ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, April 26, 1996 TAG: 9604260033
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER THE GOLDEN EAGLES hope to give Patrick
Henry and William Fleming a race for the boys' crown.
STAUNTON RIVER READY TO MAKE A RUN AT COSMO TITLE
The Cosmo has been expanding and no longer are household names among Roanoke's high schools dominating the team battles. Christiansburg's girls were entered for the first time last year and used the Cosmo crown as a springboard to the Group AA track title a month later.
Now Staunton River's boys hope to do the same thing. They are expected to battle Patrick Henry and William Fleming for the boys' title among the 23 schools entered.
The Cosmo is the biggest of two meets this weekend, with the All-American Relays playing host to 14 schools Saturday at Radford beginning at 10 a.m. For the first time, the All-American meet is limited to Group A schools.
The Cosmo starts today with preliminary heats and field events in the middle school division at Glenvar and preliminaries for junior varsity and high schools at Salem. Senior field events start at 9 a.m. Saturday at Salem High School, and finals begin at 11:30 a.m. for all three divisions after the parade of athletes at 11.
Staunton River isn't new to the Cosmo field, and coach Joe Curcio is one of the veteran cross country and track coaches in Timesland. But the Bedford County school never has been a serious challenger for the team title.
``This is the best boys' team I've had since I've been here in 1975,'' said Curcio. ``We'll give them [PH and Fleming] a run. I don't know that we can beat either one of them.''
Ronnie Goff, who won the 400- and 800-meter runs last year, jumper Jarrett Ferguson, distance runner Brian Harlor and sprinter Ahmed Sangbana, an exchange student, have made Staunton River a strong entry at other spring invitationals. Coaches in the Cosmo, especially Fleming's Rudy Dillard and PH's Jeff Johnson, know about the Golden Eagles.
Fleming nosed out the Christiansburg boys last year, and the Blue Demons, who have ruled Region IV track for the past six years, might make a run in the Cosmo behind sprinter Larry Carter. PH was third last year, but went on to claim the Northwest Region crown ahead of the Colonels while the Blue Demons, after a strong regional, faded in the Group AA meet.
Raheem Barnwell, who will be in all the jumps and both hurdles, and Louis Booker, in the 200- and 400-meter dashes, are good enough to make PH a threat. The Patriots also have the advantage of being one of the few teams with pole-vaulters, and that could be a difference in a close meet.
Fleming has Fenn Crutchfield, a nationally ranked jumper in the winter, who also will be in the sprints. However, Waris Wade, an outstanding hurdler, has been fighting a lower-back problem this spring and has just started running again.
The girls' meet has no team favorite. Salem might have been the choice, but coach Tom Roth elected to run some of his better performers who are freshmen or sophomores in the junior varsity division. One such athlete is Ashley Bush, who placed last year in the Group AA 100-meter hurdles.
Also, Salem's excellent 400-meter relay team that was second in the state last year and returned this spring won't run because second-leg runner Marilyn Huang is out of town.
``Marilyn is in Atlanta competing for a $20,000 college scholarship. Like I told her, I can't pay her $20,000 to compete in the Cosmo,'' Roth said. ``It's hard to replace a second leg, so the relay team won't run unless there's an earthquake in Atlanta.''
Glenvar's Trish Nervo, who was nationally ranked in cross country, will try to double in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs, something she couldn't do in the Cosmo last spring, but achieved in the Group A meet.
Other top competitors among the girls are Lord Botetourt's Wendy Heath and Takisha Basham and Northside's Emily Hollett. All three are entered in multiple events.
Radford's girls and Giles' boys won the Group A titles last year in the All-American Relays. The Spartans went on to win the Region C crown and have to be considered the favorites this year.
The Spartan girls won the Group AA Division last year and used that as a springboard to a second-place finish in the state meet.
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