Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 4, 1994 TAG: 9406040052
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HAMPTON LENGTH: Medium
"Can you imagine, 22 [feet], 10 [inches] stood up in the state?" Millner said.
It did, and that was enough to make the Fleming senior, headed to the University of Florida on a track scholarship, the state long-jump champion.
The surprise of the Group AAA meet was the runner-up in long jump. Larry Jones, a Patrick Henry junior, is the heir apparent to Millner's domination of jumping in Roanoke after a 22-3.
The disappointment came as Cave Spring's Emily Rakes, the defending Group AAA high jump champion outdoors and indoors, tied for only third with a 5-4 performance.
Patrick Henry's Randy Burch failed to place in the pole vault, where he was expected to have a good shot at scoring points.
Still, it was a good day for PH, which has a long shot at winning the team state crown.
PH's chances are up to Jones and sprinter Jamie Price. Jones can score more points today in the 100-meter hurdles and triple jump, though he will have to surpass the expectations for him in this meet.
If that happens and Price can win the 100- and 200-meter dashes, PH might be in the running for Roanoke's first Group AAA team title since William Fleming shared the crown with Bethel in 1983.
"I think it will take the mid-30s to 40 [points]," PH coach Jeff Johnson said. "We thought we'd get something in the pole vault, but we didn't think we'd get this much [eight points] in the long jump."
Price easily won both his trials in the 200-meter preliminaries. He finished third in his second 100-meter trial but still qualified for today's final.
"I was kind of saving it for tomorrow, just trying to qualify," Price said. "It'll be tough [to win both], but I think I can do it. Some guy from Hayfield [Che Martin] ran the same time as me in another heat of the 200, but I believe I can beat him head to head."
Price, who ran in the state meet as a sophomore, comes in with the fastest times in the state in both dash events.
"I'm not used to this pressure," he said. "This is top-of-the-line pressure. I'd been told about it. Now I see it."
Though two RVD performers were one-two in the long jump, Millner got his winner early and was never challenged.
"This was my specialty, but we were jumping into a real stiff wind," Millner said. "Hopefully tomorrow [in the triple jump], we won't have such a strong wind and I can pop one and place in the top three."
Said Jones, "You couldn't get any speed running against the wind."
Millner was far off his best performance, the 24-5 1/2 jump he made in the district meet.
"I wanted to get [former Fleming great] Robert Majors' outdoor record [24-8 1/2], but I didn't. I got his indoor record, and he came back this year and said it was about time someone got it," Millner said of the star who won the 1983 state title for the Colonels.
Rakes attributed her demise as a high jump champion to a lack of good competition this spring.
"We really only went to one big meet, and that was at the beginning of the schedule," said the Knights' senior, who jumped 5-6 at the Vince Bradley Relays in Lynchburg. "It's disappointing, it wasn't what I wanted, but third place isn't bad."
BOYS
Pole vault - 1, Benhase, Bayside, 14-6; 2, Atkinson, Fauquier, 14-0; 3, Hesse, Herndon, 14-0; 4, Jackson, Gloucester, 13-6; 5, Larson, Lake Braddock, 13-6; 6, Aleem, Chantilly, 13-6.
Long jump - 1, Millner, William Fleming, 22-10; 2, Jones, Patrick Henry-Roanoke, 22-3; 3, Clarke, Norcom, 22-1; 4, Adu-Gyamfi, Herndon, 22-1; 5, Hille, Fairfax, 22- 1/2; 6, Wallace, Mount Vernon, 22-0.
Shot put - 1, Hunt, Menchville, 56-10; 2, Totten, GW-Danville, 54-1 1/2; 3, McGrath, Centreville, 53-1; 4, Davlin, Robinson, 52-9; 5, Obosun, Lee-Springfield, 51-5; 6, Dyer, Deep Creek 51-3 3/4. GIRLS
Long jump - 1, Flannagan, Heritage, 18-8\ ; 2, Brown, T.C. Williams, 18-8; 3, Webster, Henrico, 18-1\ ; 4, Johnson, Chantilly, 18-1 1/2; 5, Byrd, West Potomac, 17-11 3/4; 6, Burgess, George Marshall, 17-10\ .
Discus - 1, Watson, Hermitage, 149-1; 2, Kollar, First Colonial, 129-3; 3, Boyd, Deep Creek, 128-10; 4, Lewis, Great Bridge, 121-11; 5, Martin, Robinson, 116-2; 6, Banks, Lake Taylor, 114-10.
High jump - 1, McCoy, Heritage, 5-4; 2, Elliott, Western Branch, 5-4; 3, Rakes, Cave Spring, 5-4; 3, Petykowski, Cox, 5-4; 5, Lias, Menchville, 5-4; 6, Cooksey, Mount Vernon, 5-4.
Memo: NOTE: Shorter version ran in Metro version.