ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, June 7, 1996 TAG: 9606070043
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
TRISH NERVO REAPS another award, and Raheem Barnwell caps an outstanding season.
A lost shoe nearly cost Patrick Henry's Raheem Barnwell a state championship in Group AAA track.
With or without his shoes, though, Barnwell is the best Group AAA 110-meter hurdler in the state and is the Timesland boys' track athlete of the year.
The girls' winner is no surprise. Glenvar's Trish Nervo capped a brilliant career with two more state titles in the Group A meet, including a record, to win her second top Timesland award. She also was the Timesland girls' cross country runner of the year for the third consecutive time.
In coaching, Staunton River's Joe Curcio (boys) and Blacksburg's Lee Cross (girls) guided their teams to outstanding seasons in winning the top awards.
Staunton River captured its first team state title in any sport. Cross, a student at Virginia Tech, pumped new life into the Blacksburg girls' team, which finished second in Region IV and third in the Group AA meet.
Barnwell was more than a hurdler. He scored 38 points to lead the Patriots to their second consecutive Northwest Region title. In the state meet, he had 23 points and PH tied for second.
The problems started in the 110-meter hurdle trials when Barnwell lost his shoe during his heat race. Had he not finished in the top two, Barnwell would have been eliminated before the final.
``I was sitting in the stands when Coach [Tommy] Jones pointed out Raheem's shoe on the track,'' said Jeff Johnson, PH's coach.
``It was like, `Oh my gosh,''' Barnwell said. ``All of a sudden I'm in last place and everyone's in front of me. I just decided I wanted to get out of last and I started moving.''
Barnwell will go to Norfolk State to run track and possibly play football.
Nervo is headed to North Carolina on a running/track scholarship. She broke her own state meet record in the 1,600.
The Glenvar star beat out Blacksburg's Sarah Hendricks for the top girls' honor after the Indians runner, also a standout in cross country, won the 800 and 1,600 titles in Group AA.
``I just wanted to get good times. Most of my pressure [this year] has been to break records set the year before,'' said Nervo, whose 3,200 Group A crown was her third in a row. This year also marked the second time she has been a double winner.
``The weather [cool, cloudy and damp] couldn't have been more perfect,'' Nervo said. ``It had been hot all week. I felt like it was my chance for a big day with perfect conditions. I had been working hard for it and everything was going my way.''
Everything went Curcio's way in the Group AA meet after the Eagles won the Region III and Seminole District titles. His Staunton River team won the state title on the final triple jump by Jarrett Ferguson that gave him a third-place finish and the Eagles a three-point margin over Christiansburg.
``We felt at the end of last year if the eight to 10 key people came back and we picked up some others, we could be very good,'' said Curcio, who once was Staunton River's football coach and has been involved in track and field for 20 years. ``Toward the end of the indoor season, we knew it would materialize for us if everyone stayed healthy.
``We did very well at Liberty University in March, against mostly Group AAA competition. I thought we could be in the top three or four at the state. You always go in thinking you're going to win, but a lot of things have to fall in place - and they did.''
Cross is a former runner at Blacksburg and is completing studies at Virginia Tech. He had been working as an assistant with the Indians, but was thrust into the head coach's position when it unexpectedly came open in the spring.
``Our goal this year was to be in the top three. We had a strong team. With Shelli Stevens [hurdles] and Sarah Hendricks back plus a strong group of young talent, we felt OK,'' Cross said
``I don't think anyone could have beaten Bruton [winner by 22 points in the state], but on a different day, we could have finished second.''
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshots) Curcio, Nervo, Barnwell. Chart: Track andby CNBfield leaders.