Prep track and field previews

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on March 9, 2004 1:55 PM

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Goldsboro -- girls

Coach -- Gladys McClary, sixth season

Last year -- not reported

Gone -- Christina Henry will not take part

Back -- not reported

Outlook -- Many of the athletes McClary will count on are still playing basketball. The coach herself is still in season with the Lady Cougars, and is not practicing. The team will pit their young, inexperienced runners against more seasoned tracksters before the conference meets to help prepare them.

Goldsboro - boys

Coach -- Tovares Oates and Kris Jones, first season

Last season -- not reported

Gone -- Kelvin King and Courtney Tatum are graduated

Back -- Kelvin Ingram, Jerry Gill, Raphael McNair, Maurice Lewis

Outlook -- The Cougars have speed to burn, with a half-dozen runners posting solid sprint times. Ingram and Gill will anchor the sprints and the 400 realy team. Maruice Lewis should shine in the 400 and 800. An emphasis on field events will give the Cougars more team points in meets, as McNair throws shot and discus. There are very few distance runners, and none with experience or conditioning. The Cougars see their county rivals as prime competition -- Eastern Wayne, Aycock and Southern Wayne.

Rosewood -- boys

Coach -- Daniel Barrow, 11th season

Last season -- Carolina 1-A Conference champions with an unbeaten record, regional runners-up, advanced to the state meet

Gone -- nine seniors have graduated from last season's team

Back -- Javon Williams, twins Jeremy and James Reusch, Troy Smith, Brandon Briggs, Robert Rast, Bryce Havenook

Outlook -- Rosewood has won six conference titles in a row and have high hopes to make it seven in a league with Farmville Central and North Johnston. The Reusches are strong in long jump and high jump and join Williams for a speedy 400 relay team. Williams is among the fastest in the area in the 100 and 200 and Smith is a regional qualifier in shot put, while Rast is an accomplished pole vaulter nd Havenook is one of the better distance men in the league. Barrow will count on a considerable number of younger athletes to round out the squad and continue to build the school's track tradition.

Rosewood -- girls

Coach -- Daniel Baynes, second season

Last season -- 7-3-1, sent three girls to the state 1-A championships

Gone -- two seniors graduated

Back -- Sa'Coya Cox, Kerry Gardner, Heather Murray

Outlook -- The trio of Cox, Gadner and Murray all made the state championships last year and they will lead the small, but powerful Lady Eagles on a quest for conference and regional titles. Cox is a surprising sprinter and throws the shot, while Murray is an accomplished hurdler and jumper and Garner will contend in the long jump, the 200 and the 400.

Greene Central -- Boys

Coach -- Doug Melton, third season

Last year -- Eastern Plains 2-A Conference champions, regional runners-up, 13th at state 2-A championships.

Gone -- 17 seniors from last year's team, including Trey Scott, who is at North Carolina A&T.

Back -- Tyvonne Johnson, who runs the 110 hurdles, long jump, 200 meter dash and 300 hurdles; Rodney Wilkes, who runs the 400 meter dash and is on the 400 and 800 meter relay teams; Montrell Lee, the football standout who runs the 100, 200 and 400 and 800 meter relays.

Outlook -- "We will be young, but we'll hope on a few athletes, many of whom are underclassmen, to help carry us this year. We hope to just finish close to Southwest Edgecombe this year. They have a lot of strong returning athletes, and we lost a lot of important seniors. North Lenior and South Lenior will also be strong. North Pitt has a new coach and he may bring a lot of runners into the track program."

Greene Central -- Girls

Coach -- Andre Quinerly, third season

Last year -- went 12-0 in meets, put 13 girls in regionals and seven in state 2-A championships.

Gone -- Deborah Sheppard, Erica Yelverton, Renita Warren and Erin Mitchell have all graduated, three shot-putters from last year's team will not be back

Back -- Shontae Dodd, Mirriam Sheppard, Savannah Roberts, Sierra Bryant, Deandra Tyson, Teketia May

Outlook -- Quinerly said the team's tradition and senior leaders will be the strengths of the team, while field events and a small number of athletes on the team are weaknesses. He sees a strong conference, with South Lenoir and SouthWest Edgecombe leading the way with his own team. "We should contend as a conference championship team," Quinerly said. "But we have to work hard all season."

Southern Wayne - Boys

Coach -- Bob Warren, eighth season

Last season -- not reported

Gone -- not reported

Back -- Terrance Davis, Will Davis

Outlook -- The Saints field very young teams for both the boys and girls. Terrance Davis will anhor the field events at both shot and discus, while Will Davis should stand out in the 300 hurdles and the 400. "We will look to improve as the year progresses," said Warren.

North Johnston -- boys

Coach -- Ben Williams, fourth season

Last year -- made the state 1-A championship meet

Gone -- Jonathan Gomez, Travis Parker

Back -- Not reported

Outlook -- The Panthers have been in the weight room and should make strides in the field events. The team has a trdition of having strong distance runners and the weight room work should help the overall team speed. "I hope to have a great, productive season," Williams said.

Charles B. Aycock -- girls

Coach -- Trevor Pilkington, first season

Last season -- 17-10, two athletes went to the state 3-A championships

Gone -- Sherica Smith, Yolanda Jones

Back -- Keyatta Pettiford, Danielle Street, Liza Davis, Jalisa Lewis, Allison Dobbin, Lela Reid, Jovanna Holland, Cassanrda Worrell

Outlook -- Pilkington is very high on freshmen Amy Fryt, who he said "has the ability ot do some great things." The Falcons are deeper than in the past, especially in the sprints, but thin in other areas. Pilkington says his team should be very cmpetitive, and likes West Carterett as a league favorite.

Charles B. Aycock -- boys

Coach -- Kevin Smith, 2nd season

Last season -- 16-9, five athletes advanced to state 3-A championships

Gone -- James Serlick, Terrance Howell, Matt King

Back -- Chris Bell (distances), Spruce Lee (sprints) Keith Cobb (sprinter) and Blake Brockmeyer (pole vault)

Outlook -- Smith said he has a good nucleus back, "but we are as young as we have ever been in middle distance and long distances, which is usually our strength." Times for the distance runners are dropping weekly. The sprinters are as good as last year. Newcomers Casron Sasser (distances) and Jamorris Dickerson (field events) are having immediate impacts. Smith sees West Carteret and Eastern Wayne at the top of the league, "but from that point out it's pretty much a toss-up."

Spring Creek -- Boys

Coach -- Roy Whitfield, third season

Last year -- fourth place in the conference; five boys made the state championship meet

Gone -- None listed

Back -- McKenzie Jones, Clayton Jones, Jose Guijarro, Jordan Potter, Lelo Burt

Outlook -- Jones is a highly-regarded sprinter who made the state meet in four events last year, He is the centerpiece of the Gator squad that has more numbers and should fare better this season.

Spring Creek -- Girls

Coach -- Cassandra Tyson, third season

Last year -- sixth place in the conference

Gone -- None listed

Back -- Rose Parks, Kayla Shiver, Jennifer Johnson

Outlook -- The numbers have increased over last season, and thhe returning athletes have a year's exposure to their events to build from. Numbers and experience will be the keys for the Gator girls.

Wayne Country Day School

Coach -- Jewel Marlowe, first season

Last year -- First-year program

New -- Boys -- Chris Sheinall was a track athlete at another school before transferring in; Kris Exum, Philip Weeks, LaMar Carpenter, John Wallace, Jerry Allen, and Brian Brock will all contribute. Girls -- Desiree Tapley, Candice Headen was track athletes at another school before transferring in; Carolyn Zeimer, Laura Zeimer, Molly Peacock, Courtney Roberson, LaShonda Kates and Allie Mouw are all exepcted to make strong efforts.

Outlook -- Wayne Country Day is starting a track program for the first time, and all Marlowe has to build on is the cross-country runners she had in the fall. "This first year will be an essential building block to establishing a successful program," she said. "There are no schools in our conference who have track teams, so we will be competing largely against local public schools until our state meet. We hope to use these early meets to gain experience, build our skills and set personal records. I don't anticipate winning any meets as a team, but I do hope that several athletes will find success individually and in relays. I look forward to seeing the athletes gain new skills and abilities in the upcoming season."

Teams that did not report -- Eastern Wayne, Princeton, North Lenoir, North Duplin, North Johnston girls