Shawn Allen came to Glenn Hills from New Orleans about 31/2 years ago, his family displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

He joined the basketball team and helped the Spartans to a state title in 2008. He was the team's leading scorer this past season as a 6-foot-5 guard/forward.

Allen will remain near the area to play college basketball. The senior on Wednesday signed papers to accept a basketball scholarship to Morehouse College, a Division-II historically black college in Atlanta that is in the same conference as Augusta's Paine College.

"There's lots of heritage at a historically black college," said Allen, who selected Morehouse over Columbus State. "Almost immediately I'm going to be able to get a job after college."

BIG TRACK TURNOUT: Nearly 100 area athletes are scheduled to travel to Jefferson beginning today for the Georgia High School Association's state track meet, which runs through Saturday.

Of the 98 area athletes qualifying for the meet, two won three individual region crowns. Screven County's Cornelius Roberts took Region 3-AA's triple-, high- and long-jump titles.

Burke County's Damian Johnson won Region 3-AAA's 200 meters and triple and long jumps. Coach Purvis Dukes said Johnson's long-jump mark (24 feet, 31/2 inches) is the best in the state at any classification.

Warren County qualified an area-high 13 athletes.

TRIPPED UP: Kevin Davenport will be the lone athlete representing Glenn Hills.

Davenport won Region 3-AAAA's 110 high hurdles in 14.83 seconds. One of his finest triumphs was followed by a bitter fall: he tripped leaping over a hurdle in the 300 hurdles, but still rallied to finish fourth.

"I was more embarrassed than anything," said Davenport, who added it was the first time he ever tripped during a race.

Davenport, a 6-3, 180-pound wide receiver, is a Savannah State football recruit.

TOP TALENTS OUT: Not running at this week's state meet: two of the area's top sprinters.

Injuries derailed the outdoor seasons of A.R. Johnson senior Jonathan Lovett , defending Class A champion in the 100 and 200 meters, and Glenn Hills junior Justin Lord , 100 and 200 Class AAA state qualifier last season.

Lord ran the 100 in 10.3 seconds in the Region 3-AAAA preliminaries, but a knee inflammation prevented him from racing at full strength two days later in the finals. He also scratched out of the 200.

"He just couldn't come back," said Peter Reid , an area sprint coach who works with Lord and Lovett. "He was so sore; we barely made it into the stadium."

Reid said he was very impressed with the winning performances of Evans' Jonathan Finch in the 100 (10.11) and Perron Jones in the 200 (21.64). Finch, a junior, was the Region 3-AAAA football player of the year after rushing for 1,622 yards last fall.

Reid said Lord's summer schedule includes a trip to a meet in Puerto Rico.

Lovett, meanwhile, ran in just two meets all spring (hamstring). Reid said Lovett, an outstanding student, has accepted an academic scholarship to the University of Florida and will also participate in track.

"Any time (this spring) we had a high-intensity practice, it was trouble," Reid said. "Things are looking good for Jonathan. He will be a hard worker (at Florida)."

MUSKETEERS' NEW AD: Chris Hughes will be the new athletic director at Richmond Academy. Hughes, who is the school's football and soccer coach, replaces Jamie Echols , the new girls basketball at Grovetown.