Clayton News Daily

Photo by Heather Middleton

By Derrick Mahone

dmahone@news-daily.com

There is no secret which team everyone at Saturday's Henry County Track and Field Championship should be chasing.

Union Grove is the favorite to sweep the boys and girls championships, which will be held at Strong Rock Christian School.

"Everybody is looking up at Union Grove," Eagle's Landing coach Claude Spinks said. "They are really loaded with no weaknesses."

Two of the boys team's sprinters - Jordan Moore and Jordon Vaughn - have some of the fastest times this season, according to ga.milesplit.com, a website dedicated to track and field coverage in the state.

Moore, a junior, has the second-fastest time in the 110-meters hurdles at 13.9 seconds. Vaughn, a senior, has a time of 10.59 in the 100-meters for the second-fastest time this season.

On the girls' side, Brianna Vaughn, a junior, has the second-fastest time in the 100 at 11.73 seconds and the ninth-fastest in the 200 at 24.97 seconds.

"The season has gotten off to a good start for both squads," Union Grove coach Eric Daugherty said. "We had some early season invitational wins (Southern Crescent, ELCA Chik-Fil-A) where we were missing some key team members. As a result, we needed some of our less experienced runners to step up and contribute, which they did. I feel the depth on our teams is deeper than in year's past."

The Wolverines boys have won county the past two seasons while the girls are aiming for their first county title since the 2009 season.

"We realize people view us as the favorites," Daugherty said. "We know everyone is looking to knock us off and that provides a strong motivation. No one wants to be part of the team that breaks the streak.

We could very easily finish second or third this year so no one is taking the meet for granted."

One of the more interesting races of the day will be the girls' 100 and 200 events that feature Ciara Simms of Dutchtown and Vaughn.

In the distance events, Zack Sims of Eagle's Landing is expected to be the favorite. He has some of the top times in the state this season.

"I think our team has a shot," Sims said. "Everybody just has to perform at their potential. We will also need some breaks."