Young athletes representing 23 local junior high and middle schools are preparing to compete at the 70th Annual Harold Pope Junior Relays on Saturday, May 6 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Modesto Junior College Track and Field.

Sponsored by the Stanislaus County Office of Education (SCOE), Education Foundation of Stanislaus County and Sutter Health, the public is invited to attend and admission and parking are free.

The annual Harold Pope Junior Relays is dedicated to the memory of Harold Pope (Oct. 24, 1932 – Oct. 31, 2016). The Junior Relays became the Harold Pope Junior Relays in 2000 in honor of his 47 years of coaching, mentoring, and teaching youth in Stanislaus County. Harold was a principal, superintendent, coach, bus driver, motivator, and teacher in Valley Home. He was the longest serving coach among the small school category.

The Junior Relays include a variety of track and field events. Schools participating this year include: Big Valley Christian, Blaker-Kinser, Cease Chavez, Denair, Dutcher, Glick, Great Valley Academy, Hart-Ransom, Hickman, La Loma, Mountain View, Oakdale, Our Lady of Fatima, Paradise, Prescott, Roosevelt, Ross, Somerset, Turlock, Ustach, Walnut Grove, Waterford and Yolo.

Track events scheduled are hurdles, 400 meter relay, 1600 meter run, 400 meter dash, 100 meter dash, 800 meter dash, 200 meter dash and 1600 meter relay. The field events will be discus, running long jump, running high jump, triple jump and shot put.