It was an excellent weekend for many local athletes who competed in the 2016 GHSA Track & Field State Championships in Jefferson.
Commerce notched yet another state title in 1-A public, while taking the top spot in four events. Nearby Rabun County finished seventh in 2A, while senior star athlete Charlie Woerner won a state title and his teammates notched an additional three top-five finishes. Here’s a recap of how each of our local schools and individuals fared in Jefferson.
Habersham Central – Class 6A
The Raiders featured only one individual in Carson Ivester, who finished 11th in discus. Ivester, a senior, had earned a spot with a region title in the event, making a dream come true for himself.
“There was no doubt I was nervous, but I was also very excited and humbled to be competing in it,” says Ivester. “Making it to the state meet has been a long-time goal for me.”
Ivester’s accomplished goals came at the expense of more work than many would realize.
“I had to put in hundreds of hours and thousands of throws,” claims Ivester. “[With] my parents being my coaches, I’ve gotten countless support on and off the track. Sometimes maybe a little more than I may have wanted, but I wouldn’t have wanted it either way. As for my teammates, I don’t think I could have asked for a better team.
White County – Class 4A
The Warriors placed in two events at state, with Kenny Egerton finishing sixth in the pole vault and the 4×400 relay team coming in fourth place. The two top-ten finishes buoyed White County to a 23rd place team finish in Class 4A.
Banks County – Class 3A
Banks County finished 15th as a team in Class 3A, with two top-five individual finishes and another four top-ten finishes. Andrew Elliot placed seventh in the 800 and 9th in the 1600, while Demetrius Walker’s fifth-place finish in the 110 M hurdles event and 11th-place finish in the 300 M hurdles helped the Leopards.
Bryce Bennett came in eighth in the pole vault and 16th in the long jump, while Kayne Berryhill was third in the pole vault. Samuel Davidson and Hunter Cochran finished ninth and 11th, respectively, in the 3200 long distance run. Zack Patrick was 15th in discus, while Logan Hubbard competed, but didn’t place, in the 400.
Lumpkin County – Class 3A
The Indians’ sole representative was sprinter Austin Pierce, a state champion in 2015. He did lead Lumpkin to a 22nd place finish by placing in two events, but failed to re-claim his title in the 100 meter dash. He finished fifth in the event and fourth in the 200 meter dash. Still a great showing for the senior.
Dawson County – Class 3A
The Tigers had three individuals participate in the state championships in Jefferson, with junior Jacob Poston leading the way. The distance runner was fourth in the 800 and sixth in the 1600. Teammate Christopher Shelp was 14th in the 1600 as well, while senior Duncan Kobor ended his career with an 11th place finish in discus. Dawson County finished in 25th place.
Rabun County – Class 2A
The Wildcats finished seventh as a team, having a great showing by many individuals. Charlie Woerner took home a state title in the discus throw, and placed sixth in the shot put. Teammate Trey Harrison had a runner-up finish in the 110 meter hurdles, while fellow senior Dalton Keener was third in the pole vault.
Freshman Guy Gober was spectacular, ending fourth in the 3200 and ninth in the 1600. AK Burton was 11th in the triple jump, while Ian Price, who didn’t place in the 800, and Damon Snow, who competed in the 110 meter hurdles, also helped Rabun to a top-ten finish.
Commerce – Class 1A-Public
The Tigers added yet another state title with a top finish, with four first place finishes in events. Senior Jay Acker stole the show with a pair of state titles in the 800 and 1600, and was runner-up in pole vault. Sophomore teammate Greyson Burke won the state title in that event.
Senior Adrian Vaquera also earned a state title in shot put, and was fourth in discus. Fellow senior Fernando Calderon was fifth in discus and sixth in shot put. The team’s 4×400 relay team finished as state champs, while the 4×100 finished third.
Senior Tretez Barksdale competed in three events, finishing fourth in the 100 meter dash, fifth in the 200 and eighth in the high jump. Jael Heredia was sixth in the 1600, Jalen Walton fifth in the 110 meter hurdles, junior Lane Sorrow third in the 300 meter hurdles, and Parker Hughes and Jackson Purvis tenth and 15th, respectively, in the 3200 distance run.
Tallulah Falls School – Class 1A-Private
TFS had a spectacular showing, finishing seventh in the state, buoyed by eight top-ten event finishes. James Davis didn’t place while competing in pole vault, but was state runner-up in the 300 meter hurdles, and sixth in the 110 meter hurdles. Zatrick Pearce was fourth in the 200 meter dash and fifth in the 100, while Thala Freeman finished eighth in the high jump.
Ethen Besier notched a pair of top-ten finishes as well, ending fifth in pole vault and ninth in discus. The 4×100 team was disqualified, but the 4×400 finished third to cap a great showing for Tallulah Falls.
