St. Al head to regional

[04/26/02]Beginning with Saturday’s Region 2-5A and 3-1A meets at Madison Central, the high school track season becomes like reality TV – The Weakest Links will be gone and the best will be Survivors.

The top four finishers in each event Saturday go to the North State meet in Tupelo May 4. The top three in each event there head to the state meet in Jackson in two weeks.

A good time is as important as ever, but so is making sure that it’s good enough to advance.

“At this time, we’re more focused on times. Placing is important, because you have to come in the top four, but you have to run a good time, too,” Warren Central girls coach Andrea Fairchild said. “You can have an off day as long as you get in the top four. But generally, the better your times, the better chance you have to move on.”

The regional meet also marks the point in the season where teams start to focus on either a few individuals or going for a team title. The North and South State meets, as well as the state meet, become a numbers game.

The numbers seem to favor Vicksburg High. Both the Gators and Missy Gators have at least two athletes qualified for most events on Saturday, giving them a fighting chance at winning the meet.

“We have two people in every event except five, and that stacks us up pretty good. It just depends on how well we run now,” VHS boys coach Bobby Huell said.

The Gators’ main competition will come from perennial power Madison Central. VHS has dominated in most of the sprints this season, and Huell hopes that will carry the Gators to the meet title.

“If we get out there and do what we’re capable of doing, we can win,” Huell said. “Madison also has something like five events with two people in them. They’re in the same boat we are. We just have to beat them, and not overlook some other teams.”

While the VHS boys use the sprints as their springboard, the Missy Gators’ strengths are field and distance events.

VHS shot putter Katrina Sanders is the defending state champion, discus thrower Annika Dunmore has been solid, distance runner Jessica Morris has dominated in the 1- and 2-mile runs, and Tiffany Hubbard and Chasity Davis have often finished first and second in the 800-meter run.

“That gives me chills when you see two Vicksburg shirts coming in like that,” VHS coach Vernita Bennett said.

Several schools have a shot at winning the overall girls title, Bennett said.

“There is no dominant team this year … I think our chances are just as good as Murrah or Tupelo or Callaway,” Bennett said.

The Vikings and Lady Vikes have several athletes capable of making it to the state meet and competing for state titles, but pobably not enough to put them in the running for a team title.

WC’s JaQuita Benard was second in the shot put and fifth in the discus at the state meet last year and figures to be a contender again this season. Wanda Calvin should advance in the hurdles and high jump, and freshman Jasmin Major has been a pleasant surprise in the 100 and 200.

“It’ll be interesting to see what happens,” Fairchild said. “Our whole season has come down to physically, they’re ready, but they have to be mentally prepared too. You don’t think of track as a mental sport, but it is. It all comes down to who can outthink someone else.”

The Vikings’ struggles in the running events will likely knock them out of the running for a team title, WC boys coach Morris Johnson said.

Freshman distance runner Brad Gaines has placed near the top in most meets this season, as have high jumpers Walter Cook and Chi Chi Ezekwe. Ezekwe is also a contender in the 300 hurdles.

“We’ll probably do better in the field events than in the running,” Johnson said.

For St. Aloysius, which will compete in the Region 3-1A meet, the number to keep in mind is “one” that’s where the Flashes stand after last week’s field events.

With a solid corps of distance runners, led by state cross country champion Mack Henry, St. Al coach Chuck Trahan feels the Flashes can hold onto the lead through the running events this week.

“We don’t really have the sprinters out this year, but we are strong in our field events,” Trahan said. “We have a chance to hang onto the lead we’ve built up because of our distance runners.”

Getting to run against 1A schools will also help St. Al’s cause, Trahan said. Most of the other meets St. Al runs during the season include much larger schools.

St. Al’s girls are in third place after the field events, but probably won’t be able to improve their standing. The Lady Flashes only have five team members, including two sophomores and a freshman.

“We look forward to regionals and state after running against the big dogs,” Trahan said. “When we get to 1A, it’s a big boost for our kids because we’re running against schools that are the same size as us.”