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Regional track meets underway for Newton County schools
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The Newton High girls track team has seen several athletes qualify for regional finals and next week's sectional meet this week. - photo by Gabriel Stovall | The Covington News

LOGANVILLE, Ga. -- Track and field regional meets are underway this week for all three Newton County schools, and at least for one school, results are beginning to trickle in. 

The Newton Rams girls and boys track teams began their Region 8-AAAAAAA competition Wednesday at Grayson High in Lawrenceville, and so far, five Lady Rams and four boys squad members have posted times that qualify them for today’s regional finals, as far as running events go. 

And a handful combined of Rams runners have made the cut for next Thursday’s sectional meet in Hochston, wherein the top four finishers from regional meet preliminaries qualify to compete at sectionals. 

So far, the Lady Rams sectional qualifiers are Laniya Rogers who placed second and fourth in the 100 and 200 meter dashes respectively. Her 12.60-second time in the 100 was good enough for second, while her 26.03-second mark in the 200 placed her in fourth. 

Anaya Arnold made the cut in the 800 meters run with a qualifying time of 2:30.28, good enough for third in the preliminaries, and Ebony Forbes grabbed second place in the 100 meter hurdles, while being clocked at 15.53 seconds. 

The girls 4x100 relay team of Jasmine Delamar, Carley McBridge, Forbes and Rogers placed fourth with a time of 48.60 seconds, pushing them on to sectionals as well. 

On the boys side, it was Elija Godwin — the 2016 defending state champion in the 400 meters — posting another winning time in the event with a 49.10-second mark in the preliminaries. Godwin also qualified for sectionals in the 200 after coming in second with a 21.85-second time. 

Newton’s 4x400 relay team of Gray Florence, Godwin, Jaquan Henderson and Jermaine Robinson placed third in prelims with a time of 3:23.11, giving them a place in sectionals competition. 

The Newton boys won the Class AAAAAA state crown as a team last year. 

Alcovy (Region 2-AAAAAA) and Eastside (4-AAAA) will be in regional meet action Thursday. Sectionals for all three schools will take place next Thursday with Class AAAA (Eastside) at Cross Keys High in Augusta, Class AAAAAA (Alcovy) in Atlanta’s Lakewood Stadium and Class AAAAAAA (Newton) competing at Hoschton, GA. 

Check back with www.covnews.com for more regional meet results.