Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 28, 1994 TAG: 9405280047
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
It was a good day for the Roanoke Valley District boys at the Group AAA Northwest Region track meet Friday.
The RVD dominated by winning seven of the 17 events. GW-Danville won the boys' team title with 81 points, ahead of William Fleming with 70 and Patrick Henry with 55.
The Patriots' Jamie Price proved to be the king of speed by winning the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Other RVD boys' winners were PH's Larry Jones (110 hurdles), William Fleming's Dominick Millner (long jump), Cave Spring's Jason Dowdy (1,600), Franklin County's Jerry Kasey (300 hurdles) and the Eagles' 400 relay team of George Cobbs, K.C. Hancock, Dwayne Terry and Stacy Helms.
The RVD produced only two winners in the girls' competition. Arminta Crosby, the district's most versatile athlete who scored well in the state last year, reinjured her left hamstring and failed to make the state meet in any event.
Gar-Field took the girls' title for the third straight year with 98 points. The best finish for the RVD was turned in by Cave Spring with 18 points.
The Knights' Emily Rakes won the outdoor high jump for the third consecutive year, and Pulaski County's Jennifer Pohlig whipped the field in the 3,200.
Fleming's finish in the boys' meet was no surprise, even though the Colonels finished second to PH in the district. The Patriots won the district meet by scoring heavily in the pole vault where they were unopposed.
Millner scored 18 points in the jumps and nearly anchored the 1,600-meter relay team to a come-from-behind victory over Woodbridge in the day's last event.
The Colonel senior made up a huge inherited deficit against Viking anchor Nathan Zezula and even took the lead. Then he faded from the effort as Zezula caught him in the final 100 meters.
"We had a great day and our relay team cut a lot of time off its previous best performance," said Fleming coach Rudy Dillard. "We kind of expected to be in the top three and just think, all three of those runners with Dominick are sophomores."
Millner, headed to the University of Florida, said he wanted to be a double winner in the jumps. "I guess I have to be satisfied. We had a side wind and it wasn't a good day for jumping," he said.
Price and Jones are juniors. Jones was the favorite to win both hurdles events, but he tripped coming out of the start of the 300 and was out of the race.
Kasey had to jump over Jones, but managed that. "I had about 15 strides after I went over him before the first hurdle," said Kasey, who wasn't unnerved.
"That was the second time I fell today," said Jones, who failed to get a good handoff in the 400 relay, which PH had won in last week's district meet after losing to Franklin County in the Cosmo.
Still, Jones placed in two field events and will be a factor in the state. "I guess this gives me a chance to concentrate more on the 110," he said.
Price, who shared the captaincy of the PH team with Jones, said he won the 200 for his teammate.
Now Price faces the ultimate pressure of the state meet, knowing that he'll be one of the favorites in both dashes.
"Guys have been shooting for me all year. I'm at the top of the list and can't go any place else. I'm excited about next week [in the state] and I'm shooting for the double," said Price.
Dowdy almost was a double winner, finishing second in the 3,200 to North Stafford's Jason Brewer.
"I've never done this well in the region," said an excited Dowdy. "I was pretty confident about the mile, but I was surprised at getting second in the 3,200."
Pohlig is capping an excellent senior season at Pulaski County. She finished ninth in state cross country and third in the region. She failed to win this event in indoor competition, the one negative aspect of her final year.
"That was motivation to win the 3,200 today," said Pohlig, who also finished third in the half mile. "I should have won the indoor regional. Based on times and what I've seen of other runners this spring, I thought I could win the 3,200."
Rakes has tried to be a versatile performer for the Knights this spring, but she qualified for the state only in her specialty, the high jump. She won the outdoor title last year and the indoor this winter, so now she'll go for a third consecutive state crown.
"I just hope we'll have a little less wind in the state," said Rakes, whose 5-4 jump Friday wasn't near her personal best.
by CNB