Campbell High, Whitefield Academy Sports Roundup

It was a good week for the football players.

On Monday, the Spartans met their new football coach, Harris Rainbow. The next night, the players narrowly surpassed the coaches/faculty/parent group to win the 1st Annual Weightlifting Challenge at Wills Gym.

Bench-pressing the most weight for the players were Tyler Houston and Alec Brown.

Rainbow told those in attendance that he “believes in making these young men better son, husbands and fathers. He also addressed the on-field expectations, saying, “We’re not waiting three years to win football games. Those 1-9 seasons are over.’'

Campbell will begin spring drills on May 10 and the Spartans will hold their spring game on May 20.

• It was quite the week for the track teams, too. In the weather-delayed Region 4-AAAAA championships that began last Saturday at McEachern High and didn’t conclude until Tuesday, the girls took home the first place title while the boys came in second.

It marked the first-ever region championship for the Lady Spartans, who will have participants in eight of 16 events at the state championship meet next month.

Kelli Hardnett and Monti Willis paved the way to the championship with Hardnett finishing first in the long jump and 200 meters while finishing third in the 400 meters. Willis won the high jump and placed second in both the 200- and 300-meter hurdles.

Shaina Walker finished second in 100 meters and fourth in the 200 meters, while Aubri Snell was third in the discus and Tershauna Broadnax placed third in the 100-meter hurdles. Brianna Chambers finished fourth in the 100 meters and Laurie Pray was fourth in the 800 meters.

A pair of relay teams also finished second including the 4x100 (Chambers, Hardnett, Broadnx and Walker) and the 4x400 (Willis, Chambers, Hardnett and Jasym Jackson).

Other team members who placed fifth through eighth in events included Ashley Jardotte, Chiamaka Ede-Ifeobu, Cleo Durham, Jasmine Lacy and Norelithia Harris. 

• The boys were edged by host McEachern by just three points, but still managed to qualify athletes in nine of 16 events for the upcoming state meet.

Trey Fluellen won both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles and finished second in the long jump. Corey Ashbourne won the 400 meters and placed eighth in the 800 meters.

Second-place finishers included Danzel Grant (triple jump), Roderick Perkins (high jump) and Marquis McGee (discus). McGee also finished seventh in the shot put.

Alan Frye finished third in both the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, while third place efforts were also scored by Ricky James (high jump), Tyshawn Smith (400 meters), Qadeem Salaam (100 meters). Isaiah Hunter placed fourth in the 800 meters.

The top 4x400 relay team of Fluellen, Frye, Smith and Ashbourne took top honors, while the school’s “B’’ team of Quincy Perdue, Arviel Jenkins, Hunter and Salaam finished third.

The top 4x100 relay team of Davier Brewster, Jenkins, Fluellen, and Salaam finished second, while the school’s “B’’ team of Marqius Hudson, Kashsaan Wilkins, Frye and Smith finished fourth. 

Others who placed fifth through eighth in events included, Dante Cunningham and Tajai Godwin. 

• The Campbell girls’ tennis team had their most successful season in school history come to a close Wednesday. After finishing third in the Region 4-AAAAA tournament and then upsetting East Coweta in the first round of the state tournament, the Lady Spartans were ousted in the sweet sixteen by Camden County, 3-0.

Key contributors for coach Jennifer Sandlin’s team included singles players Princess Forbes, Siera Oliver and Marisa Cobain, and doubles members Justina Jefferson, Priyanka Sridhar, Angela Vujic and Belinda Jivapong.

• Finally, congratulations to Whitefield Academy senior Andrew Dunkleberger, who signed a track and field scholarship with Auburn University this week. Dunkleberger won the 2009 state championship in the discus, placed second in 2010, and is the front-runner for the 2011 crown.