Bartlett relay teams’ redemption story coming to the big screen
(Rrom left) Asia Bolden, Dior Carney and Jasmine McClelland are featured in "The Press" documentary about the Bartlett girls track team. (John Varlas/The Daily Memphian)
After a 2024 season that sorely tested their faith in the track gods, several members of the girls team at Bartlett High are ready for their close-up.
The Panthers — more specifically, the members of the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams — are the subjects of a documentary film called “The Press,” which will have its debut screening Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. at Malco Stage Cinema & Grill in Bartlett.
“A lot of people keep thinking, like, it’s at the school,” said senior Jasmine McClelland. “When I tell them that it’s at an actual movie theater, they’re like, ‘What? Y’all are like, big time. For real.’”
McClelland and her teammates — Peyton Miller, Asia Bolden and Dior Carney — are indeed big time. The quartet won championships in both races at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon, in June.
That by itself would be popcorn-worthy. But conflict is the key to any good film, and the Panthers had plenty of that.
Coach Jaja Nebo’s girls were equally impressive during the school season and entered the sectional meet with Tennessee’s top time in the 4x100 and the second-best in the 4x200. With the top four finishers advancing to Spring Fling, Bartlett’s participation seemed about as close to automatic as you could get.
The scriptwriters, however, had other ideas.
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John Varlas
John Varlas is a lifelong Memphian who has covered high school sports in various capacities for over 20 years.
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