Rosewood boys track faces its legacy

By David Williams
Published in Sports on May 14, 2004 1:58 PM

• Print
• Email

Track and field is a unique team sport in that it measures each individual competitor on a team in order to come up with a team result.

Track is the most difficult sport for a coach to hide a weak link. Every athlete must give his best effort in a sport where meets and titles are won or lost on single points.

That singular aspect of the sport makes the achievements of Rosewood High School's boys' track teams most impressive -- six straight Carolina 1-A Conference championships and three straight 1-A regional team titles.

On Saturday, the Eagles will try and do it again as the N.C. High School Athletic Association's 1-A eastern regional takes place at the Rosewood track facility.

According to coach Daniel Barrow, it will not be easy.

"We will have to perform at our best and hope some of those others have a bad day," Barrow said. "Union, Wallace-Rose Hill, Farmville Central and us are all in the hunt.

"Any of those teams can win it. We have a shot at it."

The Eagles will be wary of Farmville, a team that nearly cost Rosewood the school's second-longest winning streak at last week's Carolina 1-A Conference meet. The Jaguars had two of their relay teams disqualified, giving Rosewood enough breathing room to pull out the win.

The top four individual finishers in each regional event will get a place at the state 1-A championship meet on May 21 at N.C. State University's Paul Derr track.

Rosewood has gotten strong showings all season from sprinter Javon Williams, who will run the 100, 200 and the 400 and 800 relays; twin brothers Jeremy and James Reusch, who will do the long jump, triple jump and the 110 and 300 hurdles; jumper Brandon Briggs, who will compete in long jump and triple jump; distance runner Bryce Havenook; and field athletes Michael Spriggs, Craig Montgomery, Troy Smith and Kyle Grey.

Spring Creek, whose boys team has had its best season in school history, will lean on sprinter McKenzie Jones, who will run in the 100, 200 and 400 meter sprints. Coach Roy Whitfield said that in addition to Jones, shot putter Jose Guijarro and discus man Jordan Potter have good chances to qualify for the state meet, as does pole vaulter Eric Walters.

For the girls, Rosewood will stand with seniors Heather Murray, a four-event qualifier who runs both hurdles races, the long jump and the triple jump; and Kerry Garner, who will do the long jump, high jump, the 200 and 400 meter races. Christy Skowronski will run the 800, 1600 and 3200, while Sa'Coya Cox takes on the 100, 200, and the discus.

Spring Creek will showcase four-event athlete Christina Fenwick, who will try to the long jump, triple jump and both hurdles races. Three Gator relay teams will try to qualify for the state meet -- the 400, 800 and 1600 teams.

One of the better rivalries will be showcased in the distance races as North Duplin's Amy Arthur takes on Princeton's Summer Graham. Both competitors were in the top ten at the 1--A cross-country championship, with Graham just missing out on a win.

The 3-A regional meet will also be held Saturday at Wilson's Fike High School. Several of the area's top atheltes will be trying to move on to the state championship meet on May 22.

The boys meet will feature some of the top athletes in Wayne County. Goldsboro likes the chances of Jacob Sykes in the 400 meters as well as the 400 relay team, while distance runner Matt Interrante will lead Eastern Wayne's hopefuls. Keith Cobb is running quality sprint times and leads the hopefuls for state berths from Charles B. Aycock, while sprinter Will Davis and 800 meter runner Antwan Williams will be among the Southern Wayne contingent.

On the girls side, Southern Wayne's Chriusty Dixon qualified in four events -- the 100, 200, triple jump and long jump -- and could make the state field in any of them. Aycock rteturned a seasoned veteran in distance runner Liza Davis, and Amy Fryt is having a strong season in pole vault and in the sprints. Goldsboro's Ashelyn James will compete in the shot put and the 400 relay team could also qualify for the state meet.

3-A regional qualifiers

Boys

Goldsboro

Jacob Sykes (400), 400 relay (Kelvin Ingram, Maurice Lewis, Retty Davis, Jerry Gills)

Southern Wayne

Will Davis (100), Durrell Washington (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles), Terrence Davis (shot put), Antwan Williams (800) Derrick Lathan (long jump), 3200 relay team (Quintin Thompson, Mustafa Springston, Thomas Oliver, Anwtan Williams), 400 relay team (Desmond Faison, Marcus Oates, Ronald Cox, Will Davis), 800 relay team (Desmond Faison, Michael Warren, Derrick Lathan, Ronald Cox)

Eastern Wayne

Shawn Villanueva (shot put), T.D. Kornegay (long jump, 100), Chris Campbell (triple jump, 110 hurdles), Keone Davis (300 hurdles, 110 hurdles), Quinn Davis (100), Michael Lawrence (1600, 800), Matt Interrante (3200), 400 relay, 1600 relay, 3200 relay

Charles B. Aycock

Keith Cobb (100, 200), Blake Brockermeyer (pole vault), Shonte Barnes (shot put, triple jump), Omar Rowe (discus), Montez Hamm (long jump), Michael Scott (1600, 3200), Carson Sasser (800), 3200 relay (Michael Scott, Chris Spell, Carson Sasser, Tim Harrison) 400 relay (Keith Cobb, Recco Rowe, Spruce Lee, Montez Hamm)

Girls

Goldsboro

Ashelyn James (shot put), April Reid (discus), Shamika Hardy (100), 400 relay (Shamika Hardy, Chevoya Jackson, April Reid, Jessica Faison)

Eastern Wayne

Shelly Baker (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles), Jamie Vogt (800, 1600, 3200), Leslie Lewis (1600), Eugenia Baker (200), Lindsey Fennell (100) Brittany Anderson (discus), 400 relay ( Eugenia Baker, Lindsey Fennell, Jennetta Randolph, Alexandra Randall), 800 relay (Eugenia Baker, Lindsey Fennell, Alexandra Randall), 1600 relay (Eugenia Baker, Lindsey Fennell, Alexandra Randall), 3200 relay (Martina Hamilton, Jamie Vogt, April Vinson, Leslie Lewis).

Southern Wayne

Laccaro Mathis (shot put), Aldonna Jones (discus), Starneshia Graham (300 hurdles), Christy Dixon (100, 200, triple jump, long jump) 400 relay team

Charles B. Aycock

Amy Fryt (pole vault, 100, 200), Keyatta Pettiford (high jump, long jump), Jovane Holland (long jump), Cassandra Worrell (triple jump), Liza Davis (1600, 3200), Crystal Lewis (400), Artralia Williams (discus), 400 relay team (Quaneisha Milner, Crystal Lewis, Keyatta Pettiford, Amy Fryt), 1600 relay team (Quaneisha Milner, Jalisa Lewis, Alyssa Dobbin, Crystal Lewis)

1-A regional qualifiers

Boys

Rosewood

Michael Spriggs (shot put, discus), Craig Montgomery (shot put), Troy Smith (shot put), Brandon Briggs (long jump, triple jump, 200), James Reusch (long jump, 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles), Jeremy Reusch (triple jump, 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles), Tyler Daniels (pole vault), Shawn Young (pole vault), Bradley Mullins (pole vault, 400), Kyle Gray (discus), Jamie Phillips (discus), Ryan Rouse (110 hurdles), Javon Williams (100, 200), Bryce Havenook (1600, 3200), 400 relay (Shawn Young, Tyler Daniels, Markus Brunson, Javon Williams), 800 relay (Brandon Briggs, Tyler Daniels, James Reusch, Javon Williams), 1600 relay (Shawn Young, Joseph Edwards, Brad Mullins, Jeremy Reusch), 3200 relay (Zack Hardison, Bryce Havenook, Brandon Daw, Danny Langston)

Spring Creek

McKenzie Jones (100, 200, 400, long jump), Jose Giujarro (shot put), Jordan Potter (discus), Clayton Jones (discus, 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles), Lelo Burt (high jump, 200), Eric Walters (pole vault), 3200 rellay (Darin Straub, Elliott Hicks, Eric Walters, Paul Richter).

North Duplin

John Williams (1600, 3200), 400 relay (Matt Braswell, Eric Hudson, Tim Evans, Charlton Amrwood), 800 relay (Matt Braswell, Eric Hudson, Tim Evans, Charlton Armwood) 1600 relay (Desi Smith, Charlton Armwood, Sherman Hyatt, Eric Hudson) 3200 relay (Sherman Hyatt, Alex Jiminez, Jose Ledezma, John Williams)

Princeton

Lyn Boyette (pole vault)

Girls

Rosewood

Kerry Garner (long jump, high jump, 200, 400), Heather Murray (long jump, triple jump, 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles), Erica Murray (pole vault), Kortne Muntz (pole vault), Sa'Coya Cox (discus, 100, 200), Christy Skowronski (800, 1600, 3200), 3200 relay (Kortne Muntz, Caitlyn Poole, Erica Murray, Christy Skowronski)

Spring Creek

Kayla Shivar (discus), Rose Parks (long jump, 100), Christina Fenwick (long jump. triple jump, 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles), Lala Dobson (100), Janet Potter (1600, 3200), Jennifer Johnson (400), Kathryn Washington (800), 400 relay (Rose Parks, Elisha Darden, Lala Dobson, Kayla Shivar), 800 relay (Brittany Correll, Jennifer Johnson, Rose parks, Lala Dobson), 1600 relay (Kayla Shivar, Jennifer Johnson, Brittany Correll, Kathryn Washington).

North Duplin

Sierra Ward (100, 300 hurdles), Amy Arthur (1600, 3200), Any Hicks (1600), Jamie Vinson (400) 400 relay (Kelly Martin, Sierra Ward, Bethany Malcolm, Emily Deibert), 800 relay (Sierra Ward, Bethany Malcolm, Emily Diebert, Jamie Vinson), 1600 relay (Amy Arthur, Bethany Malcolm, Emily Diebert, Jamie Vinson), 3200 relay (Amy Arthur, Bethany Maclolm, Emily Diebert, Kelly Martin).

Princeton

Summer Graham (1600, 3200), Heather Braswell (400), Tiesha Williams (triple jump), Cynthia Peedin (shot put), Jennifer Tyndall (discus, 100 hurdles), C.C. Sanders (100 hurdles, high jump, 200), Courtney Yancey (800), Shanika Atkinson (300 hurdles, long jump. triple jump), 400 relay (Jennifer Tyndall, Tiesha Williams, Shanika atkinson, C.C. Sanders), 1600 relay (Courtney Yancey, Britney Stewart, Heather Braswell, Summer Graham), 3200 relay (Brittany Pierce, Britney Stewart, Courtney Yancey, Summer Graham).

A list of athletes from North Johnston High School was not available.