Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 21, 1993 TAG: 9305210107
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS BACHELDER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Earlier this month, the Colonels were stripped of an apparent title at the Cosmopolitan Invitational after team scores announced late in the meet were found to be in error. The recount showed Cave Spring had edged Fleming.
But in the five-team RVD meet at Salem High School on Thursday, the Colonels were too strong and too deep for the Knights. Fleming earned 157 points, 16 better than the defending district and Northwestern Region champions.
"We had a lot to prove," said sophomore speedster Lee Roy Witt, who won the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and ran a leg on the Colonels' victorious 400 relay team.
"We all thought we should have won the Cosmo and we wanted to make up for it today."
The girls' meet was without suspense or surprise as Patrick Henry enjoyed a smooth trip to a repeat RVD title. PH had points to spare - 177 compared to 97 1/2 for second-place Cave Spring.
William Fleming coach Rudy Dillard got everything he wanted from Witt and some extra from Clyde Lewis and Irving Kier.
Lewis won the 400 and then took first in the 800, an event he seldom runs. Kier won the shot put and threw a personal-best 149 feet, 9 inches to win the discus. Ernest Harrington also had a big day, winning the high jump and chipping in on Fleming's 400 and 1,600 relay wins.
"It was such a disappointing finish at the Cosmo, I think the guys wanted to show people that they could win it," Dillard said.
The Colonels outscored Cave Spring 19-0 in the high jump and 22-8 in the 400.
"Fleming got some points in places we didn't expect," said Knights coach Jim Huffman. "They have more depth and that helped them along."
Cave Spring's Barber twins helped keep the Knights in the meet. Ronde Barber won both hurdle events and took second in the triple jump. His time of 13.94 in the 110 hurdles broke the RVD meet record of 14.2, which he tied last year.
Tiki Barber won the long and triple jumps, and placed second to Witt in the 200.
Arminta Crosby and Deidre Trigg powered the Patriots to the girls' championship.
After winning the 100 and 200, placing second in the long jump and sixth in the triple jump, and sprinting a leg in PH's first-place 400 relay team, Crosby said Thursday was "not a good day at all."
"I wanted to finish higher in the triple jump and I should have won the long jump," said Crosby, who won three events in last year's district meet. "It was not one of my better days.
"I had terrible times. My teammates say, `Don't worry, you won it,' but I'm more concerned with bringing my times down and running against the clock."
Crosby suffered a slight hamstring injury at the finish of the 200, but she vowed to heal and improve for the regional meet. The top six finishers in each event Thursday advance to the Northwestern Region meet.
Trigg won the 100 hurdles, ran a leg of the 400 relay, took third in the triple jump and was sixth in the shot put. Teammate Regina Johnson won both the shot and the discus, and Kathryn McGrath won the 800, took third in the 400 and ran a circuit in the Patriots' winning 1,600 relay team.
Other top girls' performers included Franklin County's Lori Reynolds and Jennifer Pahlig of Pulaski County. Reynolds won the long and triple jumps, and Pahlig swept both distance events, setting a record of 12:05.1 in the 3,200.
NOTE: see microfilm for statistics.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***