JACKSON &045; Dudley Guice and Jeremy Perkins have come to know each other real well.

Today everyone may find out the most of the two sprinters.

Guice and Perkins will square off in the sprints for the last time this season as the MPSA state track meet kicks off this morning and goes throughout the day at Jackson Prep.

Perkins of Amite School Center held the edge over Trinity Episcopal’s Guice at the South State meet last week, but this time the prize is much bigger.

The two will square off in the 100, 200

and all three relays.

&uot;They’ve been friends through football, basketball and track,&uot; Trinity head coach David King said. &uot;Perkins is extremely fast, and Dudley has had a good week of training. Hopefully the training on Dudley will be the difference.&uot;

Perkins held the edge last week in the 200 when he ran a 23.14 seconds to Guice’s 23.47. In the 100 Perkins posted a time of 11.07 seconds to Guice’s 11.23 seconds.

&uot;He’s beaten Perkins in the prelims of the 200,&uot; King said. &uot;He’s never beaten him in the 100, but he’s getting better each week. He’s dropped his 100 time by seven-tenths of a second since the beginning of the year &045; but so have all the kids.&uot;

That’s why the Saints are looking at the big picture today by trying to stake claim to the Class A state title. They finished last week with the South State title over WCCA but will have to battle the Rams again along with Central Holmes if they’re going to win state.

&uot;We’re extremely excited about it,&uot; King said. &uot;Both teams have difference strengths. When you get to the state meet, you’ve got 40 schools. It’s just a matter who can cut who in different events. We feel really good about our chances, but you get up there and false start, drop a baton or say damn or hell, and they kick you out of there.&uot;

Others at the state meet for Trinity include Gregory Ketchings in the long jump, Ryan Rachal in the triple jump and 400, Austin Green in the 3,200, Chase Brown in the 300 hurdles, Guice in the 110 hurdles, Nason Stephens in the 400 and 800 and the 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter relay teams.

Brown has the best time coming into the 300 hurdles, and Ketchings is recovered from a injury that sidelined him last week.

&uot;Austin has an extremely good chance at having a good run,&uot; King said. &uot;His 3,200 time is third-best in the state. Gregory’s leg is healing up. We (went) to AC (Thursday) and jumped to see how he felt. They (Ketchings, Rachal) will need at least their best to get in the top three or four in the state for sure.&uot;

On the girls’ side, Adams Christian’s Lady Rebels will send almost everyone to the state meet today with the hope of avoiding those photofinishes with Jackson Prep from last week.

&uot;We’re in everything,&uot; AC head coach Bill Richardson said. &uot;The lanes are assigned by times, and we’re in (lanes) 3, 4 and 5 in everything we’re in. They’re really working hard. It’s Prep again. Prep is going to win the state championship. We don’t have the numbers.&uot;

Nikki Emanuel went Friday in the high jump as did Tiffany Collier in the long jump. Today Alesia Brown runs in the 3,200, Collier runs in the 300 hurdles and 100, all three relay teams will go, Laura Guedon will go in the 1,600, Nikki Hankins will go in the 400 and 200 and Kim Robertson in the 800.

&uot;Collier has the best 100 time (12.98) coming in,&uot; Richardson said. &uot;The girl in the lane next to her has a time of 12.99. That may be interesting. Collier has lost only once in the (300 hurdles), and that was against a Prep girl. The same with Hankins in the 400 &045; they’re right next to each other.&uot;

Hunter Cook is AC’s lone boys’ entry today. He will run in the 110-meter hurdles.

Huntington’s girls will have several at today’s meet, including the 800 relay team, Emily Hazlip, Tiffany Ferguson, Whitney Bradford, Jessi Moak, Erin Hedrick and Katie Cole. Hazlip will go in the discus and relay, Ferguson in the high jump, 100, 200 and relay; Bradford in the 300 hurdles and 800, Cole and Moak in the 1,600 and Moak in the 3,200.

Centreville has a host of athletes at today’s meet, including Will Arnold &045; who has the top throw in the shot put and the second-best toss in the discus.

Arnold threw the discus 136-9 1/2, while Steven Boozer of East Rankin posted a throw of 184-3.