By By BRUCE HIXON Sports Editor
TRM, WSN send wild cards to Class 3A state track meet
By BRUCE HIXON Sports Editor
T.R. Miller will have an additional eight and W.S. Neal will have an additional three entries through the wild card system at this week's Class 3A state meet.
While the top three places at the state's four sectional sites are automatic state qualifiers, the next four best overall sectional performances advance to state as wild cards.
Michael Hunt is the biggest wild card winner at T.R. Miller where he will now get to compete in both the 1600 and 3200 meters. Hunt was fourth in both events at last Thursday's Brewton Sectional with respective times of 5:15.83 and 11:22.18.
Jason McCreary qualified as a wild card in the 110 meter high hurdles. McCreary was fourth at the sectional with a time of 16.22. Marcus Jones was tabbed a wild card in the 400 meter dash after a fifth place sectional time of 52.59. In the field, the Tigers will send Damien Jackson in the long jump, Gerald Banton in the triple jump, Fred Samuel in the shot put and Justin Gomez in the discus.
Jackson was fourth in his event at the sectional with a leap of 19-3 1/2. Banton was also fourth with a jump of 40-6 and Samuel was fourth with a throw of 40-2. Despite a sixth place sectional throw of 108-2 1/2, Gomez was still able to grab a wild card spot in the discus.
W.S. Neal's lone individual wild card entry will be Cecil Thomas in the triple jump. Thomas was fifth in sectional competition at 39-2.
The Blue Eagles will also send their 1600 and 3200 meter
relay teams. The 1600 relay was fifth at the sectional with a time of 3:55.58, while the 3200 meter relay team was fourth at 9:56.
Both T.R. Miller and W.S. Neal failed to land any wild cards in girls competition.
The state meet gets underway Friday at Paul Bryant High School in Tuscaloosa and will conclude Saturday.