Despite limited numbers and a smaller than usual turnout, Bulloch Academy still found a way to sweep the Gator Relays Saturday afternoon.
    A scheduling conflict between the track team and the Bulloch Academy pageant forced BA to hold the relays Saturday as opposed to next weekend. On top of that, since Georgia Southern’s track was condemned BA had to hold their 18th annual relays at Southeast Bulloch for the first time since the inception of the Gator Relays in 1999.
    All of those conflicts not only forced a number of teams to back out, but saw BA’s own numbers disintegrate.
    “Of the ten or twelve schools we have out here they’re only partial teams,” said coach Ronnie Hodges. “The SAT’s are this week. Out of my 33 boys, I’ve got nine taking the test.”
    The Gator Relays normally draw crowds of 200 to 300 people according to Hodges, but with the scheduling conflicts and the the relays out in Brooklet the fanfare was reduced by a fraction to what it normally is.
    However even at reduced numbers the boys and girls teams for Bulloch Academy won their respective meets — the boys by a 67 point margin and the girls by 12.5 points. Both teams placed atop the 11 schools participating in Saturday’s events.
    BA’s Seth Brant came out as the top male athlete of the relays — gathering 30 points and finishing first in three separate events. Brant took home first in the triple jump with a 39 foot ten inch attempt and both 100 and 300 meter hurdle races.
    Alex Cauthen won both 100 and 200 meter races, with Jake Mock and Jack Fortune finishing second in the 100 and 200 respectively. Fortune would pull off a win in the long jump, with Cauthen finishing second in the event.  
    Both boys 4x100 and 4x400 meter relay teams took home first as well.
    “Jake’s knee injury has him about a second slower than he’s capable of running,” Hodges said. “If he gets fully healed we could have him as a state contender for sure.”
    For the Lady Gators Ava Hiller won the 100 meter hurdles and placed second in the 300 meter hurdles. Freshman Regan Ellis finished second in both the shot put and discus. Keeli Hennon finished first in the pole vault as the only competitor in the event.
    The BA track teams will be back at the confines of their own track for their next meet on Wednesday.