In what has been a team tradition since they were presented with the 2002 Georgia Games Team Sportsmanship Award, the SouthSide Pioneers Track & Field Club (Fayetteville, GA) participated in the 2007 Georgia Games and came away with 18 gold, eight silver and six bronze medals. The medalists competed along with teammates Alexandra Henry, (7th in the Bantam Girls 100M), Dominic Henry and Samantha Smith, who competed in the 100m and 200m, Kel Okekpe, who competed in the 400m event, and Najee Pace, who competed in the Triple Jump and Long Jump. Medalists were as follows:

Bantam Girls
Bronze: Kayla Smith 800M (2:54)

Youth boys
Gold: Brandon Collins, 100M (11.39) and 200M (23.27 ); Jordan Scales, High Jump, (5’5”), Triple Jump, (11.37m); Silver: Jordan Scales, 100M (12.03)

Intermediate Girls
Silver: Kendra Newsome, Discus Throw, (26.64m) and Javelin Throw (03.07m); Bronze,: Alyssa Rooks, Javelin Throw (13.59m). Rooks also placed 4th in the Shot Put and 6th in the Discus Throw while Newsome placed 6th in the Long Jump.

Intermediate Boys
Gold: Daiyaan Epps, Triple Jump, (12.05m); 4x100M Relay: Theo Echols. Ross, David Mathis, Epps; 4x400M Relay: Ontario Chappell, Theo Echols, Jonathan Owens, and D. Mathis, Mathis also took 4th in the Javelin Throw. Silver: Jonathan Owens, 800M; Bronze: Johanthan Ross, 200M (23.36), Daiyaan Epps, Long Jump, (6.07m). Echols, Owens, and D. Mathis also place 4th, 5th, and 6th. respectively, in the 400M.

Young men
Gold: Hughston Taylor, 100M (10.96); Michael DeHaven, 200M; Vince Brown, 800M and 1,500M; 4x100M Relay: Chris Pigue, Taylor, Brendan Fludd and DeHaven.; Gold 400MH, Brendan Fludd; 4x400M Relay: James Mathis, Brendan Fludd; Silver: James Mathis, Javelin Throw

Hughston Taylor also placed fourth in the Long Jump.

Open
Gold: Elliott Dixon, 110-meter hurdles, (14.2) and 400-meter hurdles, (1:08); Michael DeHaven, 200m (21.6), Chris Pigue (22.2) Bronze: Michael DeHaven, 100m (10.8)

Pioneers coach Matt Harlfinger, who also competed in the OPEN DIVISION, won the Gold medal in the High Jump (5’10”) and in the 110MH (15.9).

Harlfinger, along with Dixon, DeHaven and Pigue, won the Gold in both the 4x100M Relay (47.5) and the 4x400M Relay (3:27).

The SouthSide Pioneers are now gearing up for the USA Track & Field National Junior Olympics in Walnut, Calif., where Whitewater freshman Jordan Scales will represent the team in the Youth Boys Triple Jump and High Jump.
The team is also preparing for the AAU National Junior Olympics where Whitewater freshman Brandon Collins (Youth Boys) will compete in the 100M along with McIntosh senior Hughston Taylor (Young Men) and in the 200M along with Auburn freshman Michael DeHaven (Young Men).
Taylor and DeHaven will team up with Morehouse freshman Brendan Fludd and Clayton State freshman Chris Pigue for the Young Men’s 4x100M Relay, while Pigue, Fludd and DeHaven will team up with McIntosh senior Vince Brown for the Young Men’s 4x400M Relay team.

Brown will also compete in the Young Men’s 800M along with Kayla Smith from Fayette Intermediate, who will represent the team in the Bantam Girls 800M.

In addition, Josh Ferrell, a freshman out of Our Lady of Mercy, will represent the Pioneers in the Youth Boys Triple Jump, Pole Vault, and Javelin Throw, while his sister, University of Arizona freshman, Joy Ferrell, will represent the Pioneers in the Young Women’s Javelin Throw and Pole Vault. The meet will be held at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, from July 28- Aug. 4.

Juniors Johnathan Ross(Sandy Creek HS) and Theo Echols (Starr’s Mill HS), will compete at the 2007 State Games of America in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Aug. 4.

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