Creekview, Etowah and Cherokee will compete against a number of the best track and field athletes in the state when the two-day Coaches Invitational begins today at Georgia Tech's George C. Griffin Stadium.

The meet, an individual competition with no team standings, begins today with the girls high jump, long jump and discus at 5:30 p.m., the boys long jump and girls pole vault at 6 p.m. and the boys discus at 6:45 p.m. That will be followed by finals in the girls and boys 6,400-meter relay and sprint medley relay and preliminaries in the girls and boys 100 dash, the girls 100 hurdles and boys 110 hurdles.

Saturday's schedule will begin with the boys high jump and pole vault and girls shot put at 10:30 a.m., then followed by the girls and boys triple jump at 11 a.m. and boys shot put at noon, before the running event finals complete the competition.

The meet also includes athletes from Alabama powerhouses Smiths Station and Auburn.

Among the local schools, Creekview will be sending the largest contingent of athletes to the meet, with 18 girls and 15 boys competing for the Grizzlies.

"It's a good meet and it's great for (our athletes) to get that experience under that type of atmosphere. And it helps get us ready for the region and state meets," Creekview girls coach Connie Armstrong said. "We go every year and the kids love competing at Georgia Tech. It's a good experience and it's always a fun experience for the kids."

The Creekview boys will be strong in the 3,200 and 6,400 distance relays, with Loren Teachey and Justin Whitaker leading the Grizzlies.

Anna Dunn (pole vault, 100 hurdles, 400 relay, 1,600 relay), Emily Goss (discus, shot put), Sarah Edeker (shot put), Lindsey Taylor (high jump, long jump, 1,600 relay), Rachel Dorris and Nicole Smith (both competing in the 3,200 and 6,400 relays) will lead the Creekview girls.

Etowah will have 10 of its boys competing, with Brandon Goodman (high jump, 400 relay), Jake Hildebrand (3,200, 6,400 relay), Taylor Thompson and Josh Boudreau (both in the 3,200 and 6,400 relay) leading the way.

The Etowah girls will feature a smaller contingent, with Rachel Hire, Shannon Stevenson, Jensen Sullivan and Samantha Bennett competing in the 3,200 relay.

The Cherokee boys will feature Travis Pope in the 3,200, along with Wright Dyer, Paul Walker, Hunter Jones and Caleb Boulick in the 3,200 relay. The Lady Warriors will have Audri Driscoll, Eloise Yount, Kelsey Costa and Stacia Dangerfield competing in the 3,200 relay.

This year's meet has added the 2,000-meter steeplechase, which isn't typically contested on the high school level. It's an obstacle race that consists four barriers and one water jump that runners must leap over.

Creekview will have three of its athletes in the race - Sidney Bosley and Eden Ryan in the girls race and Teachey in the boys event.