Busy week on tap for McBride

After a hamstring injury kept him from reaching all his goals at last year’s state track meet, incoming freshman Nate McBride plans on going out with a bang at the Class AA event set for later this week in Albany.

He’s going to be a busy young man.

The future Bulldog middle linebacker will be competing in no less than five events, including the 100- and 200-meter dash, events where he qualified with respective runs of 10.71 and 21.80, the top two qualifying times in all of Class AA.

As you might expect, McBride is looking to make the most of his opportunity after last year only being able to take part in the 4x100 relay, which he and his Vidalia High teammates won with a time of 42.09.

“Man, that would mean a lot. My freshman year I qualified in the 100th, got seventh or eighth or something, and my 10th grade year I got second in the 100, and third in the 200, so I was close there,” he said. “Last year I didn’t get to run it and it was supposed to be my year, so this will be my last chance. It means a lot.”

McBride admits competing in five different events will be quite the challenge.

His day gets underway Thursday at Hugh Mills Stadium with the field event finals when he competes in the shot put after qualifying with a throw of 41-010, the 12th-best throw among the 16 competitors.

Qualifiers for the track events take place Friday with the finals set for Saturday.

McBride will have a chance for four gold medals.

Along with posting the top qualifying times in the 100- and 200-meter dash, he and his Vidalia High teammates also come in with the top times in both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay.

“There’s going to be faster guys and the competitions are going to be back to back of running,” McBride said. “But I can handle it.”

McBride will join the rest of Georgia’s incoming class when he reports on May 30 to begin their respective collegiate careers.

“I’m very excited,” said McBride, who joins the rest of Georgia’s middle linebackers, including junior Roquan Smith. From the sounds of it, Smith has already started to take the freshman under his wing.

“It will be good, especially with Roquan since he’s from a small town like I am,” McBride said. “Sometimes you feel like you don’t have enough competition during high school, so at first you kind of wonder if you’ll be able to step up to the plate. But he did it, and I think I can, too.”