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By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

Troup’s Taylar Ross-Johnson is looking to make the most of her final season on the track.

Ross-Johnson is a senior sprinter, and she showed what she can do during Thursday’s LaGrange Toyota Granger Invitational.

Ross-Johnson finished first in the 200-meter dash, and she was second in the triple jump, and fifth in the long jump, and she ran the third leg on the 400-meter relay team that was fifth.

“It’s my last year, and I’m trying to make it count,” Ross-Johnson said.

Ross-Johnson had already competed in three events when she made her way to the track for the 200.

Ross-Johnson was pushed hard by LaGrange’s Ivorie Smith, but she won the race with a time of 28.45 seconds.

Ross-Johnson could feel herself giving out physically toward the end, but she pushed hard and surged across the finish line a fraction ahead of Smith.

“Really, it was about mental strength,” Ross-Johnson said.

In the triple jump, Ross-Johnson had a jump of 30 feet, nine inches, and that was less than an inch off the winning distance of LaGrange’s Katelyn Moore.

Another standout performer for Troup was Ericka James, who finished a close second to LaGrange’s Ivorie Smith in the 400-meter dash.

Also placing for Troup’s girls’ team was Na’asia Fitzpatrick, who was second in the shot put.

For Troup’s boys’ team, Zay Moreland took home a first-place medal in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.80 seconds, which left him just ahead of LaGrange’s Amos Scott (23.38 seconds).

Qua Birdsong earned a second-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles, and the Perry Jones was third in the shot put.

Also for Troup, the 400-meter relay team of Treacherous Blackmon, MarQuez Hall, Tiequavious Hines and Chase Childs finished third.

TROUP PLACERS

(Top three finishers in each event earned a medal)

GIRLS

FIRST

Taylar Ross-Johnson (200-meter dash)

SECOND

Ericka James (400-meter dash)

Taylar Ross-Johnson (triple jump)

Na’asia Fitzpatrick (second)

BOYS

FIRST

Zay Moreland (200-meter dash)

SECOND

Qua Birdsong (110-meter hurdles)

THIRD

400-meter relay team (Treacherous Blackmon, MarQuez Hall, Tiequavious Hines, Chase Childs)

Zay Moreland (100-meter dash)

Perry Jones (shot put)

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