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YEATESVILLE, N.C. — Northside High School track coach Casey Schulte has seen a lot during her time coaching track and field and cross country this season.

During the cross country season, the Panthers hosted the Class 1A cross country East Regional. Andrew Harding won the boys’ event as a prelude to winning the state championship.

Last week, Northside hosted the Coastal Plains Conference boys’ and girls’ track and field tournament. Northside won the boys’ title for the first time in over a decade. Now, the school is preparing to host the Class 1A East Regional, which will begin at 10 a.m. this Saturday.

It’s the final chance to see the Panthers, Southside Seahawks and other teams participate in the many events that will start at 10 a.m. with the field events like the high jump, shot put and discus. From here, it’s on to the state championship and for athletes like Harding, one last chance to win a state title.

“So our conference basically asked us to host,” Schulte said about hosting the regional. We did such a good job here hosting our conference. So we’re going to host here with the help of our conference.

“Lejeune will help us run as well as Pamlico (County). And our conference coaches basically step up to the plate and they help run it.  You know, I’ve told you this before, but I’ve learned so much from Q (Southside coach Andrea Quinerly) and Coach Debra Bryant from Lejeune this year. I mean, because I’m still a brand new coach, you know, it’s only my first year as head coach.

“So they’re stepping in and helping. And so our conference is basically going to run it and they felt like it was better to run it here than to go somewhere else.”

Hosting the cross country regionals and last week’s CPC track meet has given Northside’s staff, along with the others who help out, plenty of experience at running such a big event. It also gives people a chance to see athletes take place in a lot of different events.

Schulte said she expects another good day from a number of athletes, from Chloe Black — who won last week’s CPC shot put and discus events to earn CPC Field Female Athlete of the Tournament — to Piper Johnson, OJ Cahoon and the 4×800 team. On the boys’ side, athletes like Colton Smith, Avery Roberson, Zi’Mier Alexander and Sincere Columbus to have success. It’ll also be the last chance people will get to see Andrew Harding, who won the Class 1A state cross country title and is in the running to win the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter state titles. He’ll run for UNC Charlotte starting this fall.

“I don’t have as many girls. So, you know, I’m trying to individually qualify as many as we can,” Schulte said. “So I do think our girls are going to have some success this week.

Looking to my boys, I’m telling you, we got shot, you know, competing with Lejeune for regionals. I think we’re going to have some really good successes, and I’m excited to see where it kind of shakes out.”

Having Lejeune, Pamlico County and Southside in the boys’ regional will help the Panthers, Schulte said, because they’ve faced those teams during the regular season. It shows how strong the CPC is in track and how those regular-season meets have helped prepare all of them for this moment.

“Yeah, like Lejeune is definitely our biggest competition,” Schulte said. “You know, Pamlico also has some really great runners. Southside in sprints and field. So our conference, I really feel like our conference is probably one of the best in the east for running. You know, I mean, and our goal is just to make it the states, right? Like that’s our goal.”