Mullins' Peracki finishes third in 800-meter run in AA boys track state meet
Reaves excited about future of softball program after completion of her first year as head coach
Mullins – As the “postseason” for high school track and field progressed for Mullins High School’s Nathan Peracki progressed this spring, so did his performance.
From the Region 7-AA boys meet to the AA lower state meet to the AA state meet, Peracki shaved precious seconds off of his time in the 800-meter run. It didn’t end in a state championship for Peracki, but it did conclude with a third-place finish in the state meet held at the Richland Northeast track in Columbia on May 15.
The junior came in under the 2-minute mark in the state meet in a time of 1 minute, 59.80 seconds. He was less than two seconds behind winner Reid Finley of Liberty (1:57.84) and 6/10ths of a second behind second place Liam Granger of Greenville Tech Charter (1:59.20).
Interestlingly, when Peracki began his quest at the region meet in Marion on May 1, he won the event but in a time of 2:04.91, a full five seconds more than what he posted in the state meet.
In the lower state competition at Woodland High, Peracki managed to shave over two seconds off of his finish time. He ran the two laps in 2:02.38. However, he only finished fourth.
Peracki obviously bested those three runners at the state meet.
Mullins finished with eight points. The 4x400-meter relay team got the other two points with a seventh-place finish.
The 4x800 team qualified for the state meet but did not place.
Angela Ford qualified for two events in the girls portion of the meet, the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. She didn’t place in either though.
REAVES HAPPY WITH SOFTBALL AFTER FIRST YEAR
The Mullins softball team will carry a 2-game winning streak into the 2027 season. That’s because the Auctioneers concluded this season with a sweep of Kingstree to finish the year with a 2-12 record.
Considering she didn’t become the head coach until just prior to the start of the season, Cierra Reaves is extremely happy with how her first year went.
“I feel like this season was a ”tremendous” improvement compared to the past,” Reaves said. “I’ve had unwavering support from the staff, community and the parents the entire time as well. Many young ladies that had previously taken time away from softball found their way back to enjoying it.
“I can hardly wait to get started for next season considering how far we have come in such a short time. I’m simply thankful they trusted me enough to come find some love for the game again.”
Victories of 21-8 and 19-4 over Kingstree put Mullins over the century mark in runs scored.
“ Scoring 100 runs to finish the season has been unheard of in Mullins softball recently,” Reaves said.
Some key players for Mullins were Ariyah Staley, Kei’hauna Lacy and Arreyianna Carter.
“I have a great group coming back due to having only two seniors so I’m excited,” Reaves said.
MULLINS BASEBALL FINISHES 5-14
The Mullins baseball team finished 5-14 on the season and 3-11 in region play. That was good enough for a fifth-place finish which was good enough to get the Auctioneers in the state playoffs. They went 0-2, however.
Andre Littlejohn led Mullins in hitting with a .484 average. He had 10 runs, 10 RBI, three double and a triple.
Layne Gerrald battled .400 with 12 runs and three doubles. Jadae McGill battled .324 with 15 runs.
