Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 13, 1990 TAG: 9006080024
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: bob teitlebaum/sportswriter
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"You don't need as many points to win a regional championship, and if you have guys who can place at a high level, you have a chance," said Wallace Thompson, the William Byrd boys' coach.
"I pay attention to team totals", said Scott Register, a distance runner for the Terriers. "But basically everyone tries to have their personal bests and if they do, it works out."
It certainly worked out for Byrd on Saturday as the Terriers stormed from behind to beat Northside 72-61 and win the Region III boys' championship. The vikings, who had control until Register won the 3,200-meter run, had finished third in the Blue Ridge District meet, one spot ahead of the Terriers.
Jefferson Forest's girls, who swept the Seminole District title, added the region title behind versatile Angie Dudley. The Cavaliers beat Magna Vista by 25 points, leading from start to finish as Dudley scored 42 points - more than half of her team's total of 81.
Byrd trailed Northside by 23 points with four events left in the boys' competition. The Vikings lead started to disappear as the Terriers' Paul Jordon won the 300 hurdles in 39.1 seconds and Brod Bonds took the 200 in 21.9 seconds. Both times were personal bests.
Register followed those victories with a 10:01.4 to win the 3,200. That put Byrd ahead by five points, and the 1,600-meter relay team that included Bonds and Jordan finished third to nail down the victory.
Going into his race, Register had the fifth-fastest time in the meet, but Bassett's Robert Shorter, the favorite, scratched because he was bothered by a sunburn he got earlier in the week. Laurel Park's Bruce Berger, who had the second fastest time, was ill and didn't attend the meet.
"The team standings helped psych me up for the race. Berger beat me out by this much at the regionals last year," said Register, holding his hands about a foot apart. "But I beat him in the state."
Byrd won seven events. One of the biggest shockers was in the discus, where Todd Moore threw 137 feet, 4 inches. Until Saturday, he had never gone beyond the 120s.
The Terriers improved on their performance in the district, where they won five events. Byrd's performance also raised the question: Can the Terriers pull a repeat of two years ago, when they crept up on the field to win the Group AA championship.
"I don't know, it depends what's in the state," said a cautious Thompson. "This is a different team. Two years ago, we won nothing below the 400 meters, and today the only thing we won above the 400 was in the 3,200 with Register.
Bonds anchored the victory as he won the 222, 100 and long jump. In the Blue Ridge District, he false started in the 100 and was disqualified. Luckily for Byrd, he had a regional qualifying time in the trials.
"The guy beside me broke and then I broke," said Bonds."They got me because I had gone a stride farther."
Northside may have finished second, but the Vikings have all but one member of their team returning next year. The foremost of the returnees will be Blake Burke, who won the high jump and then shocked the field by taking the 110-meter hurdles.
"I surprised myself," said Burke, who ran a 15.0 in the hurdles. "From 16.4 (his previous best time this year) to 15 flat was incredible."
Dudley has been nursing an injury to her left ankle, suffered in softball, and hasn't come close to the performances she turned in as a junior. At least she hadn't until Saturday.
"About a week ago, things started coming together for her," said Jerome Loy, Jefferson Forest's coach.
Dudley still isn't up to par. She finished fourth in the triple jump at 34-2 1/2 while Cecile Organ of Altavista hit a 36-2 for the only record of the day. The record she broke was Dudley's 34-11 1/4 last year.
"I still have a little trouble, but until today I had only jumped off my left foot four times," said Dudley, who won the long jump with a 17-6 3/4 and the high jump at 5-2. "I hadn't jumped over 17, so I wanted to do that today."
Does Dudley regret having tried softball and track? "About half-and-half," she said. "If I hadn't played softball, I'd have regretted it. But now I sort of regret that I did play softball."
The best race of the day came when Staunton River's Charlene Correll beat defending champion Cory Morris of Brookville by 1.3 seconds in the 1,600-meter run. Correll led for three laps. Morris kicked by her on the back stretch of the final lap, and then Correll refused to buckle and came right back to overtake the Bee's junior to hold on for the title.
FOR THE RECORD
Correction correction ran Tuesday, May 15, 1990
William Byrd High School's Todd Poore won the discus event in the Region III track meet reported in Sunday's editions. Because of a reporter's error, the name was listed incorrectly.
Memo: correction