Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 21, 1995 TAG: 9505240046
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Nervo, who has dominated Group A cross country and distance running for three years, romped to victories in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs for girls. In doing so, she smashed the meet records she set last year.
Giles' boys had little trouble winning their first Region C title since 1984, rolling up 75 points to outdistance Covington (50). The runners-up were led by Chris Merrell's sweep of two distance runs and Dusty Roman's victories in the high jump and triple jump. The two Cougars combined for 40 points.
The Giles girls had to survive the 1,600-meter relay to nose out Chilhowie, winning their first title since 1991. The Spartans scored 79.4 points to 76.2 for the Warriors, who had a mathematical chance of finishing first going into the final event. Chilhowie needed a second place or better to have any chance, but the Warriors finished third and Giles was sixth.
Nervo easily won her events, but said that she might run only the 3,200 next week in the Group A meet, as she did when she won that event last year.
``I'll make a decision by Tuesday,'' the junior said. ``I'd really like to get a good time in the state. I think I could win both events in mediocre times, but I'd like that one good time because colleges look at that more than a lot of first places.''
It was a day for sophomores, as James River's Melissa Baker (100 hurdles) and Radford's Charlee Taylor (800) won girls' titles. Taylor also set a meet record.
Baker took second in the 300 hurdles, beating a tough pair of Floyd County athletes - Melissa Cantrell and Leigh-Ann Pursifull. She also was third in the 100.
``I guess I'll just get better. I hope I'm not peaking too early,'' said Baker, whose older brother, Jack, was an outstanding hurdler for the Knights.
Taylor came back from arthroscopic surgery on her left knee.
``I worked at rehabilitating it all winter,'' Taylor said. ``I didn't make any assumptions like I could win the region.''
Giles' Brian Lambert was another 10th-grader who won Saturday, finishing first in the boys' 800 as he wiped out a big lead by John Battle's Daniel Sherratz.
``I had to talk my coach [Jerry Huffman] into letting me run the 800 and pull me out of the mile because I'm already qualified for it in the state. So I had to win for the team,'' Lambert said.
The Giles' girls were led by Tomika Saunders, who scored 50.2 points. ``I wanted more firsts,'' said Saunders, who won the long jump, 200 and 400 and finished second in the triple jump, 100 and high jump. Saunders and four others tied for second in the high jump to share 21 points.
``I'm happy, if my math is correct and we won,'' said Rusty Kelly, girls' coach of the Spartans. ``Tomika had a pretty good day and she's capable of doing well in the state. I figured this would be close between us, Chilhowie and Patrick Henry [Glade Spring]. Patrick Henry had some trouble in the field events.''
The Giles boys got a stellar performance from Maurice Milton, who won the 110 hurdles and finished second in the long and triple jumps and 300 hurdles, an event in which he lost a fine duel with Radford's Erik Barton. To beat Milton, Barton had to run a time of 41.3 seconds.
``That's the fastest I've ever run that,'' Barton said. ``I took a nap today and that helped me. I had a cold this week and that messed me up in the triple jump,'' in which he didn't place.
``He's been a competitor all year,'' Milton said. ``I'll have to get him in the state [meet]. I missed some practice this week because of a cold and I had to visit a school.''
As for Giles' team title, the Spartans also got a first place from Reggie Hoston in the long jump.
``I figured it would take between 66 and 77 points to win the team title,'' said Giles' coach Huffman, who was right in between. ``We also bettered a lot of times today.''
Covington's Merrell was tough against Floyd County's Ben Cooke, whom he beat twice. He had to scrap to stop the Buffaloes runner in the 1,600, then came home several yards ahead in the 3,200.
``I felt I could beat him in the mile because of the rankings [in time] and that we would be real close in the two-mile. It turned out the other way,'' Merrell said. ``We're really good friends and at the same time rivals.''
Host George Wythe got a good performance from Skye Crockett, who won the boys' 100 and 200 meters, both in matchups with James River's Brian Leflore in close races.
``We were supposed to race earlier, but he was hurt,'' Crockett said. ``He said he'd wait until the region. I didn't believe him when he said he'd get me. Trash talk. But he's pretty fast.''
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by CNB