MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County High gymnastics team will meet the other five qualifying teams tonight to determine the 2006 state champion.

The state championship meet will begin at 7 p.m. at Westminster School in Atlanta.

Colquitt County coach Donna Marshall says her team has a shot at bringing home the big trophy.

“We have a chance of winning if everyone hits their routines,” Marshall said. “One positive thing about our team this year is the strenth we have on all four events.”

Marshall said her team has worked this week on some mistakes it made in last week’s qualifying meet.

“The girls are real motivated,” Marshall said.

Four Colquitt County girls will compete on each event for the team score. Leah May and Meghan Marshall will compete for the all around and three individual events.

The state championship has never been won by a team outside of Metro Atlanta and Colquitt County is the only school from South Georgia to send a team to finals. In fact, the highest a team outside of Metro Atlanta has finished was the third place the Colquitt County team had in 2001.

The Lady Packers finished sixth in the state in 2000 and were fourth in 2002.

After not qualifying for the finals in 2003 and 2004, the Lady Packers were sixth last year.

Colquitt County advanced to the finals this year with a second-place finish in a qualifying meet at Lovett School in Atlanta last week.

The team includes May, Marshall, Rachel Dampier, Crystal Blizzard, Kaitlin Tucker, Krista Wood, Temira Davis and Arrienne Miller.