THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 3, 1995 TAG: 9512020134
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 34 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, CURRENTS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 133 lines
Last year's Southeastern District boys indoor track meet had such a close finish that even some of the participants didn't know which team had won when it finished.
Western Branch was the champion. Deep Creek was runner-up, four points behind. Churchland was third, another point back.
Deep Creek went on to win the Eastern Region and the state titles.
This year, at first glance, it would appear Deep Creek could be ready to make a sweep through the district, region and state. But Hornets coach Richard Cox is displaying a cautious optimism.
``We have the best bunch of freshmen I have ever been associated with,'' said Cox. ``With Jessie Grant, I think we definitely would be the team to beat. Now we just have to see how it goes.''
But DC doesn't have Grant. He has transferred to Indian River where he'll be racking up the jumping points. Grant won the long jump in the district outdoor meet in May. ``We lost a lot of potential points in the jumps when we lost Jessie,'' said Cox.
The indoor season starts on Wednesday, Dec. 6. This will be the last year for these eight schools in the district with the three Portsmouth teams moving into the Eastern District in September.
An alphabetical thumbnail sketch of the district teams:
CHURCHLAND
Coach Clarence Brown calls it ``a typical Churchland team - some great individuals but a lack of depth.''
He says some of the newcomers, particularly freshmen Ben Booth and Kasim Barnes, must come through to produce a solid team.
Multi-event star Jamin Elliot, who scored 30 points in last year's district indoor meet, captains the Truckers. He is a 45-7 triple jumper, 6-2 high jumper and 21-6 long jumper. Elliot also won the outdoor triple jump in the district meet.
Robbie Williams won the 3200-meter run last year but was disqualified for running out of his lane. Williams returns and also will be a threat at 1600 meters.
Other returnees are hurdler Alvin Goodman and shotputters Derick Brown and Shelton Barnes.
Booth, rated ``a great prospect'' by Brown, will be a distance runner. Barnes will compete at middle distance. Barnes was an 800-meter state champion in the Hershey competition.
DEEP CREEK
Ten veterans are back and joined by a group of newcomers that has coach Cox saying ``I am excited about the next three years.''
Deon Dyer, who led the Deep Creek football team to the district championship and won the state shot crown last year, may find his toughest competition at practice. Freshman Darrell Grant set a Chesapeake middle school record in the shot last year. ``The king and the next king,'' gushes Cox.
Other holdovers are sprinters Angelo Sykes and Chavis Mills, middle distance runners Willie Hinton, Connell William, Derrick Perkins, Jeff Reichelderfer and Jermaine May, jumper Chad England and Andre Thomos, another shotput contender.
The newcomers, in addition to Grant, include sprinter/jumpers Carlos Perry, Daniel Walton and Kenny Bullock, middle sprinter Brian Harris, hurdler Leslie Arnold, middle distance and distance runners Justin Howe, Steve Hinton and Masayashi Shibutani, an exchange student.
``We lost a lot of experience,'' said Cox. ``But this group is the most disciplined and hardest working bunch I have ever coached.''
GREAT BRIDGE
Trey Knox plans to stress individual improvement by the Wildcats this year, pointing out that the team lacks upperclassmen and has only a few holdovers.
Senior Jason Buckley will show the way. He is the only returning senior and won the 500-meter title last year. He also will run the 1,000 meters.
Juniors Brian Hunter and Greg Holden should be pointmakers for the Wildcats. The versatile Hunter will run the 300 meters, high jump and pole vault. In the district outdoor meet he won the high jump and pole.
Holden, termed a great worker and very competitive by Knox, will run the 1,000 meters and 3,200 meters.
INDIAN RIVER
Veteran coach Melvin Queen is building around three holdovers, shot putters Bobby Lewis and Jo Antoni and distance runner Michael Hayes, and transfer Grant.
Queen, Indian River's coach since the inception of indoor track in the Southeastern District, will have a solid addition in freshman Dion Peele. Peele was Chesapeake's middle school sprint champion.
Two other promising freshmen are Ryan Ross and Kenny Bly.
Grant will make the Braves very formidable in the jumping events. He's the premier long jumper and, along with Churchland's Elliot, the top triple jumper.
NORCOM
Robert Jackson has replaced longtime Norcom skipper Joe Langston, the only indoor track coach the Greyhounds have ever had, as head coach and views the relays and middle distances as the strong points of a young team.
He has 10 holdovers, led by Gerod Ruffin and Dejuan Newsome. Ruffin is a middle distance runner and Newsome is a hurdler. Both are seniors.
Other veterans include sprinters Shawn Branch and Al Britt, relay runner Carl McCray, hurdler Arkurie Williams, shotputter George Davis, long sprinter Anthony Hawkins and distance runners Darius Mason and Eric Hudson.
Top newcomers include sprinter Daron Satterwhite, middle distance runners Mike Phelps and Demarko Hurdle and shotputters William Stanley and Ronald Smith.
OSCAR SMITH
Matt Puryear and Andy Overton are co-coaching the Oscar Smith teams. This is Puryear's first year in indoor track.
The Tigers will be strong in the distance events with holdovers Guy Workman, Chris McKinnly and Josh Rose. Antonio Wilson is back in the sprints.
Additions in the sprints include Alvin Keels, Terrell Ellis and Byron Harvin. Freshman Tim Hall will vie in the distance runs.
WESTERN BRANCH
Wade Williams steered his Bruins to the championship last year and has nine returning from that squad. But the eight-year Western Branch coach, who has backed up the only two indoor championship teams the Bruins have ever had, says this is a rebuilding year.
``We should have a few outstanding individuals and good relay teams and we ought to be strong in the sprints and jumps,'' said Williams.
Western Branch has Malik Cook and Darren Walton, two all-district football players, in the sprints along with Jason Parker. Clayton Porter is a premier jumper and sophomore Kenny Mosely will contend in the hurdles. Emmett Johnson and Joey Clayton are back in the long sprints and Billy McGlaughon, the district cross country champion, and Robbie Bursch head the distance runners.
Middle-distance runners James Smith, Sergio Smith and Jared Judy are the standouts among the newcomers.
WILSON
Roger Smith, the cross-country coach, is at the helm of the indoor track team for his first season.
The returning runners include seniors Kenya Edwards, Mike Porter and Perez Bottoms and juniors Stevie Veal and Kevin Edwards. Veal is a sprinter and the others are distance runners.
Top newcomers are Donte Waters, Keelon Hodges, Lasean Henderson and Anthony Barner. by CNB