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Caldwell tracksters ready for state meet
By Adam Zuerndorfer, sports writer\This morning, 12 Hibriten athletes will wake up and eat a normal breakfast. They will board the team bus at 8 a.m., and they will snack lightly throughout the day. They will eat only granola bars, fruit and Jello; they will drink only water and juices. Then they will get off the team bus and run as fast as they can. Hibriten's 12 entrants lead the county into the 2-A track and field state championships today at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro. Three West Caldwell athletes will also compete. For Hibriten, a core group of five girls leads the way. Quiasiah Stinson, Brooklyn Chandler, Ashleigh Patterson, Amara Isbell and Hannah Dula combine to comprise Hibriten's three relay teams, two of which are defending state champs (the 4x100 and 4x200). “Everything is built around them,” Hibriten coach Ray Suddreth said. “We need them to step up in a big way.” So far, they have. The Panthers won the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relay events at the 2-A Midwest regional competition, with Chandler and Isbell also taking individual wins. It is a group that hasn't yet been tested this year. “They really didn't get pushed at all,” Suddreth says. “Even in meets where we were thinking they would have competition, they didn't. So it will be interesting to see how they do when they get pushed.” Savannah Tester (800-meter run) and Ashton Kirby (pole vault) join that core group as the lone representatives of Hibriten's girls. The Hibriten girls are coming off a second-place regional finish. On the boys' side, Darius Lipford (high jump), Stephen Bottoms (4x800 relay, 800-meter individual run), Sven Picton (4x800 relay), Matt Stanfield (4x800 relay) and Zack Stanfield (x800 relay) will compete for the Panthers. Suddreth has especially high hopes for Lipford. “If he's healthy (Lipford sprained his big toe recently), he should do well,” Suddreth says. “He might be our best bet.” For West Caldwell, Justin Gragg (1,600 and 3,200-meter runs), Tyler Bentley (300 intermediate hurdles) and Chris Corpening (400-meter run) will compete.
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