There have been days where St. Aloysius shot-putter Jordan Granville has practiced tossing the 12-pound weight from the sidewalk.

On other days he goes down to a spot near the woods behind Balzli Field to get his work in.

High jumper Chip Donald has to work up his speed and gauge his take off from the football stadium’s grass surface. The high jump is usually competed on a rubber, polyethylene surface.

Despite the lack of a proper training facility, the St. Al field participants are two of seven Flashes who have qualified for Friday’s State 1A Track and Field meet at Pearl High School.

&#8220We don’t have the facilities to really practice well, but what really makes me mad is that we’re not allowed to use the track at either Vicksburg or Warren Central,” said Donald, a junior who is qualified for the state meet in the high jump, long jump and 4-by-200 meter relay.

Granville adds, &#8220It’s really an unfair disadvantage for us. It would be nice to have a toe board to work from, instead of waiting until the actual event.”

Flashes coach Mike Jones knows all about how the limited space and meager facilities that hinder his team. But he says some subtle changes are on the way.

&#8220By next year, we could have a concrete pad to work with some of our field events. There is a place we’re looking at behind the football field. It’s still going to be tough for our running events.

&#8220The buses on the home side make it hard to get all the way around the stadium. There are some big ruts. I usually have to wait until the first meet to go over with them about how a track works.

&#8220I get asked all the time by the new ones, ‘Coach where is the finish line? What’s this line?’ And I’d tell them its a relay exchange line. I have to do it every year,” Jones said.

While such hardships would lead many to disband the program, Jones says track and field has played an important part of the Flashes’ athletic program.

&#8220We’ve had a track program here at St. Al since 1962. My brother, in fact, was the very first team captain,” Jones said.

The Flashes have put together another competitive team this season. They finished sixth out of 18 teams at last week’s South State meet.

Granville has a shot to earn a medal, maybe even gold if he has a good day.

&#8220I had a bad week, 43-feet and change,” the senior transfer from North Hagerstown, Md., said. &#8220My best this season was 45-feet-and-change at Hughes Field (in Jackson). If I can hit 46 feet or better, I can win it. The guy who beat me last week threw 45.”

Before South State, Granville had won all four of his previous events in impressive fashion. His success came as a surprise because he had not competed in the shot put in three years.

&#8220I did it my freshman year in Maryland. But it was like 37-feet and I never placed. I played lacrosse the next two years,” he said.

Now at 270 pounds, Granville says his offseason work has helped both his shot-put and his bid to play football for Millsaps College this fall.

&#8220I’m looking forward to it because me and John Robert (Burnett) are going together to play there. Coach (Mike) Dubose’s staff says we can make an impact as freshmen,” Granville said.

Senior Bray Jones will be a medal contender in the 300 intermediate hurdles. Jones was second at South State.

Distance runners Adam Thornton and David Magee will compete in the 1,600- and 800-meter runs, respectively.

Joining Donald on the relay team will be Chris Lewis, Jones and Austin Williams.