Sports

Feelin’ the Lovett

• Monroe’s Chris Lovett leads the Tornadoes into the GHSA state track and field meet with the best shot to bring home a championship.

Derek Barichello

ALBANY — It all started four years ago.

Monroe coach Octavia Jones attended the middle school city championships scouting future talent and saw a young man named Chris Lovett.

The 7th-grader blazed four hurdles ahead of the rest of the field to win the 110 meter hurdles.

“I knew then he was something special,” Jones said. “I knew this was a guy that had a chance to win some state championships.”

Fast forward to the present.

Lovett, now a junior at Monroe, still is looking for his first state title as he arrives at the GHSA State Track & Field State Championships in Jefferson this weekend which start today and conclud Saturday.

Lovett, who has a seeding time of 14.640 seconds, comes in with the third best time, just .21 seconds behind leader Steven Baker from Elbert County.

“I feel like I have a great chance to win,” said Lovett, who missed the finals last season and did not qualify for state his freshman year. “It takes the weight off my shoulders knowing based on stats that I’m right there.”

It is a moment for Lovett that has been four years in the making.

“I’ve been in it so long,” he said. “I feel like I can hurdle in my sleep. My technique is pretty sound and I have good foot speed.”

Even with four years of experience, not qualifying for the state finals at last year’s state meet taught Lovett a valuable lesson.

“He knows he’s got to start out trying to win and finish,” Jones said. “He didn’t go as hard from the start (last year).”

Though Lovett hopes to turn it around and bring home an individual title, Monroe’s other hurdler Montravious Williams could make some noise of his own.

Williams, who finished eighth at state last year, enters the 300 hurdles with the second best seeding time at 38.9 seconds, with only one problem – Williams is nearly one second behind top-seed and defending state champion Amaechi Morton from Riverwood.

Also, Monroe’s 4x400 relay team comes into action with the second best seeding time, just .36 seconds behind city rival Westover. At the Region 1-AAA meet, the Tornadoes finished second to the Patriots with the title on the line eventually finishing second as a team.

After finishing fourth in both the discus and shot put at state last season, David Noel, along with Dearies Richardson (3,200), Lil Diamond Jones (1,600), Williams (110 hurdles), Robert Smith (3,200), Sam Spurling (800) and Sir Paul Jones (high jump, 300 hurdles) will try to tally some points and aid Monroe to a top five finish.

But in order for Monroe to capture a spot on the infield scoreboard, its ultimate team goal — and something it came six points away from last year — the Tornadoes will need big finishes.

Lovett believes the time is now for him to perform.

“I’m ready,” he said. "I know I’ll finish in the top 3 for sure."

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