Milton Track & Field Showcase Meet Preview

2021 Milton Showcase Preview
By Andy Carr

It was a year ago just after our Showcase meet that everything stopped in our sport and again COVID can stop or pause us anytime. Please mask up, be safe for you and others and let’s continue to have a great track season and hopefully this weekend will produce another early-season thriller at the Eagles Nest in Milton.
Many stadium records are in play with the quality of teams and programs attending in this unique running events meet on Friday & field events meet on Saturday.

GIRLS Running Meet
The Marietta juggernaut continues as the Lady Blue Devils are loaded top-to-bottom in most events on Friday but will be challenged by deep teams from Blessed Trinity & St Pius & Roswell.

Relays-with the introduction of the 4x200 now at most meets and is becoming a state event in 2022, we should see many top-marks this season and here as well. Marietta & Walton are both within 2 seconds of the stadium mark (1:48.70). The DMR may be the relay event of the meet with BT & St Pius closest to the Marist 12:18.42 record with both around 12:25 in their seed times. Marietta is a clear favorite in the 4x100 by close to 1-second over any other team entered.

Sprints-The 100m could easily see the stadium record fall with Marietta’s McKenzie Walker (11.86) who is almost half-a-second better than the 12.22 record set in 2009 & tied in 2012 and Walker plans to double back in the 200m later in the evening.

Distance-Another stadium mark over 10 years old is the 800m (2:16.79, Mara Canning of Walton, 2009) and is in serious jeopardy with Marietta’s Kennedy Morris who has a 2:13.57 personal best but she may have to go it alone to get it. The MILE (not the 1600m) is contested here with almost 10 girls just under 5:35 led by Paideia’s Luna McCauley and will be challenged by the Heppner sisters from Johnson Ferry Christian Academy & Betsy Gordon of Marietta & Nicole Chastain of BT. The race could be a classic! The 5000m will see Walton’s Sarah Burwell tackle the 12 ½ lap race along with Marietta’s Kristal McQueen to hopefully go sub-19 with another 8-10 girls trying to go sub-20.

BOYS Running Meet
Can you say Blue Devils again? The double state cross country champions are still on a roll on the boy’s side as well but could be challenged by Chattahoochee, Roswell and host Milton if the races and places fall for the challengers.

Relays-Marietta looks to be the team to beat in both the 4x100 & 4x200 with some challenges from Walton, Roswell & Chattahoochee. The DMR has Blessed Trinity taking a shot at the 10:45.93 stadium mark set in 2013 by host Milton. Roswell and the host Eagles look to challenge BT in the DMR and go close to 11-flat.

Sprints-Blessed Trinity’s Zach Bolden (11.15) and King’s Ridge John Robinson (21.65) lead the way in the 100 & 200m events as Marietta has strong entries in the 300m Hurdles with Joshua Pitts & Adrian Jefferson who could go 1-2.

Distance-Hayden Marshall of Milton & James Mays of Marietta plan to do battle in the 5000m with hopes of a sub-15:20 clocking while the MILE has 11 entries between 4:30 & 4:43 led by the private school battle of Joey Sandal of Johnson Ferry Christian Academy & Eli McCauley of Paideia who have split their first two races against each other this season, both looking to go sub-4:27.

GIRLS Field Event Meet
Marietta continues to garner points everywhere and the field is no exception. Led by Olabisi Ojulari who is the top entrant in the triple jump, is also seeded 3rd in the high jump. The Lady Blue Devils also have scorers in the long jump & discus. Marietta’s depth will be hard to contend with.
The girls pole vault could be the best contest of the meet with Walton’s Rachel Valentine & Olivia Bollenbacher of Cambridge to do battle at 12 feet and above!

BOYS Field Event Meet
Marietta continues to show up everywhere with shot putter Marice Brown & discus thrower Max Herman leading both events substantially with their early season marks. With scorers in both long & triple jumps, the Blue Devils should carry the day on the field as well. Besides the throws for Marietta, the stadium record in the pole vault will be challenged by Milton junior Andrew Dassler. Dassler took 3 shots at 14’8.25” last Wednesday evening and was close on two of the attempts. The current record (14’8”) is held by Matt Mazzacano, a Milton alum (’19) now vaulting at Georgia Tech.