ACWORTH, Ga. — Alcovy got its first taste of the track season Saturday when it participated in the Allatoona All Comers meet Saturday as one of three Region 3-AAAAAA squads with Lakeside-Evans and Grovetown accompanying. . 

Several Tigers had first or second place finishes in comparison with its two other region opponents, including Jalen Ross and Jaquez Snell who finished No. 1 and 2 respectively in 100 meters among Region schools while finishing 12th and 13th overall with times of 11.62 and 11.66 seconds. Alcovy running back Natorien Holloway recorded a time of 11.82 seconds in his first 100 meters action. 

Ross also finished 10th out of 115 runners with a time of 23.57 seconds in the 200 meters. 

Kamari Stroud fared well by placing 11th out of 80 runners in the 400 meter dash with a time of 54.89 seconds while Jeryll Harris’ time of 2:19.19 in the 800 meters was good enough for eighth place. Harris also finished 10th in the 1600 meters. 

In 110 hurdles, Niagel Lundy’s 16.34 finishing time was good enough to place him ahead of Lakeside’s Luis Rodriguez by almost a second for third place overall. He also took home fifth place in the 300 meter hurdles with a finishing time of 45.32. 

Teddie McCloud got second in discus and seventh in shot put with distances of 108’2 and 36.45’ respectively, while Duval Hill’ 36’6 throw in the shot put was good enough to settle him into sixth place. 

Junior Oliver Gerard was impressive in the high jump with a 6-foot jump that was a full two inches higher than second place performer Nahzeer Francinord of Arabia Mountain. Gerard is a 6-foot-3 junior forward for the Alcovy basketball team who averaged double figures for the Tigers this past season. Justin Evans wasn’t far behind, tying for third with a jump of 5’8. 

Gerard also placed first in the triple jump with a 41’5 mark that was almost a whole foot better than second place Kerrell Hurt, Jr. from Arabia Mountain.

In girls action, Destiny Rhodes (12.92 seconds) and Keyonna Lipsey (13.10) seconds finished first and second in 100 meters among region performers, while placing third and fourth overall out of a field of 63. Rhodes also finished fifth in the 200 meters with a finishing time of 27.01 seconds. 

Arielle Thomas finished fourth in the 800, finishing less than a second behind Central Gwinnett’s Albe Preston. 

Junior Elaina Housworth stood out in jumps, turning in a 15’3.5, fourth place mark in the long jump behind Greenbrier’s Kyarra Newton who jumped 16’10. Housworth’s 33’7 triple jump was enough to place her second behind McEachern’s Jayla Brown.

Both girls and boys teams finished fifth out of 10 teams in the final team rankings with the Alcovy girls netting 55 points and the boys scoring 57.50.

Alcovy head track coach Ricardo Branch said he was pleased for what it was as a first team meet, calling it more of an evaluation than anything.

“It was just something so that we can get our initial times for the season,” Branch said. “I went because there are the reigning two-time state champs for boys track there. So I just wanted to go down and pick the coach’s brain and see where we stand in the beginning of the season. With so many new kids I have to see where we are to this point.” 

The varsity boys and girls teams will net travel to Archer on Saturday February 23 and then the following Saturday (March 2) at Rome.