TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Terriers Boys Fall Short Of State Title

ADVERTISEMENT

By BILL WARD

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 3, 2008

WINTER PARK - As it turns out, the Hillsborough boys track and field team is mortal after all. The high-stakes meet of the state championships tends to be humbling - even to the best teams and the most talented individuals.

The best is precisely what the Terriers went up against at Friday's Class 3A finals at Showalter Field. Facing powerhouse Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas and Groveland South Lake's version of Superman, Jeff Demps, Hillsborough's "Fantastic Four" met its match.

Despite four medals from sophomore Terrence Mitchell (long jump, 100, 4x100, 4x400), three from junior Lindsey Lamar (100 meters, 200 and 4x100 relay) and two each from senior Mark Williams (400, 4x400) and junior Colby Walden (400, 4x400), there was no gold or silver in that haul. The Terriers wound up fourth in the team standings with 42 points, while St. Thomas Aquinas, winner of three events, rolled up 65 for first place.

The University of Florida-bound Demps, who has earned a provisional qualifying spot in the U.S. Olympic trials' 100-meter dash this summer, won the 100 (10.40 seconds) and anchored the winning 4x100 relay (41.28).

"I think we left a lot of points out there today, but there was just great competition here," said Hillsborough coach Joe Sipp. "Teams like St. Thomas have been at it a long time and we're just trying to build our program up to that level. We'll be back here next year and we'll be even stronger."

The area's top team wound up being Wharton's girls. But with the talent the Wildcats boast, their second-place finish to three-time champion Orlando Oak Ridge was no surprise.

Wharton started with a victory in the 4x800 relay and followed with a second-place effort from sophomore London Enos in the pole vault. The Wildcats finished with a win in the 300 hurdles when junior Amani Bryant ran a lifetime best of 42.92 and a fifth in the 4x400 relay to earn their highest finish at the state finals.

Wharton also got big points from twins Kathia and Katrina Skinner. Katrina ran on the 4x800, took third in the 1,600 and the 3,200, where she posted a personal best of 11:19.91. Kathia was also on the 4x800, where she struggled home the final 50 meters to help her team set a school record (9:22.43), took fourth in the 800 and ran on in the 4x400.

"I don't think we could have run any better than we did today and I'm very pleased," said Wildcats coach Wes Newton. "Whoever thinks it's easy to get even second place in 3A track and field is crazy, and for us to do it, it took the best season we've ever had."

Enos' silver medal in the vault came after she cleared a personal best of 10 feet, 6 inches. Enos cleared her first three heights without a miss until 11-0, which only winner Keari Brink of Ridgewood could manage.

Brink cleared 11-0 on her third attempt. Had she missed, there were four vaulters still alive at 10-6. Brink had two misses before the bar moving to 11 feet, at 9-6 and 10-0. Clearing 11 was the difference between gold or out of the top three.

"When there were nine girls left, I felt like I was going to place sixth, and I started to panic," Brink said. "Once I cleared 11, I was like, 'yes.' And as soon as I hit the mat, the official said, "First place!'"

Hillsborough County produced two individual silver medalists, Jefferson senior Darrell Young, who popped a lifetime best of 23-10.5 in the long jump finals, and Tampa Bay Tech sophomore La'Shae White, whose time of 56.51 shaved more than a second off her personal best.

The county also boasted a trio of individual bronze medalists in the field events: Megan Fenzau of Brandon in the discus (124-3), Marissa McElveen of Blake in the triple jump (37-10) and Tampa Bay Tech's LaVaughn King in the boys triple jump (45-3.75). Wharton's boys 4x800 relay team of John Grellner, Keyon Jones, Corey Murray and Danny Layton also took home a bronze medal in a season-best time of 8:01.46.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT