Washington track and field takes a trip to Wilson this weekend to compete in the regional meet. In all, 20 boys and 12 girls will be vying for a chance to contend for the state championship.

One of the focuses all season has been the strength of the Lady Pack group. However, the girls ran into some injuries around the 2-A Eastern Plains Conference championship meet. With that, Washington is now focused on having individuals qualify to represent the school.

Doing so will require the various Pam Pack athletes to finish in the top-four in their respective events. Only then will they punch their ticket for the state championship.

“Any time you enter the regional meet, you have that expectation of finishing in the top four and advancing to the state championship,” coach Jon Blank said. “Some of that is realistic and some of it is unrealistic at this point. The one’s that are long shots, you just hope they get the experience and that they’re young.”

There are some competitors that are on the cusp of qualifying for the state meet. Blank enjoys seeing the athletes improve from meet to meet, but he wants to see more than that from some members of the team.

“The one’s that are close, we want them to give it everything they’ve got,” he said. “Really, nothing else matters that day other than finishing in the top four. At this point, if you improve and don’t finish in the top four, your season is over. The goal is to make the state championship.”

Brandon Jackson goes into the regional meet as the top-ranked competitor in the shot put. He’s the highest-rated athlete the Pam Pack has. On the girls’ side, Nikki Foreman should excel in the sprint events and as part of the 4×200- and 4×400-meter relays. Those relays, Blank said, are likely the best events for the girls, but they also hinge on the health of Kizoria Redmond.

“If (Jackson) goes out and has the day he can have, he can win the region,” Blank said. “He can definitely finish in the top four, even if he’s off a little bit. We want him to do his best and win this thing. It’s great to be a regional champ.”

Blank said he’s also confident in Rontayvion Floyd in the 110-meter hurdle and Turner Ragland in the 300-meter hurdles.

“Those are two guys that are improving late in the season,” he said. “They can make a push to finish in the top four.”

Saturday is going to be a tough day. The meet, hosted by Fike, will be a full-day event. The marathon day could go as long as 14 hours. Because of that, Blank tapered off the practice schedule as the week went on so as to keep his athletes fresh.

“I’ll be honest, we’ve never experienced the length of a meet like we’re going to experience on Saturday,” Blank said. “Our coaching staff is kicking around ideas on what to do to make the day work best for us. Right now, we don’t have the best answer. This is kind of an unusual thing to have (the 2-A and 3-A meets) running on the same day. It changes your whole approach to the meet.”

With injuries already being a bit problematic for the Pam Pack, Blank and the coaching staff will have their hands full trying to offset the mental and physical strain of such a long meet. Even considering that, they’re still confident that they’ll be able to have a good showing that can result in a sizeable group going to the state championship next weekend.