Colquitt hosts region cross country today
Published 12:14 am Thursday, October 30, 2008
By Wayne Grandy
wayne.grandy@gaflnews.com
MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County High cross country teams will have a rare advantage in today’s Region 1-AAAAA meet: they will be running on their home course.
For the first time in a number of years, Colquitt County will play host to the region meet and, having run on the new Packer Park course twice this year, the teams should feel right at home.
The junior varsity race will begin at 3:30 p.m. The varsity girls championships will start at 4:15 p.m. The boys race will begin at 5 p.m.
All eight region teams are expected to compete, with each sending out its top seven boys and girls.
The top four boys and girls teams and top six individual finishers not on a qualifying team will advance to the Nov. 8 state meet in Carrollton.
Of the eight region teams, only Houston County and Northside have not run on the course, which has played host to meets on Sept. 30 and Oct. 9.
“It’s a deceptively hard course,” said Colquitt County cross country coach Mell Wier. “There’s a gradual half-mile climb behind the baseball fields and if it’s windy, you could be running dead into the wind.”
Wier said his girls team “could finish anywhere from first to sixth.”
The Lady Packers have defeated all the other region teams except Warner Robins this season, but they also have finished behind Tift County and Valdosta.
“They’ll just have to run a good race,” Wier said.
“One of those other teams might slip up.”
The seven girls Wier will send out today will be Karlie Brown, Lindsey Causey, Lacey Webb, Carla Duque, Carly Moore, Morgan Hayes and Carly Banks.
Hannah Adair and Laura Robinson will run in the junior varsity race.
“We’re in good shape,” Wier said of his girls. “We’ve made a lot of improvement through the season.”
And of the seven who will run today, only Causey did not run at the region meet last year, Wier said.
Warner Robins and Tift County are the favorites to win the boys race and Wier hopes his team can finish third an earn the trip to Carrollton.
Heath Lamb, Carlos Charles, Julio Perez, Craig Dabdoub and Jonathan Cauthen will be in the top seven for the Packers.
The other two will come from among Jebb Cato, Judd Cato and Joseph Strickland.
Strickland has been battling a sore foot and may not be able to compete.
Lamb has been the team’s top finisher this season, with, says Wier, “Carlos about 5-10 seconds behind Heath and Julio about 5-10 secons behind Carlos.”
“We’ll come across the finish line in a big pack,” Wier said.
