The 1981 TCHS Track and Field team was the second to win a boys’ state title and did so in perhaps the most dramatic fashion.
At the region meet, Trigg County scored five first place and three second place finishes. Sam Love won the 800 and 1600-meter runs, setting a school record at 4:19.7 in the latter.
At the state meet, Trigg County trailed Somerset in points 30-28 with only the 1600-meter relay left to run. Not only did Trigg outpoint Somerset in the event, the foursome of Love, Ricky Diggs, Steve Neel, and Mario Wilson won the event and set a new school record in 3:23.31.
Trigg won five events that day and set a new school record in all five. Love won the 1600-meter run (4:15.8) and the 800-meter run (1:54.47), with the latter still a Class 1A state record.
The 800-meter relay team of Diggs, Neel, Scott Mayes, and Calvin Turnley won the state title in a time of 1:31.75. Diggs also won first place in the 400-meter run in a school-record time of 50.21 seconds, which was .27 seconds ahead of teammate Steve Neel who took second.
Other team members at the state meet were Bobby Gray and George Mack, who finished in second place at the region meet in the triple jump and shot put respectively.
George Radford, Gary Siegmund, and Jim Wallace were the team coaches.
After a down-to-the-wire finish for the state title in 1981, there was no such drama at the 1982 Class A meet as the Wildcats scored 58 points, doubling the total of second place Fort Campbell.
At the region meet, Trigg County had three runners – Sam Love, Scott Mayes, and Steve Neel – collect first place finishes in more than one event.
Love dominated the 800 and 1600-meter runs, and Mayes won both the 110 and 300-meter hurdles. Neel collected first place finishes in the 200 and 400-meter runs.
The 800 and 1600-meter relay teams also brought home first place finishes.
In the field events, George Mack was second in the shot put, and Stuart White was second in the pole vault.
At the state meet, Trigg County won seven of the 11 running events and all 11 state qualifiers placed in their events. Several coaches told Coach George Radford that Trigg County could have brought home a state title in any of the three classes that day in Lexington.
First place finishers for Trigg County at the state meet were:
• Sam Love in both the 800 and 1600-meter run, winning both easily.
• Calvin Turnley in 100-meter dash (11.33)
• Ricky Diggs in the 400-meter run in a school-record time of 49.51. Teammate Steve Neel finished second to Diggs, and his time of 49.73 seconds is still second-fastest in school history.
• Neel won the 200-meter dash in a time of 22.97 seconds.
• The 800-meter relay team of Turnley, Diggs, Mayes, and Neel in a school-record time of 1:30.24.
• The 1600-meter relay team of Diggs, Neel, Love, and Mario Wilson in a time of 3:21.40 which is still a Class 1A state record.
In addition, George Mack was fourth in the shot put with a heave of 48-01.5. Stuart White was second in the pole vault with a height of 12-06.
Scott Mayes was second in the 110-meter hurdles in a school-record time of 15.82 seconds. He was also fourth in the 300-meter hurdles, and his time of 39.63 seconds is still a school record.
Other team members at the state meet were Scott Howell, Al Baker, and Spencer Acree.
Coaches were George Radford, Jim Wallace, and Gary Siegmund.
