When I was a much younger and less grizzled sports writer, the state high school track and field meet provided one of life’s simple pleasures.

During one of the lulls in the competition, laying on the infield grass, closing my eyes, and feeling the warm spring sun and a bit of breeze on my face was a real treat. It’s one of those things we don’t stop and do nearly enough in life.

The little moment was something I always looked forward to, and something I got to do less and less over the years — not because I’ve become jaded, but because State Meet Saturday has become a very busy day if you follow Warren County’s track and field teams.

For 32 years in a row one of our four high school teams has produced a state champion in an individual event. The streak has an excellent chance of continuing this year as Vicksburg High, Warren Central, St. Aloysius and Porter’s Chapel Academy have a total of 41 athletes competing in 43 events.

Among them are St. Aloysius distance runner Samantha Edwards and Warren Central sprinter Dwight Palmer, who are both undefeated this season in their best events; Sprinters Amiyah Hall of Vicksburg High and Adria Burrell of Warren Central, who have finished first and second four times when going head-to-head in the 100 and 200 meters; and nearly a dozen others who won North or South State championships last week and are favorites in their respective events this weekend.

In several field events in the Class 6A meet, three of the eight spots will be taken by athletes from Vicksburg and Warren Central.

On top of that, Warren Central and Vicksburg’s girls’ teams are contenders for the Class 6A team championship. They both have enough depth and quality athletes in the meet to pile up the points.

St. Aloysius and Porter’s Chapel started things off with field event competitions on Friday and will run Saturday at Jackson Prep in Flowood. The MAIS Overall Meet begins at 9 a.m.

Warren Central and Vicksburg compete at Pearl High School Saturday, with field events starting at 11 a.m. and running events at 3 p.m.

Shuttling up and down Airport Road between both meets is possible. The two venues are only about five miles apart. Seeing everything is almost impossible, though. So many of our athletes will be competing simultaneously that you’d need a teleporter to watch it all.

Covering it is just as challenging. It’s a long day in the sun. Between the long walk from the parking lot to the stadium at Pearl — about a quarter-mile uphill if you get there late — and bouncing between events, I might end up putting more miles on my shoes than some of the athletes do on theirs.

Lulls are no longer passed by basking in the sun. They’re spent frantically loading and editing photos onto a laptop, and transcribing interviews to stay caught up.

Even with that, it’s still a fun day. And the forecast for this Saturday — highs in the upper 70s with afternoon sunshine and a nice breeze — is perfect. Maybe somewhere in there I can stop for just a minute or two to enjoy it.

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Ernest Bowker is the sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com