Three students from Jay High School's track team will compete in the state competition at University of North Florida at Jacksonville scheduled for this weekend.
Ninth grader Jillian Thornton will compete in the high jump and 10th-grader Landry Cato will compete in the pole vault on Saturday morning. Junior Conner Roberts will compete in the 300 meter hurdles this Friday, May 3.
“There are 17 events in track that will qualify 24 competitors across the state,” said Jay High School's girls' track head coach Stan Blackmon. “They run all qualifiers there competing. They are all there and it is a big meet.”
The team went to the regional meet at Bishop Snyder High School and qualified at that meet this past weekend, according to Blackmon. He said the top four qualify automatically.
“Jillian placed third in the high jump and Conner placed fourth in the 300-meter hurdles,” said Blackmon.
He said that even though Landry placed ninth, there are four regions with 16 competitors total and if a student does not make the top four, they look at next best attempt, and those eight also go to the state competition. He said Landry qualified that way.
Blackmon and the boys track team head coach Rhett Rowell will accompany the athletes this weekend to compete.
“The top 8 will get medals from the state,” said Blackmon. “All the state competition you can get involved in, the better off you will be to get in college.”
He said all three students have worked very hard to qualify and that Landry's dad coaches her in pole vaulting, a very special event.
“It's a very dangerous event as well,” said Blackmon. “I make sure all of my students who participate in it have very special training or have attended a camp. I have a coach who specializes in the high jump, and he coached my high jumpers, which is a specialty event as well. They got a lot of help, they work hard, and do very well. They are all very good athletes. If Jillian can hold where she is now, she'll have a shot at a state medal.”
