Tiftarea’s Spence Massey prepares to throw the discus at the Panthers’ initial track meet this season. The team’s biggest home meet, the Prince Relays, is this afternoon.

TIFTON — The Prince Relays hit Tiftarea Academy this afternoon and head track coach David Dark is hopeful for sunny skies for the school’s biggest home meet of the year.

Dark said the meet would start at approximately 3:45 p.m. with the 3,200 run.

Besides Tiftarea, four other schools are currently signed up to appear, Crisp Academy, Southwest Georgia Academy, Terrell Academy and Valwood. Dark is waiting on a response from Citizens Christian Academy as a potential fifth opponent.

Tiftarea has competed against all of these opponents over the course of its first two meets, but Dark said the Prince Relays would be a bit different. The previous meets, he said, were effectively “coaching meets,” with leeway given to the athletes. Rules will be stricter this time around.

There will also be extra incentives: prizes. First and second place athletes would receive T-shirts, he said.

Dark has liked what he has seen so far from his athletes.

“We should be running a good event,” he said. “I think they’ve done a bit better each meet.”

The Panthers have had two home meets this season. They were to have run at Fitzgerald last Friday, but with the combination of a half-day at school Friday and prom Saturday, Dark was not sure his squad was going to be at full strength. They will run in a bigger meet at Hugh Mills Stadium next week.

Dark highlighted some of the top performances from earlier this season.

Sarah Beth Royal, he said, is “an amazing athlete and an amazing young woman.” A freshman, Royal has starred in many events.

“Triston Scarberry is really coming along,” he said. Reese Speight is the same, he said. Scarberry has added triple jump to his repertoire this season, having volunteered to give the event a try. Jaden Jones has been in on track and field events.

Dark has even more talent from the baseball squad this year, as Coach Chance Benson has been encouraging his players to participate in both sports. Grant Hall, Jackson Lee, Adam McKinney and Colby Grant are among the players who have given track a boost. Dark dubbed McKinney as “one of the most competitive people I’ve met.”

Though the Prince Relays will be a bit more serious than previous events, Dark is open to fun, too. If there is a slot open, he might bring back a crowd favorite, “The big man relay,” composed of football lineman-sized athletes passing the baton for relay events. Not that they would be out of place. Dark said the linemen possess plenty of speed.