Lady Indians Fall Short of 4-AAAAA Track Title

After two days of competition in the Region 4-AAAAA track championships, one thing is certain: Campbell and are the class of the region on both the girls and boys sides.

The Campbell girls defeated McEachern for the region title, but not everything has been settled for the boys.

Their championship will be decided Tuesday thanks to Mother Nature's insistince on twice delaying Monday's meet at McEachern High School. The first delay stemmed from a deluge that fell on the girls as they were competing in the 3,200 meter run.

The second delay came near the end of the night and was accompanied by lightning. According to Georgia High School Association rules for outdoor sporting events, any lightning perceived to be within a three-mile radius of the event automatically triggers a 30-minute delay. Any subsequent lightning resets that 30-minute clock.

That clock continued to reset until the storm finally dealt a death blow to the school's electrical system, cutting the lights to the track.

"After that, we decided to call it a night," said Philip Hoskins, McEachern's head track coach.

The boys 4x400, set for 5 p.m. Tuesday, will determine the region champion. McEachern holds a 14-point lead in the team standings, but Campbell has two relay teams in the final event.

First and second place finishes by the Campbell teams and any finish below fourth out of the eight teams for McEachern would give Campbell the title. If the Indians finish fourth or better, they'll will be region champs.

"We could still fall to second, but if we finish fourth or better, we take that out of the equation," Hoskins said.

The Campbell girls bested McEachern for the region title thanks in large part to a 1-2 finish in the 100 meter hurdles.

"They got 18 points out of that, and we just never could make that up," Hoskins said

The region championship determines which athletes will compete at next week's state meet. The top two finishers from each event qualified for state.

Girls Results

1. Campbell - 129.5
2. McEachern - 110.5
3. Kennesaw Mountain - 90
4. Harrison - 82
5. North Cobb - 78
6. Hillgrove - 73
7. South Cobb - 33
8. Pebblebrook - 25

Boys Standings (One race remaining)

1. McEachern - 137
2. Campbell - 123
3. North Cobb - 104
4. Hillgrove - 74
5. Harrison - 69.5
6. Kennesaw Mountain - 51.5
7. South Cobb - 24