By Kevin Eckleberry

kevin.eckleberry@lagrangenews.com

LaGrange High’s Jada Grant delivered a pair of top four performances at the state sectional on Saturday, and she and a number of other local track and field standouts qualified for the state finals this week.

The top eight finishers in each event at the different state sectionals advanced to the state finals.

Grant, who was third in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump at Saturday’s Class AAAA state sectional at Blessed Trinity, was among the state qualifiers.

Grant had a jump of 36 feet, four inches to finish third in the triple jump, and her jump of 17-2 was good enough for fourth place in the long jump.

Also making it to state for LaGrange is Zakeria Staples, who finished second in the 300-meter hurdles.Also for LaGrange, Annaya Chelcy was fourth in the 200-meter dash, and seventh in the 100-meter dash, and Chris Watson was seventh in the triple jump.

The 400-meter relay team of Yaigkirhenn Benn, Kamari Owens, Zakeria Staples and Aneshia Whitehead finished sixth to make it to state.

Two members of the Troup track team qualified for the state finals.

That includes Markiya Harris, who had a pair of second-place finishes.

Harris was second in the 100-meter dash, and she was second in the 200-meter dash.

On the boys’ side, Marc-Anthony Dixon was second in the 100.

CALLAWAY: Braylon Sanders raced to the top spot in the 200-meter dash on Saturday at the Class AA state sectional in Calhoun.

Sanders, who posted a time of 22.36 seconds to take top honors in the 200, advanced to the state finals this week.

Also for Callaway, Aniya Simpson was sixth in the 400-meter run.

LAGRANGE ACADEMY: LaGrange Academy freshman Haliah Stargell came within an eyelash of winning a GISA state championship.

Stargell finished second in the 400-meter run, and she was only five/100ths of a second off the winning pace at the state meet in Albany.

Stargell also finished sixth in the 200-meter run, and ninth in the long jump.