Cartersville runner Roger Potts, left, overcomes Sonoraville’s Cory Hall, right, to win the 800 race in a meet that was held on March 15.
SKIP BUTLER/The Daily Tribune News
Although host Adairsville had arguably the two best athletes in former preps Shamira Barrett and Vic Beasley, the depth and talent of Woodland's teams produced a county sweep.
Woodland finished ahead of Adairsville, Cartersville and Cass on the boys' side, and in front of Cartersville, Adairsville and Cass on the girls' side.
Adrian Steele, Woodland's boys track coach, said fine tuning and getting prepared for the Region 7-AAAA meet are key at this point of the season.
"As far as the boys, right now we're just trying to peak and get ready for region," Steele said. "Every track meet, we're trying to get a personal record ... or break a school record.
"Due to the weather, it's kind of been hard."
With today's temperature not expected beyond the high-50s, very few records figure to be set at the county meet, something the Woodland coach acknowledged.
Steele would like to see his 4x100-meter relay team work on perfecting its handoffs as well as see his 4x400 relay team chip away at its time.
Also, the county meet allows Steele to continue to taking a look at his top sprinters.
"There's some good competition among the sprinters," he added.
On the girls' side, Woodland does not have the same numbers its boys do.
"This year, we don't have as many girls out as we would like to," Steele said of Woodland, which has quality -- state champion discus thrower Diana Wimpy, Shantel McCallum, a state qualifier with the 4x4 team, and April Morgan -- but not quantity. "The girls, they're young this year. ... Hopefully, [our seniors] can lead the girls and show the girls what it takes."
"We have an impressive sprinter in [freshman] Idraiah Thompson," Steele added of the No. 1 runner in the region in the 100 and 200.
Woodland's girls hope to win another region championship, and the boys have title aspirations as well.
"All we want them to do is focus on performing," Steele said of he and girls coach David Holloway's expectations. "Once you focus on performing and doing the things you've been taught to do, everything else falls into place."
Like Woodland, Cass also will be young, albeit from an overall standpoint.
Cass girls coach D.L. Koontz thinks having so many youngsters on the team is a good thing, though, especially in one regard.
"We're extremely young. We got a lot of freshmen on our team. They're competing really well," Koontz said. "I expect us to do well because we actually have a full team this year."
The only event Cass cannot compete in is pole vault due to incorrect specifications at its new track, which essentially eliminates practicing for that event.
Everywhere else, Cass will have someone in place, including the 400 where it has a top returner in Albert Catron. It also has some top returners in its girls distance program.
"Savannah Casey, she's one of our top distance runners -- her and Robyn Ellenburg," Koontz said. "Overall, we got some fast individuals but, you know, they're still freshmen and sophomores."
An expected contributor for this season is newcomer Loren Drayton, a hurdler who transferred in from Effingham County.
"I hope everybody runs to the best of [his or her] ability, and we continue improving our personal records," Koontz said. "For us, that's a win.
"The kids are constantly working hard and getting better."
Cartersville coach Rusty Grimmett also would like to see his team competing hard, regardless of where it finishes.
"I just want them to go out there and compete hard and try to score and do well. That's all I ever ask for," said Grimmett, whose team returns runners Lindsay Anderson and Kendall Martinez and hurdlers Olajuwon Harris and Caroline Haupt. "We've had a few injuries, and we're just trying to fit people in where we can fit 'em. ... We have a couple of girls injured [who] haven't been practicing.
"We're gonna have to make some substitutions."
Adairsville boys coach Joseph Pethel, who noted that overall numbers are down, expects the team's work ethic from practice to carry over.
"It's great to see that the kids we have are working really hard in practice," said Pethel, whose team has added county transfer Steven Hawk to its number. "Just like in every other meet, we want to go into it [with] each person ... just [trying] to do their best. The good thing about track, it's a simple sport as far as you're competing against other people, but you're competing against yourself and against the clock.
"From that point, [you] just kind of let the chips fall where they may."
The Bartow County Championship is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. today at Cartersville's Weinman Stadium.
For more on each team, see team capsules below.
Adairsville
Coaches: Meredith Barnhill, Joseph Pethel
Last year's finish: Second (boys), third (girls)
Key returners: Ethan Abernathy, Hannah Greeson, Christian Howell, Michaela King, Kaitlyn Robinson
Cartersville
Coach: Rusty Grimmett
Last year's finish: Second (girls), third (boys)
Key returners: Lindsay Anderson, Olajuwon Harris, Caroline Haupt, Kendall Martinez
Cass
Coaches: Terry Gough, D.L. Koontz
Last year's finish: Fourth (boys, girls)
Key returners: Savannah Casey, Albert Catron, Robyn Ellenburg
Woodland
Coaches: David Holloway, Adrian Steele
Last year's finish: First (boys, girls)
Key returners: Deo Adams, Derrick Hardin, Cameron Leonard, Nathan Loe, Shantel McCallum, April Morgan, Ross Reeves, Diana Wimpy