Regionals Day 2: Dobson rallies to qualify for Sectionals in 800m

 

CLEVELAND, GA - While bright sunshine was just as prevalent on Day 2 as it was on Day 1, there was a drastic increase in temperature.  Those scanning the surface above the track could see the heat rising as the clouds in the distance offered no relief from the blazing sun.  In Day 2 of competition, the Chestatee distance team had a number of runners in the 1600m and only Emma Dobson qualifying for the 800m final for the War Eagles.

In the girls 1600m, Emma Dobson got off to a slow start as 3 runners immediately made a push to the front and to start pulling away from the group.  After falling back a few spots, Dobson was never able to make a strong push back towards the front with an aggressive effort from North Hall and White County runners and she finished 6th with a 5:32.19 and will likely not advance to the 1600m Sectionals as the 2nd alternate.  Junior Leilani Moreno ran in the first heat and finished overall in 11th with a PR of 6:06.69.  Senior Kayleigh McBride finished in 12th overall with a 6:09.74.

In the boys 1600m, Freshman Andrew Laborde finished in 18th with a 5:50.05 and Freshman Miguel Valdez finished right behind in 19th with a 5:56.69.

After a disappointing finish in the 1600m, the last opportunity would lie in the 800m finals.  Emma Dobson was the lone Chestatee qualifier after placing 5th with a 2:30.13 finish in the preliminaries on Day 1.  With much of the top finishers in the 1600m running in the 800m finals, the question would be how would Dobson fair, especially after the aggressive efforts in the 800m prelims the day before and the 1600m final just a few hours prior.  Dobson again saw competitors surge to the front leaving her in 4th place after the first lap.  But with White County's Carly Black making a push to close in, Dobson rallied a strong push in the last 200m to fend off Black and closed the gap with North Hall's Lily Kate Morgan.  Despite the late surge and lean to the finish, Dobson finished just 0.01 seconds behind Morgan to finish in 4th place with a time of 2:24.42.  Her time would hold off both White County runners and earn her another berth to the Sectionals next week in Jefferson.

At the close of the Region 6-3A meet, the Chestatee distance team will have several opportunities to compete in the Sectional B-3A meet at Jefferson High School with Emma Dobson advancing in the 800m and 3200m and the girls distance team advancing in the 4x800m relay.

Meet Results: https://www.chestateexc.com/results/outdoor-track/4-21-region-3a-6
Photos: https://www.chestateexc.com/coverage/photos
Articles: https://www.chestateexc.com/coverage/articles-archive
Schedule: https://www.chestateexc.com/schedule/outdoor-track-2026

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