CHARLESTON — The girls 4×800-meter relay race was a microcosm of Friday’s Class AAAA South Region track and field meet at UC Stadium at Laidley Field.

Cabell Midland’s relay unit wanted to improve on its time and run under 10 minutes. Hurricane’s foursome just wanted to be one of the top four finishers and earn automatic qualification for the state meet that begins next Friday.

Both very nearly got their wish.

Hurricane’s runners – Ella Dye, Ella Sturm, Lexi Elmore and Mackenzie Cloud – won the event with a time of 10:00.99. Meanwhile, the Knights’ team of Savannah Pritt, Raegan Freeman, Audrey Adkins and Maya Casto finished in second place with a time of 10:04.16.

Parkersburg took third with a season best 10:05.43, followed by Parkersburg South in fourth and in the final automatic qualifying spot at 10:06.36.

The next four teams – George Washington, Huntington, Buckhannon-Upshur and Woodrow Wilson – can qualify for the state meet with at-large bids if their times turned in at the meet are among the next eight fastest times out of the two regions.

“We’re all just trying to qualify,” Cabell Midland coach Chris Parsons said.

George Washington’s boys 4×800 runners finished with a time of 8:42.91 in the race run by Tucker Anderson, Kyree Ford, Keaton Fowler and Nash Porter. They set a team record at the event, passing the previous mark by 18 seconds, they said.

The Patriots’ finish put them fifth at the event, missing one of the four automatic spots at the state meet.

The automatic qualifiers in that event on Friday were Cabell Midland (8:19.77), Woodrow Wilson (8:23.95), Parkersburg (8:26.16) and Hurricane (8:29.99).

Other automatic qualifiers from Friday included:

In the boys 100 meters: Alex Petersen, GW; Esau Johnson, Huntington; Myles Walters, Woodrow Wilson; Jackson Gray, Woodrow Wilson.

Girls 100: Amya Seay-Grasty, Oak Hill; Ava Ward, Riverside; Jada Ward, Riverside; Amiah Richardson, Woodrow Wilson.

Boys 110 hurdles: Mason Little, Huntington; Carter Geveke, Huntington; Jordan Foster, Parkersburg South; and Mason Runyan, GW.

Girls 100 hurdles: Milleah Johnson, Huntington; Daysha Hastings, Parkersburg; Leilani Bounds, Huntington; Lexi Thomas, Woodrow Wilson.

Boys 300 hurdles: Carter Geveke, Huntington; Kellen Rife, Huntington; Jordan Foster, Parkersburg South; Mason Little, Huntington.

Girls 300 hurdles: Aleigha Myers, Huntington; Audra Gerlach, Huntington; Kelina Utietiang, Parkersburg; Nevaeh Hicks, Woodrow Wilson.

Boys 400: AJ Payne, Parkersburg; Sean Andrews, Huntington; Landen Deuley, Parkersburg; Vance Lindley, Woodrow Wilson.

Girls 400: Aleigha Myers, Huntington; Amya Seay-Grasty, Oak Hill; Bria Donatelli, Woodrow Wilson; Jazmine Bailey, Oak Hill.

Girls 800: Adalyn Cantrell, Cabell Midland; Ava Mitias, GW; Ella Sturm, Hurricane; Laurel Johnson, Huntington.

Boys 1600: Carter Thorpe, Parkersburg; Dylan Dial, Cabell Midland; Kyle Peters, Woodrow Wilson; Paxton Haddox, Hurricane.

Girls 1600: Ava Mitias, GW; Adalyn Cantrell, Cabell Midland; Morgan Metz, Parkersburg; Francy Tidd, Hurricane.

Boys 3200: Peters, Woodrow Wilson; Dial, Cabell Midland; Thorpe, Parkersburg; Gabriel High, Hurricane.

Girls 3200: Morgan Metz, Parkersburg; Savannah Pritt, Cabell Midland; Emma Coakley, Cabell Midland; Lindsey Bailey, Cabell Midland.

Boys 4×100 relay: Huntington, Woodrow Wilson, Riverside, Hurricane.

Girls 4×100 relay: Woodrow Wilson, Parkersburg South, Cabell Midland, Parkersburg.

Boys 4×200 relay: Parkersburg, Riverside, Woodrow Wilson, Huntington.

Girls 4×200 relay: Woodrow Wilson, Huntington, Cabell Midland, Parkersburg South.

Boys discus: Carson Boggs, Cabell Midland; Hudson Wortman, Cabell Midland; Jaxson Richmond, GW; Drey Grinter, Parkersburg.

Girls discus: Cianna Groom, Riverside; Jenna Geter, Hurricane; Elizabeth Bohren, Huntington; Isabella Bowman, Parkersburg.

Boys high jump: Kingston Clark, Woodrow Wilson; Preston Clary, Woodrow Wilson; Khyren Chandler, Huntington; Aiden Scheidler, Huntington.

Girls high jump: Jada Ward, Riverside; Mya Baruwa, Parkersburg; Daysha Hastings, Parkersburg; Audra Gerlach.

Boys long jump: Josh Brock, Riverside; Kez Mathis, Oak Hill; Antonio Paschall, Huntington; Wyatt Bartley, Parkersburg South.

Girls long jump: Rylen Carlyle, Buckhannon-Upshur; Kymani Prince, Parkersburg South; Zyneria Grant, Woodrow Wilson; Ava Ward, Riverside.

Boys pole vault (top eight automatically qualify for state): Alex Greer, Parkersburg; Cameron Kelly, Hurricane; Nathan O’Dell, Hurricane; James Cook, Huntington, Shawn Thornhill, Parkersburg South; Drake Laughery, Parkersburg South; Brayden Reese, Hurricane; Zach Beverage, Parkersburg South.

Girls pole vault (top eight automatically qualify for state): Laurel Johnson, Huntington; Savannah Cottrell, Huntington; Haley Wilcox, GW; Lucy Cartwright, Parkersburg; Arabella Salser, Cabell Midland, Addy Bartram, Cabell Midland; Addison Frye, Hurricane; Collette Dickerson, Huntington.

Boys shot put: Drey Grinter, Parkersburg; Parker Chapman, GW; Aiden Estep, Cabell Midland; Max Bohren, Huntington.

Girls shot put: Jenna Geter, Hurricane; Elizabeth Bohren, Huntington; Sophia Corbin, Parkersburg; Cadence Reid, Woodrow Wilson.