Throw Back Thursday on Mississippi Milesplit

James Mathews

Aug 20, 2015

George Kersh, track coach at Pearl High School Thanks to Woody Barnett for all the stats.

George Kersh

High School Career Accomplishments

School: Pearl High School

Date of Birth: July

Coach: Woody Barnett

1983-84 Freshman

The Athletics Congress National Junior Olympic 400 Meter Hurdles Participant

1984-85 Sophomore

Mississippi High School Activities Association State X-C Meet Runner-up

M.H.S.A.A. Cross Country All-State
Louisiana State University High School Indoor Meet 600 Yard Run Champion
Magnolia Classic Indoor Track & Field Championships 880 Yard Run Champion
University of Tennessee Southern High School Indoor Classic 880 Yard Run Champion
M.H.S.A.A. State Meet 880 Yard Run Champion
M.H.S.A.A. State Meet 440 Yard Dash Runner Up
Shreveport Journal Meet of Champions 880 Yard Champion (1:53.5)
Undefeated in 880/800
Third ranked High School Sophomore in the Nation

1985-86 Junior

M.H.S.A.A. State X-C Meet Champion
Undefeated during X-C Season
M.H.S.A.A. Cross Country All State
Kinney Cross Country Regional Meet Participant, Charlotte, North Carolina
The Harrier Honorable Mention Cross Country “All American”
Member of The Harrier “All American” Cross Country Team
Member of the 1985 M.H.S.A. State Cross Country Championship Team
Louisiana State University High School Indoor Meet 880 Yard Run Champion (1:57.25), Meet Record
Louisiana State University High School Indoor Meet Out of State Outstanding Male Track Athlete
Magnolia Classic Indoor Track & Field Championships 440 Yard Dash & 880 Yard Run Champion sets 880 Yard Run (1:54.6) Meet Record & National High School Leading Performance
Number Two High School Indoor Ranking 800 meter run
Inside Track High School All South Indoor Track and Field Team
Southern Invitational 800 Meter Run Champion (1:49.2), Birmingham, Alabama, Southeastern United States Record & National High School Leading Performance
M.H.S.A.A. State Meet 440 Yard Dash & 880 Yard Run Champion
Shreveport Journal Meet of Champions 800 Meter Run Champion (1:50.4), Meet Record
Shreveport Journal Meet of Champions Joe Delaney Memorial Outstanding Track Trophy Recipient
Golden South Classic 880 Yard Run Champion (1:50.15), Orlando, Florida, Meet Record
Red Stick Invitational 800 Meter Run Champion (1:50.3), Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Meet Record
TAC Junior Nationals 800 Meter Run Champion (1:48.86), Baltimore, Maryland, National High School Leading Performance
Member of the Junior National Team that competed in the Romania vs USA Meet, Bucharest, Romania and first ever World Junior Championships in Athens, Greece (105 Nations Competed)
World Junior Championships 800 Meter Run 8^th place finish, Athens, Greece
Number One High School 800 Meter Performer in the Nation
Gatorade Circle of Champions Mississippi High School Male Track and Field Athlete of the Year
Number Two “All Time” High School Junior Class Performer
Number 19 “All Time” High School Performer
Inside Track High School Athlete of the Issue
Ran the four fastest High School times in the 800 Meters
Ran seven of the top ten High School times in the 800 Meters
Inside Track All-South High School Track and Field
N.H.S.A.C.A. Honorable Mention Track and Field “All American”
USA Today’s “All USA” Track and Field Team
Track & Field News Prep Track and Field “All American”
Inside Track Runner-up to Southern High School Boys Track Athlete of the Year
Track & Field News Finished fifth in the voting for Athlete of the Year.

1986-87 Senior

M.H.S.A.A. State X-C Meet Champion
M.H.S.A.A. All-State Cross Country
Kinney Southern Regional Cross Country Meet 3^rd place finish (15:16), Charlotte, North Carolina
Kinney National Cross Country Championships 30^th place finish, San Diego, California
Louisiana State University High School Indoor Meet 800 Yard Run Champion (1:51.26), National High School Indoor Record!!!
Louisiana State University High School Indoor Meet Out of State Outstanding Male Track Athlete
National High School Indoor 880 Yard Run Record Holder (1:51.26)
Number 1 “All Time” High School Indoor 880/800 Performer
Magnolia Classic Indoor Track and Field Championships 440 Yard Dash Champion (49.3) & 880 Yard Run Champion (1:52.5), Meet Record & # 5 880 Yard Run “All Time” H.S. Performance!
Millrose Games Jumbo Elliot High School Mile Champion (4:15.54), First competitive mile ever run! New York, New York
Vitalis/U.S. Olympic Invitational High School Boys Invitational 1000 Meter Run Champion (2:23.85), National High School Indoor Record!!! East Rutherford, New Jersey
Harrier Cross Country All American
Pathmark National Scholastic Track and Field Championships 800 Meter Champion (1:51.68), Meet Record and # 4 “All Time”
Number Two “All Time” High School Indoor 1000 Yard Performer!
Ran the three fastest National High School Indoor Times in the 880/800, 1000 Meter and 1000 Yards (2:10.3)
Track and Field News High School Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year
M.H.S.A.A. State Meet Champion 440 Yard Dash Champion (48.1) & 8880 Yard Run Champion (1:49.7), State Meet Record and National High School leading performance.
Golden South Classic Mile Run Champion (4:08.91) Meet Record, Orlando, Florida
Rice University Meet of Champions 800 Meter Run (1:48.19), # 4 “All Time” High School Performance, Houston, Texas
Interscholastic Dream Mile 3^rd Place Finish (4:08.17), New York, New York
Golden West Invitational 800 Meter Run Champion (1:46.58) National High School Record!!! Sacramento, California
TAC Junior Nationals 800 Meter Run Runner Up (1:47.29), # 2 “All Time” High School Performance, Tucson, Arizona
Gatorade Circle of Champions Mississippi High School Male Track and Field Athlete of the Year
United States Olympic Festival Fourth Place Finish 800 Meter Run (1:47.84), # 5 “All Time” High School Performance, Durham, North Carolina
Third Fastest High School Miler!
Ran the Five fastest High School times in the 800 Meter Run!
Ran Seven of the Top Ten High School times in the 800 Meter Run
Completed career Undefeated in Prep Competition in the 800 Meter Run!
Number One “All Time” High School 800 Meter Run Performer!
Ran the Number One, Number Two, Number Four, Number Five, and Number Eight “All Time” High School 800 Meter Times!
Number Four “All Time” US Junior 800 Meter Run Performer!
Ran Number Five “All Time” U.S. Junior 800 Meter Times!