Through a great support system and her own sheer determination, Tabitha Perkinson was able to accomplish something Wednesday that seemed implausible nearly two years ago.

Perkinson, a Woodland High senior, signed a track and field scholarship to Chattahoochee Technical College, which will allow her to do something she has been passionate about.

Lady Wildcats' coach David Holloway said he feels good that something as wonderful as signing a college scholarship happened to Perkinson, who expressed a desire to run in college.

"Tab is one (athlete) that showed a lot of promise her freshman and sophomore years," Holloway said. "We had pretty high hopes for her."

Those hopes, he said, were dashed in her junior year when Perkinson had a baby a few months before the track and field season began.

"We pretty much lost all hopes of her running with us at all," Holloway said.

Perkinson had doubts as well.

"I didn't think that I was going to actually continue (running) track," she said. "After having Jaylon, I definitely didn't think I was going to finish track."

Perkinson's mother, Valerie Watkins, wouldn't let her daughter relinquish her dreams.

Watkins said she told her daughter not to worry about her son, she would take care of him while she got back into shape.

"She was like, 'Don't give up, you can do it -- even if you got a little weight on you," Perkinson said smiling.

Her sister, Ashley Watkins, also offered her encouragement.

"She said, 'You can get back (to being) fast," Perkinson remembered.

Her coaches were there for her, too, she said. In no time, she made it back onto the track.

"She had a baby in November," Holloway recalled. "By January, she was right back in preseason workouts."

Perkinson didn't fully regain her normal speed until prior to her senior year.

"When she got back this year, she was in better shape," Holloway continued. "She did a great job. It had to be hard for her after having a baby. We had some hard workouts.

"She never used having a baby as an excuse not to work harder than anyone else."

In college, Perkinson's high school coaches said she will compete in the 100 meters, 200m, 400m, 4-by-100m, 4-by-400m and the triple jump, where she holds the third-longest jump in Woodland history at 34 feet, 10 inches.

She was the second-fastest Lady Wildcat in the 100m behind Chayna Thompson, her coaches said.

Perkinson, who had considered going to school in Kentucky, is looking forward to attending Chattahoochee Tech.

"I think it's an opportunity to better myself," she said. "I'm just happy."

After her two years at the Marietta-based junior college, Perkinson would like to attend either Kennesaw State University or Valdosta State University.

She spoke of lessons she learned in high school, which will benefit her in college.

"I learned never to give up, no matter what you struggle with," Perkinson said, "no matter who or what tries to hold you back."

Adrian Steele, Woodland's sprint and relays coach, said Perkinson won't be your average freshman athlete when she gets to college.

"I think that by her having a baby, it makes her a little more mature than the average athlete," Steele said. "She had to grow up fast. ... She has a strong will and determination to make sure the job (gets) done.

"She displayed that in the classroom," he continued, "keeping her grades up so she was able to get a scholarship (to attend college)."