This Saturday’s Tift County High School Blue Devil Invitational Meet, in Tifton, Ga., will be the season-opening event for the Bainbridge High School Bearcats and Lady Cats track teams.

It will serve as a tune up for their third annual Larry Clark Invitational Meet on Saturday, March 10, at the BHS track.

The Clark Invitational Meet honors Decatur County Sports Hall of Famer, Jones-Wheat Elementary School principal and long time highly successful Bearcats track coach Dr. Larry Clark, who has won numerous championships and still works with the team.

Clark says he expects 18 or 19 top teams from Georgia and Florida to be here for the invitational meet.

Among the schools already committed to coming to the Clark Invitational are the Carrollton High School Trojans, the defending State Class AAA champions; Albany’s Westover High School Patriots, last year’s State Class AAA runner-ups; and the Tift County Blue Devils, the defending Region 1-AAAAA champions.

The always-strong Valdosta and Lowndes County boys and girls teams will also be here.

Region 1-AAAA teams slated to be in the field with Bainbridge are Thomas County and Lee County.

Florida teams expected to join the field are Tallahassee’s North Florida Christian School and Godby.