By Nick BirdsongSports Writer
03-27-2008
03-27-2008
Anniston's Paige Nelson, left, and Fredrika Jordan and Oxford's Kamiriel Wall race toward the line in the 200-meter dash during Wednesday's action in the Calhoun County Track Meet at Jacksonville State University. Wall won the race. Photo: Kevin Qualls/The Anniston Star
JACKSONVILLE — Oxford and Anniston dominated the Calhoun County track meet, which concluded Wednesday afternoon at JSU, taking the top spots in both the girls' and boys' division.
The Yellow Jackets took the top spot with 225 points, while Anniston mustered up 108 points to finish just ahead of Piedmont's 96. Oxford's girls racked up 229 points to Anniston's 152. White Plains was third with 72.5.
The Yellow Jackets took the top spot with 225 points, while Anniston mustered up 108 points to finish just ahead of Piedmont's 96. Oxford's girls racked up 229 points to Anniston's 152. White Plains was third with 72.5.
Oxford's Markiec Ridley turned the final leg of the boys' 4x800-meter relay into an exhibition of grace. The race was all but over the moment the long and lean 6-foot, 170-pounder was handed the baton. The senior looked quite comfortable as he seemingly glided around the track, punctuating his performance with a powerful kick in the last 100 meters to give the Yellow Jackets a 9:09.04 first-place finish.
"He's just so natural," Oxford coach Drew Bell said of Ridley, who also took home titles in the 400 (51.14) and 800 (2:11.19). "He didn't get a chance to run last year, but he still trained, and now he's doing events I think he didn't even feel he was capable of. He's got the great track and field-looking body. I think he's going to be able to go run at the next level."
Eclipsing the 200-point plateau in both the girls' and boys' at the county meet, including a sub-five minute mile by Jacoby Dove (4:59.02) and a pair of sub-11-minute two miles by Nathan Thrasher (10:55.03) and eighth-grader Dontavious Wright (10:56.26), gave Bell heightened hopes for the rest of the season.
Eclipsing the 200-point plateau in both the girls' and boys' at the county meet, including a sub-five minute mile by Jacoby Dove (4:59.02) and a pair of sub-11-minute two miles by Nathan Thrasher (10:55.03) and eighth-grader Dontavious Wright (10:56.26), gave Bell heightened hopes for the rest of the season.
"For us to do well in sectionals and state, we had to get over 200 points," he said. "We had to be well-rounded in every event. Yes, we expected to win, but this was a very big meet for us in my mind."
Fourth-year Anniston girls' coach Lisa Howard was pleased with her team's production as well.
Sophomore Darice Bowie won the triple jump (34-1) in her first time ever competing in the event and Paige Nelson took the 100-meter dash title for the Lady Bulldogs, running a 12.91 to beat out teammate Fredricka Jordan (12.96) and Oxford's Leah Sparks (13.03).
"They did great," said Howard of her team's effort. "…I was proud all around. It gives that extra boost. It gave them an idea of what the competition is going to be like against a 6A team like Oxford. Now they know they just have to work harder."
Bowie gutted out a victory in what was one of the day's finest races. Squaring off against Oxford senior Kamieriel Wall in the 400-meter final, Bowie started out strong and held on despite pulling up at the end to fight off a charging Wall to finish with a time of 58.71
"Because the girl from Oxford runs so fast, I've wanted to run with her for a long time so that kind of motivated me," said Bowie referring to Wall, who's ranked among the state's best in Class 6A. "She actually helped me out."
Bowie also won the long jump (15-10.25) while Wall won by a lean in the 200 final with a time of 25.92 over Jordan's (25.94).
Other standouts included Piedmont's Marquise Diamond, who won the 100 (11.02), 200 (22.94) and anchored the Bulldogs' first-place 400-meter relay squad (45.08). Donoho's Blake Mitchell won the boys' pole vault (9-2). White Plains' Natasha Sturkie won the girls' 100-meter hurdles by over a second with a time of 16.34.
