FRANKLINTON – A total of 54 Bladen County athletes from East Bladen and West Bladen will be competing Friday in the NCHSAA Class 2A Track & Field MidEast Regionals at Franklinton High.
Headlining the East Bladen group is the Three Rivers Conference champion girls 4×400 meter relay team of Rachel Hurrell, Teronda Autry, Aaniya Jackson, Alicia McKiver, Gemizha Stephens, and Annette Munoz-Ventura. McKiver was also the TRC champion in the girls’ 400 meter dash.
Leading the West Bladen boys squad is junior Davian Willis-Howard, who won the Three Rivers title in the boys’ 110 meter hurdles. Willis-Howard also qualified for the regionals in the 300 meter hurdles.
West Bladen sophomore Tinyauh Rhoda was the Three Rivers champion in the girls’ 200 meter dash. Rhoda will have a busy Friday as she also qualified for the regionals in the 100 meters, triple jump and long jump.
Competing for the East Bladen boys’ will be the 4×800 meter relay team of Tayshaun Berkeley, Olando Murchison, A. J. Smith, Damondta Smith and Efren Vargas; junior Wisdom Northern in both the 110 meter hurdles and high jump; and sophomore Mark Wallace in the 110 meter hurdles.
Other Eagles in the regional are the 4×200 meter relay team of Deonte Johnson, Za’Quis Leach, Timothy McLean, Tyrese McElveen, Lawson Hester and Correy Melvin, and sophomore A. J. Smith in both the 1600 meters and 800 meter run.
The East Bladen 4×100 meter relay team of Hester, McLean, Leach, Johnson and Melvin will also compete as will sophomore Efren Vargas in the 3200 meters and sophmore Cody Long in the discus throw.
Also competing for the East Bladen girls’ are the 4×800 meter relay team of Autry, Vianey Estrada, Vena Metz, Hurrell and Stephens; Autry in the 400 meter dash; Hurrell in the 800 meter run; and Estrada in the 3200 meter run.
The East Bladen relay team of Aaniya Jackson, Makia Johnson, Aaniya McKoy and Azariah Rhodie will compete in both the 4×200 meter and 4×100 meter relays. Makia Johnson will also run the 100 meter dash, and Lady Eagle junior Lakendra Jones will throw the discus.
The West Bladen boys will be represented by the 4×800 meter relay team of Jacob Bryan, Nathaniel Davis, Donovan Stone, Javonta Matthews, Tyre Ford and Jeremiah Payton, and the 4×400 meter relay of Shyron Adams, Abdul Taylor, Javonta Matthews, Kerron Washington, Jadacus Register, and Tyre Boykin.
Boykin will also compete in the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash and triple jump. Taylor will run in both the 110 meter hurdles and the 300 meter hurdles.
The Knight 4×200 meter boys relay team of Willis-Howard, Kerron Washington, Andrew AJ Brown, Taylor, Adams, and Boykin qualified for the regionals. Adams and Brown will both compete in the long jump. Washington qualified in the triple jump, and Stone will be in the high jump.
Both the West Bladen girls’ 4×800 meter and 4×200 meter relay teams will run in the regionals. Also competing for the Lady Knights will be the 4×400 meter relay team of Alyssa Bell, Victory Crawford, Maleah Walker and Amyia Williams. Bell will also run in the 800 meters.
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