Two additional faces help Rosewood achieve gold, again

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on May 24, 2016 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

GREENSBORO -- Alex Godwin handed the baton off to Rosewood teammate Zack Barnes, walked off the track and leaned over to catch his breath.

Then he gazed up at the big screen on the Irwin Belk Track at North Carolina A&T State University.

The lanky Barnes had passed a competitor and taken the overall lead during the first 200 meters on the anchor leg of the 4x4 relay. Barnes used his long strides to lengthen his advantage and his teammates shouted their encouragement as they followed him around the infield.

Moments later, Barnes crossed the finish line.

And the Eagles -- with two new runners -- had successfully defended their state title in the season-ending N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A track and field championship meet.

Rosewood posted a time of 3 minutes, 29 seconds -- just .29 seconds ahead of runner-up Avery County. South Davidson and Murphy placed third and fourth, respectively.

A mere 1.6 seconds separated the top four relay teams.

"We knew pretty much all year we were going to have a strong team again with me and Montonio (Wheeler) returning," Barnes said. "We didn't know how we were going to do, but we knew we were going to make it back to states and have a chance to win it.

"There wasn't really any talk of 'could we do it?' It was just could we finish?"

Airic Murray and Quan Joyner comprised part of Rosewood's quartet that won the 2015 title. A strong hurdler and sprinter, Godwin took over one spot vacated by the two seniors.

Senior Ethan Chapin filled the remaining void.

"Last year after Zack and them won the 4x4, I knew they had two seniors that were going to be leaving, so I talked to Coach (Robert) Britt and told him I was going to run track," said Chapin.

"He had me run two other relays. I was confident going in (to states) because we had two good replacements. Zack and Montonio (Wheeler) had the experience. They've both got long legs ... they just fly."

The foursome repeated as the Carolina 1-A Conference and eastern regional champions.

Surprisingly, no nerves surfaced during the state finals.

It was all business.

Chapin stepped onto the track for the start of the 4x4. Beside him was Winston-Salem Atkins sprinter Tony Davis, who had won the 400-meter state title earlier in the day.

"I knew I probably wouldn't be able to run with him," Chapin said. "I just ran my pace and had my kick. (I) was fifth going into the last 100 and then I handed off third (to Wheeler). He passed everyone, then got passed on the backstretch."

Wheeler's goal was to keep Rosewood within striking distance after the second leg. He handed off to Godwin, who immediately fell into a pack of runners during the first 100 meters.

Godwin noticed the pace slowed down.

"It was like their gas tank was getting empty, so then I thought maybe 'OK, I can speed up a little bit because I know my gas tank still has some in it,'" Godwin said.

As the runners cleared the 200-meter mark, Godwin started his push. He planned to give Barnes a clear advantage and had just one runner in front of him as he neared the handoff zone.

Barnes took the baton.

The final four runners strolled around the track in blazing fashion. Less than a minute later, Barnes crossed the finish line and the celebration began.

"All the emotions hit me at one time," said Godwin. "Montonio (Wheeler) was running over to Zack and he was crying already."

According to Association records, Rosewood became the first school in Wayne County history to win back-to-back state championships in a relay event. The Eagles finished third in the team portion of the meet.

In the past two seasons, Britt has coached seven state champions -- six in the relays and senior Marquail Al-montaser, who won the 110-meter hurdle crown a year ago.

Rubbing the gold medal dangling around his neck, Barnes easily summed up his final -- and memorable -- season.

"We clicked. (Ethan and Alex) brought back the same speed we had last year, maybe a little better," Barnes said. "Ethan, wow, he filled in and did a lot for us this year. Having him on the 4x4 was even better. He didn't have the experience, but he's always been a great runner.

"I did what I could ... came and did my job."