Shack, Black, Philyaw post top finishes at AAA meet
By Mark Turner
White County News
The White County High School track team wrapped up the 2025 season by having a handful of athletes compete in the Class AAA state meet last week in Albany.
The Lady Warriors came home with a Top 10 finish in the team standings, finishing eighth with 34 points. Monroe Area won the team title with 61 points, with North Hall second at 60.25. Jefferson (51.5), Cherokee Bluff (50) and Monroe High (47) rounding out the Top 5 among the 36-team field.
On the boy's side, Sandy Creek claimed the team title with 99 points, followed by Jefferson (79), Calhoun (49), Stephenson (44) and North Hall (43) to finish off the Top 5 among the 35 teams in the state field. Lumpkin County was ninth at 31, Dawson County finished 12th with 20 points, and the WCHS squad was 29th with five points.
In the girl's division, Tallulah Shack finished off her high school career with a stellar effort in the pole vault competition. She hit back-to-back attempts at 9-0 and 9-6, but was eliminated at the 10-0 height, which was good enough to finish in a tie for second with Heritage-Catoosa's Addison Dills.
Shack and Dills both had three scratches at 10-0 for the tie. North Hall's Rachael Seid won the state title in the event with a mark of 10-6.
“Tallulah has had a great career,” WCHS head coach Adam Thomas said. “She came out and did what she needed to do. I'm really happy for her.”
WCHS junior Julie Black put her name among the best long distance runners in the state with a pair of runner-up finishes. Black finished second in the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter races. She turned in a time of 5:12.71 in the 1,600-meter event, finishing second behind North Hall's Summer Muxlow (5:09.12). Carly Black, Julie's freshman sister, also had a Top 5 finish in the race, posting a time of 5:19.65 to finish fourth.
“We knew Julie could be special after cross country season,” Thomas said. “Julie and Carly feed off each other. Coach Heidi Dotson had them ready to go and they went out there and performed. Carly is very talented too. She started off the 4x400 team and she anchored the 4x800 team. She had to run in three races in Saturday because of the weather on the first day."
In the 3,200-meter race, Muxlow and Julie Black were the class of the field again, with Muxlow winning with a time of 11:18.26 and Black crossing the finish line next at 11:25.46.
Carly Black also competed in the 800-meter race, finishing ninth with a time of 2:26.42.
The Lady Warriors' team of Maddie Evans, Alexis Kelley, Carly Black and Julie Black finished fourth in the 4x800-meter race with a school record time of 10:08.41.
The 4x400-meter team of Evans, Carly Black, Nevaeh McCullough and Kady McCullough finished eighth in the event with a time of 4:09.96.
“The 4x400 race was special because this was the first time Nevaeh has placed in the state meet and she's had a great career,” Thomas said. “Being able to do this with her sister (Kady) makes it even more special.”
Nevaeh McCullough finished ninth in the triple jump with a mark of 34-8.50, and Logan Fain was 14th shot put, finishing 14th at 32-0, and placed 16th in the discus at 92-0.
In the boy's pole vault, Bryson Philyaw finished off his prep career with a fourth place finish in the the event.
After he missed his first attempt of the meet at 11-6, he cleared the height on his second attempt and then made his first attempt at 12-0. He missed on his first attempt at 12-6, but cleared the bar on his next attempt to solidify his Top 5 finish.
Calhoun's Matthew Williams, North Hall's Karson Lanier, Calhoun's Carter Cloer and Oconee County's Walker Andrews also cleared the bar at the 12-6. Williams and Lanier managed to clear the bar at 13-0, but Cloer, Philyaw and Andrews all scratched on all three attempts at the height. Williams went on to win the state title at 13-6, with Lanier finishing second at 13-0. Cloer placed third due to total scratches, with Philyaw fourth and Andrews finishing fifth.
“Bryson has only been doing this for two years, and he did his job, did what he had to do,” Thomas. Said. “He went for it; he used a bigger pole to try to go higher. He's had a good career the last two years in an event that takes a long time to learn. There are a lot of moving parts with the pole vault.”
In the high jump, John Phillips and Carter Pierce represented the Warriors in the field. Phillips, the 6-AAA champion, cleared the bar at 6-0, but couldn't advance any further and finished 11th, while Pierce scratched on three of his attempts at 5-10. Sandy Creek's Blake Davis won the event with a mark of 6-6.