What's Going On: Running for titles this week

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October 29, 2012

What's Going On: Running for titles this week

The Dalton Daily Citizen Mon Oct 29, 2012, 06:57 AM EDT

With Northwest Whitfield reflecting on its state championship, softball season is over. The area’s volleyball representation is down to Southeast Whitfield, one of four teams remaining in the hunt for a Class 4A title. Just two weeks remain in the football regular season.

But for another high school fall sport, the most crucial portion of the competition schedule is only beginning.

The boys and girls who like to run just for the sake of running and competing are about to enter the spotlight and make their bid for a good season in the races that matter most. Thursday will be the biggest day of the year so far for area cross country squads, with all three locally significant region meets taking place that day.

Morris Innovative and Murray County are scheduled to run in the Region 7-2A meets at Rome’s Georgia Highland College, Coahulla Creek and North Murray will compete for the Region 5-3A crowns at Cartersville’s Dellinger Park, and Region 7-4A members Dalton, Northwest Whitfield and Southeast Whitfield will run at Jasper’s Roper Park.

Read The Daily Citizen later this week for more on those teams and their bids for an invitation to the state meets, which are set for Nov. 10 in Carrollton.

• Southeast’s volleyball team won’t have home-court advantage anymore, but if the Lady Raiders’ fans travel well — and make as much noise as they have in the tournament so far — it might not matter that they’re playing out of town.

The Class 4A semifinals are set for Wednesday at Atlanta’s Marist School.

The Lady Raiders (37-10), the No. 2 team in the Ga.PrepCountry.com Class 4A coaches poll and the fourth seed for this portion of the state tournament, will take on top-seeded and top-ranked Sandy Creek (35-19) at 7:30 p.m. That follows a 5:30 p.m. match between second-seeded and fourth-ranked Columbus (29-25) and Marist (23-10), which is No. 3 in both seed and rank.

Again, we’ll have more on the Lady Raiders and their hopes for the area’s second state championship of 2012-13 later this week.

• Although no local school has locked up a spot in the football state playoffs, Christian Heritage, Dalton, Northwest Whitfield and Southeast Whitfield are all still alive in the chase for the postseason.

Check this week’s edition of TOUCHDOWN!, our weekly guide to area high school football that appears in Thursday’s paper, for more on what’s happening with those teams and their regions as they determine Region 6-A and 7-4A’s four entrants for the state playoffs.

• With the weather offering a reminder that the winter season is coming, it’s never too early to buy Christmas presents.

It’s also never too early for athletic directors and coaches at all local middle schools and high schools to send in their schedules and rosters for winter sports (basketball, wrestling and swimming and diving) as soon as they’re finalized so we can begin putting together the area prep schedule for our readers.

Information should be sent to sports@daltoncitizen.com, and any questions should be directed to Marty Kirkland, sports editor, at martykirkland@daltoncitizen.com or (706) 272-7742.

Devin Golden is a sports writer for The Daily Citizen, and his 24-hour window from Friday at 7 p.m. to Saturday at 7 p.m. included three hours of sleep, two fast food orders and one state championship trophy. The crazy times are why this job is so much fun. Write to him at devingolden@daltoncitizen. com.

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