Alexis Burks and Ty’Asia McNeal do a relay handoff in Colquitt County High track and field practice Tuesday.

MOULTRIE – Most of the names are familiar. Most of these Packer student-athletes are already region champions in their ‘ball’ team sports.

Now it is spring time, the warm part of spring time, and the chance where a group of Colquitt County High representatives can show off their true athleticism. But what kind of showing will the Packer boys and girls teams make today at the Region 1-7A track and field championship meet at Lowndes High?

“We’ll see what we got,” said Colquitt head coach Dextra Polite. It’s been a tough spring for him to put a solid track and field season together what with the drastic changes in the weather from day to day and the unexpected time away from school.

It also took some time for a portion of the track team to make transitions from winter sports to the spring. In the girls high jump, Polite is looking for medal placings out of Kiarra Lovett and Za’Nautica Downs … two Colquitt County basketball players starting on the team that reached the Class 7A Elite 8.

The coach expects to score well in the boys high jump with Andrew Walker and Tyrese King, King being a starting All-Region basketball player on a 20-win and state top 16 club this school year.

King will join Kaleb Dawson, a basketball teammate who also had a huge impact on defense in football, and Ahmari Lewis on relay teams, and Polite likes their chances to vie for a region win.

One of the fastest girls 400-meter relay teams Colquitt County High has ever seen – Polite stating their best time is 49.89 seconds – consists of some Lady Packer hoopsters in Akia Sutton and Ty’Asia McNeal along with Alexis Burks.

Another with potential to win in the girls 800-meter run, Polite said, is Adrian McCray.

Packer faithful will be familiar with the name Shawn Shamburger, a defensive back signee with the University of Tennessee. He came out for the track team looking to learn the long and triple jumps. Polite said he’s been a positive asset for the group and is a candidate to place in his events.

The real leader in Packer track, according to Polite, is Dawson.

“He understands what I want and how I want it,” the coach said. “He will perform well.”

And a no doubt favorite to win multiple region – if not state – championships is girls distance runner Elizabeth Funderburk. Polite said the junior “dominates” in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs and expects her to keep that up today. Funderburk already this week shot the lowest round (74) among 1-7A girls golfers in their championship tournament in Valdosta and is the reigning region cross country champion.

The biggest concerns for Polite is always in the field events. He said no team can win a region championship without scoring in the field, and that’s been lacking for Colquitt the past two years. Among the girls throwing the shot put is the region’s top basketball player, Diamond Hall.

“It’s all about technique,” said Polite, saying that is a bigger asset than being the strongest of the bunch.

“We’ve got to really hydrate … stay cool and hydrate,” said Polite, noting that, unlike the cold spells of only a few weeks ago, the afternoons are now warming up to the high 80s.

Colquitt County track athletes will also see, according to Polite, a host Lowndes High program – boys and girls – with athletes who want to excel in all of these events.

“You have to want to do it and want to learn,” he said. “You just can’t show up. You have got to prepare. You must be dedicated to run and compete.”

The coach said if Lowndes approaches this meet “happy” about competing, the Vikings might run away with both team titles. Polite said Camden County will also bring a strong girls team, which will make it an even tougher test for his 4×100 group.