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Plant Boys, Gaither Girls Prevail

TBO photo by BILL WARD

Plant's Allen Sampson takes the baton from teammate Nathan Marvel on the anchor leg of the boys 440-yard relay.

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By BILL WARD

wward@tampatrib.com

Published: March 8, 2009

TAMPA - No one, including those who have attended the majority of the Nash Higgins Relays the past 39 years, can remember a Plant boys team winning this annual affair at Leto. But after capturing the first-place trophy Saturday, the drought is over for the Panthers.

Highlighted by its victory in the 440-yard relay, Plant knocked off two-time defending champion and district rival Hillsborough 85-70 in the county's first major competition of the 2009 season.

"I think this team is really in tune, working hard and coming together right now," Plant coach Shawn Balow said. "Hillsborough has great sprinters and jumpers and we've got the distance runners and some great sprinters of our own."

Despite missing three key athletes because of various reasons, Ladd Baldwin's Gaither girls squad managed to defend its crown. The Cowboys were led by senior hurdler Yesenia Perez, who anchored relay teams to first place in the two hurdles events. Gaither scored well in nearly every event to edge Hillsborough 68-62.5.

"We still thought we could be in the top three, even without everyone here," Baldwin said. "But we had to have everyone step it up today. We couldn't afford anyone to have an off-day."

Four of the most impressive Plant performers Saturday were juniors Allen Sampson, T.J. Glover and Deandre Queen and senior Nathan Marvel. That foursome took the 440 relay in 43.4 seconds over a Terriers team (43.9) anchored by Lindsey Lamar, who last spring was nationally ranked in the 100-meter dash and a state medal winner in the event.

The Panthers also got a solid showing from senior Orson Charles, whose lifetime best throw of 46 feet, 2 inches helped them win the shot put, and Nick Bergin, who was part of their discus, shot and high jump squads.

Hillsborough was missing standout Terrence Mitchell, who was attending a football combine, but the Panthers scored well enough throughout the meet - including the pole vault, where they outscored the Terriers 9-0 - to likely make that point moot.

"I think it's going to be a dog fight with Plant all season," Hillsborough coach Joe Sipp said. "They always seem to get us with that pole vault, where we can't get a point to save our life, but I'd like to think we can get them in a regular meet later this season."

Saturday's meet featured a team format in all events, including field events, where the top three jumps or throws from each school were combined to determine points.

Other notable performers were Sickles senior Derek Wehunt, who blasted a 26-second final 220 yards of his mile leg to anchor the Gryphons to first place in the distance medley (10:57.8); Jesuit's Connor Revord, who led the Tigers to first place in the two-mile relay (8:21.0), second in the distance medley and, in an interesting triple, first in the discus with his meet-best throw of 125 feet, 8 inches; Blake's Marissa McElveen, who had the top triple jump (36-5) and the No. 2 long jump (17-2); and Plant City's Jasmine Pope, who topped the long jump field (17-11) and ran on the third-place 440 relay.

Reporter Bill Ward can be reached at (813) 259-7456.

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