CVMS boys, Heritage girls collect NGAC track titles
Last week was a pretty good one for the Chattanooga Valley Eagles.
Two days after their baseball team ended a 22-year NGAC tournament championship drought, the boys’ track team capped off the middle school sports year with a wire-to-wire victory at the conference track and field championships at LFO High School.
CVMS, who led the meet with 42 points after Day 1 last Wednesday, powered through to the finish line on Thursday and collected 126 points. Ringgold (87) finished as runner-up, while Heritage (78.5) was third. The rest of the standings included Rossville, followed by Gordon Lee, Saddle Ridge, Dade, Lakeview and LaFayette.
T.J. Foster accounted for nearly a third of the Eagles’ points. He cleared 5-foot-6 to win the high jump title on Wednesday, defeating Ringgold’s Nathan Lauck on a jump-off tiebreaker after Lauck cleared the same height, but with more misses. Then on Thursday, Foster won the 200 (23.99), the 400 (56.98) and helped out in the relays as well. The Eagles won the 4x100 (48.55) and took second in the 4x400 (4:12).
In addition, Will Fouts took first place in the 100 (12.35) on Thursday after David Rhodes (discus, 1017) and Siya Murdock (shot put, 39-10) won their events on Wednesday.
Chattanooga Valley also had a pair of runner-up finishes on Thursday. Fouts was
second in the 100 hurdles (16.19) and Brayden Craig was second in the 400 (59.51). Rhodes placed second in the discus (36-7) during Day 1.
Runner-up Ringgold got a pair of victories from Grant Skinner in the 800 (2:26) and in the 1600 (5:23), while the Tigers also picked up a win in the 4x400 (4:03).
Along with Lauck in the high jump, Adam Mozingo finished second in the long jump (16-10) and in the 200 (24.64). The Tigers also placed second in the 4x100 (49.26) and Landon Haddock was runner-up in both the 800 (2:31) and the 1600 (5:31).
The third-place Generals saw Caden Watson place second in the discus on Wednesday (95-6) while Gunner Cornwall was runner-up in both the 800 (2:30) and the 1600 (5:25) on Day 2.
Heritage’s third-place finishers included Jacob Carter in the high jump (5-4), Samuel Troutman in the long jump (16-4), Kylin Murphree in the shot put (36-1), Blake Gates in the 400 (59.73) and the 4x400 relay team (4:14).
Rossville’s Ayden Shelton and Tabrone Ball tied for second in the 100 (17.46), while Shelton picked up third-place points in the 200 (25.80). The Bulldogs also finished third in the 4x100 (51.41).
Dino Selimagic won the 100 hurdles (14.21) and the long jump (18-3) for Gordon Lee and Levi Gutherie was third in the discus (948) for LaFayette.
On the girls’ side, Heritage, who sat in third place by a single point after Day 1, overtook Ringgold and Gordon Lee on Thursday to win the league title. The
Lady Generals amassed 121 points as they held off the Lady Trojans (115.5) and the Lady Tigers (75) for the top spot. Chattanooga Valley, Dade, Lakeview, Rossville, Saddle Ridge and LaFayette rounded out the field.
Heritage won four individual events, two by Carly Christman as she crossed the line first in both the 800 (2:49) and the 1600 (5:57). Mariah Evans also earned first place in a very closely contested 400 (1:08.51), while Adison Steadman won the shot put (27-9) on the first day of the meet.
Evans took second in the 200 (28.87) and tied for second in the long jump (139). Emily Ray was second for the Lady Generals in the 800 (2:51), while Heritage also finished runner-up in the 4x400 (4:46).
Five third-place finishes
included Ray in the 1600 (6:29), Hope Alsobrooks in the 100 (13.95), Sarah Parson in the 400 (1:09.46), Brooklyn Bowling in the high jump (4-2) and the 4x100 relay team (56.44).
Callie Savadge won the high jump (4-6) for Gordon Lee and set a new school record as she won the 100 hurdles (16.92). Pepper Metz was first in the long jump (14-3) and teammate Emery Toups took top honors in the discus (73-0). Toups also placed second in the shot put (26-1.25).
Metz also placed second in the 100 (13.37). Grace Shafer tied for second in the discus (61-10) and the Lady Trojans were runner-up in the 4x100 (55.36). Metz added third-place points in the 200 (28.88) and Briley Ball was third in the 800 (2:52). Gordon Lee also got third in the
4x400 (5:01).
Ringgold picked up an individual event victory in the 4x400 (4:42). Kinley Cross was second in the high jump (4-4), while Lulu White tied Evans for second in the long jump (13-9) and finished second in what was essentially a photo finish in the 400 (1:08.53). Taylor Jackson tied for second in the discus (61-10).
Chattanooga Valley’s Janiece Randolph showcased her speed as she swept both the 100 (12.43) and the 200 (26.51), while helping the Lady Eagles to a win in the 4x100 (54.08). Zakhya Davis also earned third-place points in the shot put (24-0).
Saddle Ridge got a topthree finish from first-year runner Hadley Hodge as the sixth grader was second in the 1600 (6:20).