Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 2, 1993 TAG: 9305030253
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
To no one's surprise, the Patrick Henry girls overwhelmed the field to run away with their third consecutive championship.
Saturday's meet was one of the best in Cosmopolitan history if it wasn't also one of the most baffling. Six meet records were established, and another was tied.
The boys' dash events were as good as their billing. Salem's Keith Moyer ran the fastest 100 meters in the meet's long history at 10.5 seconds, breaking the record of 10.6 he had tied in the trials Friday. He beat William Fleming's Lee Roy Witt and Cave Spring's Tiki Barber.
In the 200, featuring the same performers, Witt came back to tie the meet record of 21.6 and nip Patrick Henry's Jamie Price, the fourth good dash runner in Roanoke whom one coach predicted would upset someone in the Cosmo. Moyer finished third and Barber fourth.
Fleming's boys broke their own 400-meter relay record. Other boys' records set were the long jump and triple jumps, both by Tiki Barber. In the girls' meet, Arminta Crosby of Patrick Henry set the long jump record and Cave Spring won the 3,200 relay in record time.
The baffling part was the final team scoring in the boys' division. Before the last two events, public address announcer Charlie Briscoe read that William Fleming was leading Cave Spring 93-90. The Knights' Jason Dowdy won the 3,200 run while Fleming had no points in the event, seemingly giving Cave Spring a 100-93 lead going into the 1,600-meter relay.
That meant that for Fleming to win the meet, the Colonels would have to win the relay if Cave Spring scored. It also meant that if the Knights finished fourth or higher, they would win the meet.
In the end, though, Fleming blitzed the field for 10 points while the Knights wound up fifth for two points. At that juncture, the Colonels thought they had won the meet by a point.
Some 20 minutes later, though, when trophies were awarded, Cave Spring was awarded the boys' championship with a total of 102 points to William Fleming's 98. This came after another check of each event.
William Fleming coach Rudy Dillard at first refused to accept the second-place trophy. He later came back to get it but was most unhappy and refused comment.
"It wasn't going to change the total," said meet director Richard Pitts. "I don't know what was announced, but we've added it up, and that was the official score."
Briscoe, who for years has handled Atlantic Coast Conference and state high school meets as the public address announcer, said he only announced what was given to him.
Cave Spring coach Jim Huffman, who was as surprised to win as Dillard was to lose, quickly muttered, "I don't know what to say. I don't see what it has to do with who wins, but if it happened to me, I guess I'd feel the same way."
Huffman and Dillard said they didn't keep up with team scoring but went by what was announced.
There was no confusion about which team won the girls' meet.
Patrick Henry's girls were led by Crosby, who won three events, and double winner Regina Johnson. Crosby set a long jump record at 18-8 1/2 and won two dash events. She also anchored the Patriots' winning 400 relay team.
"I was aiming for a record, but I didn't know which one. I'm sort of ready to make a splash in the state," said Crosby.
Johnson won the shot put for the third straight year. In all, the two girls had a hand in six of the eight first-place finishes by the Patriots, who finished 56 points ahead of second-place Fleming. Cave Spring, which set the 3,200-meter relay record, was third with 69 points.
Cave Spring's boys' victory was led by senior twins Ronde and Tiki Barber. Ronde Barber won both hurdles with ease, but he missed a record in the 300 meters when he hit the first barrier. Tiki Barber set records in the long and triple jumps, each by a big margin.
"I'm going to try and win both in the state this year," said Tiki Barber, who won the long jump and failed to place in the triple jump last spring. "I didn't know I could triple jump this well because that's only the third time I've tried it this spring. I'm still having trouble with my ankles that I hurt in football."
by CNB