They are a group of up and coming young athletes who ran, jumped and threw their way into championship seasons. They are the members of the boy’s and girl’s track teams at Waycross Middle School, both of which brought home titles in the Southeast Georgia Middle School Athletic Conference. Young athletes like Ronasche Fluker and Dream Gainer who led their teams with big victories. The two day event was held at Ware County High School and hosted by the Waycross Middle School Bulldogs.
The Girl’s Team
The Bulldogs’ girl’s track and field team went out first on day one of the championship meet. Coached by Ware County High School Head Football Coach Franklin Stephens, the girls got out to a fast start with Ronasche Fluker winning the 400 meter championship. She was also part of the 4X100 meter team that won the conference championship for the girl Gators with Jordan Williams, D’Yonne McClain and DeMya Gibson. Fluker also finished second in the long jump, third in the 200 meters and was on the second place 4×400 meter relay team. “She’s a two time conference champion in the 4×100 and the 400 meters so she won as a sixth grader and a seventh grader,” Coach Stephens said. “She works extremely hard and I think she can have a bright future in track and field if she so desires.”
DeMya Gibson also performed well for the Bulldogs, finishing second in the 100 meters, fifth in the 200 meters and she was part of the 4×100 and 4×400 meter teams. “She’s just a workhorse. She received the Coach’s Award for this year because of the fact that she’s one of the few kids that as a coach you come across that’s willing to meet the challenge day in and day out of getting better.” Coaches praise her work ethic and ability to do what is asked of her.
Other top finishers for the Lady Bulldogs were Cornesha Cannady who was fourth in the 400 meters and third in the high jump, Kaylah Youngblood who was third in the 800 meters and second in the 1,600 meters, Jordan Williams who finished second in the 100 meter hurdles and fourth in the long jump, D’yonne McClain who was fourth in the shotput and Katurah Williams who was third in the shotput. The Waycross Middle girls had 124 points to Jeff Davis’ 99 and Pierce county’s 83.
Coach Stephens has had experience with track and field programs through the years and chose athletes for specific events based on their ability to score points for the team. His strategy paid off as the Bulldogs won just two events during the championship meet but still won by 25 points. “We won the 400 and the 4×100 meters but we got a lot of second place finishes and a lot of girls who got points so we were able to get two people in each event getting points for us. That’s the true indication of a team,” he said. “There’s ways to win. You just have to figure out what your strengths are then you look in the conference and you see how everybody else is, then you get your people in the correct places.” Coach Stephens worked to instill a sense of teamwork in the girls this season and it paid off.”They found out that if you work hard it will pay off on the track, in the classroom, it will pay off spiritually in everything you do in life,” he said. “Ware County High has something to look forward to based on what’s coming out of the middle school.”
The Boy’s team
On day two of the Southeast Georgia Middle School Athletic Conference championship meet, the Waycross Middle boy’s team of Coach Bill Epps went out fast and never looked back, scoring in every event except discus.
“We were very fortunate this year that the team was loaded with a lot of great athletes,” said Coach Epps. “And it’s pretty spread out. We’ve got sixth, seventh and eighth graders who all contributed.”
Seventh grader Dream Gainer led the way for the Bulldogs winning the 100 and 200 meters. He also finished fourth in the high jump. “He had a great showing. He can fly.” Eighth grader Hudson Spurlock won the 400 meters and set a new conference record in the 110 meter hurdles. “Hudson is one we’re gonna miss. He’s a great track athlete. Hurdles, hands down the best in southeast Georgia in middle school,” Coach Epps said. Spurlock proved that by going to the State Middle School Championships in Lilburn and finishing sixth in the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 14.83 and taking fourth place in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 44.41. Dream Gainer won fifth in the 100 meters and eighth place in the 200 meters with a time of 24.03. Spurlock and Gainer were also on the conference winning 4×100 meter team as well as the 4×400 meter relay team – with Thomas Castellanos and Cah’zer McCoy – which set a new conference record.
At the conference championships, Daquan Williams won the shotput, Kevon McKelvin was third in the 110 meter hurdles and Cah’Zer McCoy was second in the 400 meters. Going into the championship, Epps made some changes to the team, including putting McCoy, a sixth grader, on the 4×400 meter relay team. It proved to be a wise coaching move as they went out and set a new conference record in the event.
“I’m very pleased with the work the young men put in,” Coach Epps said. “At the beginning of the season when they came together our goal was to win the conference championship.” Waycross Middle School won the meet with 113 points. Jeff Davis County was second with 67 and Long County had 54.
“We got better as a track team and they got better as young men and student athletes.”
Southeast Georiga/ May 2016
By Rob Asbell
Photos by Waycross Middle School
Teams Claim Twin Track Titles
Waycross Middle School
