of highest to lowest ,;
finish included: Kennedy
Road, Rehobath Road,
Henderson, Pike County,
Peach County, Cowan
Road and Greenville.
