Blount Press Row
Don't Miss

The Comeback … With Feeling!

Carter, Alcoa relay claim titles at inaugural middle school state championships

Carpenters Middle’s Dylan Carter, right, stands with coach Randall Davis at the distance marker at the Tennessee middle school track and field state championships last weekend at Austin Peay. Carter’s 56 feet, 8 1/4 inches winning throw in shot put is the longest ever recorded by a middle school-aged athlete in Tennessee.

By Stefan Cooper
Editor
Blount Press Row

It’s become a catch phrase around the Carter house.

It isn’t bragging, ego or anything of the like.

“Fifty-six, eight and a quarter,” Dylan Carter said.

That’s the distance of the Carpenters Middle eighth-grader’s winning throw in the shot put at the inaugural Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association Track and Field Championships last weekend at Austin Peay State University.

The Alcoa Middle relay of DeeDee Henry, Jada Johnson, Dasha Tate and Ariya Rice stormed to victory in the 4x100 meters.

The Alcoa Middle relay of DeeDee Henry, Jada Johnson, Dasha Tate and Ariya Rice stormed to victory in the 4X100-meter relay.

Carter and the Alcoa Middle 4X100 relay of DeeDee Henry, Dasha Tate, Ariya Rice and Jada Johnson put their names in the record books as the first Blount Countians to be crowned middle school state champions.

The Lady Tornadoes circled the Austin Peay track in a blistering 53.33 seconds.

The statewide meet was the first of its kind for middle schools in Tennessee.

Carter also won the discus in the large school classification with a toss of 148 feet, 6 inches. Considering the Cougars’ sensation qualified for the state meet with a sectional-winning throw of 162-8, with a season-best 175, it raised a few eyebrows on the national AAU national circuit.

Carter owns 14 age-group national records in the discus and shot put.

Carter’s notoriety led to some humorous exchanges with peers unaware he was Carter’s coach, William Blount throwers coach Randall Davis said.

“One guy said, ‘Hey, where’s the kid that throws 160,’” Davis said. “One coach tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Hey, watch this kid (Carter) throw.’”

Carter flings the shot at the state meet.

Carter flings the shot at the state meet.

There was a reason for the subpar day in the discus. It’s why setting a new Tennessee middle school state record with the 56-8 1/4 shot put bomb are more than numbers for Carter.

“It’s a pretty big PR for him,” Davis said. “It’s the first time he’s ever thrown 55 feet. I was ecstatic to see him make that improvement.”

Carter woke with a sore throat and a slight fever last Saturday, the discus competition one of the meet’s first of the day. His winning toss still bested second place by 20 feet, but the outing shook Carter.

After a nap back at the hotel, the Cougars star tore back in the shot put, wowing the crowd with a winning heave that traveled, “Fifty-six, eight and a quarter,” he said.

Carter’s state crowns lifted Carpenters/Union Grove, which competes under the combined William Blount Middle flag, to 12th in the final Class AA team standings, with Maryville 23rd, Heritage 29th. Murfreesboro’s Oakland Middle won the boys Class AA championship.

Alcoa finished 30th in the Class A boys field, with Spring Hill Middle claiming the title.

The Lady Tornadoes were fifth in the Class A girls final standings, with Bellevue Middle the the champions. The Lady Rebels were eighth on the AA table, the Lady Mustangs 23rd, the Lady Wildcats 28th. Mt. Juliet Middle were the girls Class AA state champions.

TMSAA Track and Field Championships


Area Medalists
Athlete: Sarah Steele
School: Alcoa Middle School
Grade: Eighth
Event: Long jump
Classification: A
Place: 7th
Distance: 13-11
Athlete: Jada Johnson
School: Alcoa Middle School
Grade: Eighth
Event: 100 meters
Classification: A
Place: 8th
Time: 14.14
Athlete: Lea Massie
School: Alcoa Middle School
Grade: Sixth
Event: 1600 meters
Classification: A
Place: 6th
Time: 5:54.71
Athlete: Shelby Knight
School: Alcoa Middle School
Grade: Seventh
Event: 1600 meters
Classification: A
Place: 7th
Time: 5:58.86
Athlete: Ariya Rice
School: Alcoa Middle School
Grade: Sixth
Event: 200 meters
Classification: A
Place: 6th
Time: 27.88
Athlete: Hunter McCoy
School: Alcoa Middle School
Grade: Seventh
Event: 1600 meters
Classification: A
Place: 7th
Time: 5:16.88
Athlete: Brooklin Richardson
School: Maryville Junior High
Grade: Eighth
Event: Long jump
Classification: AA
Place: 8th
Distance: 14-1
Athlete: Zoe Payne
School: Heritage Middle School
Grade: Eighth
Event: Discus
Classification: AA
Place: 4th
Distance: 82-8
Athlete: Caroline Malone
School: Maryville Junior High
Grade: Eighth
Event: Discus
Classification: AA
Place: 8th
Distance: 72-4
Athlete: Riley Colligan
School: Maryville Junior High
Grade: Seventh
Event: High jump
Classification: AA
Place: 4th
Height: 4-8
Athlete: Ella McCallum
School: Maryville Junior High
Grade: Seventh
Event: High jump
Classification: AA
Place: 6th
Height: 4-6
annarichardsonAthlete: Anna Richardson
School: Heritage Middle School
Grade: Eighth
Event: 100 hurdles
Classification: AA
Place: 8th
Time: 18.96
Athlete: Andie Marie Jones
School: Maryville Junior High
Grade: Sixth
Event: 1600 meters
Classification: AA
Place: 7th
Time: 5:46.52
Athlete: Denae Fritz
School: Maryville Junior High
Grade: Seventh
Event: 400 meters
Classification: AA
Place: 7th
Time: 1:05.67
Athlete: Jasmine Ervin
School: Carpenters Middle School
Grade: Eighth
Event: Shot put
Classification: AA
Place: 5th
Distance: 33-2
Athlete: Hannah Belknap
School: Carpenters Middle School
Grade: Eighth
Event: High jump
Classification: AA
Place: 8th
Distance: 4-4
Athlete: Dylan Carter
School: Carpenters Middle School
Grade: Eighth
Event: Discus
Classification: AA
Place: 1st
Distance: 148-6
Athlete: Dylan Carter
School: Carpenters Middle School
Grade: Eighth
Event: Shot put
Classification: AA
Place: 1st
Distance: 56-8.25
Athlete: Will Myers
School: Maryville Junior High
Grade: Eighth
Event: 110 hurdles
Classification: AA
Place: 8th
Time: 17.79
Athlete: Thomas Roberts
School: Maryville Junior High
Grade: Seventh
Event: 400 meters
Classification: AA
Place: 8th
Time: 56.98
Athlete: Ethan Pottigier
School: Maryville Junior High
Grade: Eighth
Event: Discus
Classification: AA
Place: 4th
Distance: 123-11
Team: DeeDee Henry, Dasha Tate, Ariya Rice, Jada Johnson
School: Alcoa Middle School
Event: 4x100 relay
Classification: A
Place: 1st
Time: 53.33
Athlete: 4x200 relay
School: Alcoa Middle School
Classification: A
Place: 2nd
Time: 1:53.89
Team: Taylor West, Denae Fritz, Ella McCallum, Katie Cunningham
School: Maryville Junior High
Event: 4x400 relay
Classification: AA
Place: 3rd
Time: 4:27.24
Team: Kurt Headrick, Christian Terry, Will Stallions, Jackson Jett
School: Heritage Middle School
Event: 4x100 relay
Classification: AA
Place: 5th
Time: 49.46
Team: Brooklin Richardson, McKenzie Wilburn, Madelin Matzek, Elizabeth Nickens
School: Maryville Junior High
Event: 4x100 relay
Classification: AA
Place: 6th
Time: 54.74
Team: Brooklin Richardson, Elizabeth Nickens, McKenzie Wilbur, Campbell White
School: Maryville Junior High
Event: 4x200
Classification: AA
Place: 7th
Time: 1:56.34
Team: Will Myers, Sean Ward, Jacob Henneke, Thomas Roberts
School: Maryville Junior High
Event: 4x200
Classification: AA
Place: 8th
Time: 1:42.40
Athlete: 4x400 relay
School: Heritage Middle School
Classification: AA
Place: 8th
Time: 4:02.54

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply