THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 23, 1994 TAG: 9410210351
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, CURRENTS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Churchland has the best boys cross country team in the school's history. But there will be no Southeastern District championship banner to show for it unless the Truckers can pull off an upset this week.
The annual district meet is Thursday at Great Bridge. And it just so happens the host Wildcats figure to be a mite better than the Truckers.
The meet will start at 4 p.m. Churchland athletic director Bill G1bl23xc Smith Strickland is meet director.
``Winning isn't out of our reach,'' Churchland coach Clarence Brown said. ``But we'll have to do better than we have ever done to win.
``We need a little help from somebody else. But I don't think we'll be any worse than second.''
Added Truckers co-coach Winston Brown, the head coach's son and a former district champion himself, ``It is a bit frustrating to have the best team our school has ever had and still be behind someone else in the district.''
In posting an undefeated season in regular league meets, Great Bridge has a 13-runner squad.
Great Bridge won both the district and Eastern Region crowns a year ago.
Veteran coach Steve Sawyer, in his eighth year at the helm of the Wildcats, hints this may be his finest squad.
``Depthwise, I would have to say this is our best team,'' said Sawyer. ``We have seven who can run within 10 or 20 seconds of each other.''
Great Bridge has the two top-ranked cross country runners in South Hampton Roads in Eric Adams and Mike Donnelly. Churchland's Ryan Smith, sixth-ranked in the area, is the No. 3 runner in the district.
Smith had a 16:35 clocking Wednesday in winning the regular-season finale between the three Portsmouth schools at Churchland Wednesday. He nipped Wilson's Perez Bottoms at the wire.
Unbelievably, the Wildcats had eight runners break 17 minutes over the 3.1-mile Great Bridge course in the regular-season windup Wednesday. Adams (15:21) and Donnelly (15:47) were under 16 minutes.
Western Branch's Hank Savedge took individual honors in the district meet the past two years but has graduated. Donnelly was runner-up last year and Adams was fourth. Third went to another Wildcat, John Johnson, who has graduated. Smith was eighth last year.
Savedge and Donnelly both broke 16 minutes. Savedge's winning time was 15:52, six seconds better than managed by Donnelly.
Eight runners were under 17 minutes, four from Great Bridge. The Wildcats finished with 29 points, claiming their first district championship since 1980.
Western Branch was runner-up with 37. Churchland was a distant third with 92.
Several other runners are capable of pushing the frontrunners this year. In addition to Smith, this group includes Western Branch's Allan Sivils and Billy McGlaughan and Wilson's Bottoms.
McGlaughan, a sophomore, won the last Chesapeake city meet a year ago but missed recent meets. He was 11th in last year's district meet. Sivils was ninth and Bottoms was fifth, 13 seconds out of third place, in the '93 district meet.
In the girls division, Western Branch also is seeking repeat titles in the district and regional meets.
The Bruins, led by Meredith Turnage, are after their third consecutive district championship. Turnage won last year in an 18:48 time. She's ranked as the area's No. 1 cross country runner.
Her prime challengers are teammate Heather Allen and Great Bridge's Dawn Trueblood and Tracey O'Neal. O'Neal is only a freshman. Trueblood was second and Allen was fifth a year ago.
Turnage posted an 18:24 time Wednesday in winning the season finale at Great Bridge against runners from the five Chesapeake schools. Allen finished second, Trueblood third and O'Neal fourth.
The top four teams and the 15 leaders on non-qualifying teams will advance to the Eastern Region meet. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Smith
by CNB