By Staff
By KEVIN TRAVIS, Sports Editor
Several area athletes are one step away from reaching the state championships.
They’ll look to take that step during today’s NCHSAA Class 3-A and 1-A East Regional meets. The Washington Pam Pack will compete in the 3-A meet at UNC-Wilmington, while athletes from Northside, Southside and Williamston will participate in the 1-A meet at Pamlico High School.
The top four finishers in each event qualify for the state championships, which will be held at North Carolina A&T. The 1-A state meet will be Friday and the 3-A state meet is set for next Saturday.
Pack’in a punch
Coach Jon Blank is taking 12 of his athletes from the Washington boys team to the regional meet. The Pam Pack had just one regional qualifier two years ago and four last year.
Blank credits dedication to helping turn the program around so quickly.
The Pack coach said his athletes have bought into his style, and he credits them for their success.
Dujuan Murray will participate in the discus and shot put events. His best throw of 144 feet, 7 inches is second best among the 12 contestants in the discus event. Murray’s top throw of 44 feet is 11th best.
The Pack has a pair of athletes in the long jump. Travis Daniels (22-6.75) and Jamaal Rouse (21-10) are seeded third and seventh, respectively.
Jamont Jones (11.20) and Roray Razor (11.10) will compete in the 100-meter dash.
Jones will also compete in the 200-meter dash.
The Pam Pack’s 400-meter relay team (44.0 clocking) of Roray Razor, Travis Daniels, Tony Turnage and Jamont Jones is tied for the sixth seed among the 12 teams entered.
Washington’s 3,200 meter-relay team (9:01 clocking) of James Corey, Allen Hodges, Casey O’Brien and Melvin Spruill is seeded 12th.
The Pack’s 1,600-meter relay team (3:40 clocking) of James Corey, Allen Hodges, Darien Peele and Melvin Spruill is also seeded 12th.
Three for Lady Pack
Coach Patricia Horton is sending three of her Washington Pam Pack female athletes to the regional meet.
Jessica Rogers will compete in the 1,600 and 3,200 meter runs. Her time of 5:56 is 11th best in the mile and her clocking of 13:01 in the two mile event is ninth.
Sharita Grice will participate in the discus event. Her toss of 126-0, which gave her a second-place finish in the Coastal Conference meet, is tied for best among the 12 contestants.
Samantha Smith will compete in the shot put event. Her best throw of 31-10 is ranked eighth best among the 12 entrants.
1-A Boys
Northside’s Ben Hopkins is ranked third in the shot putt with a throw of 45-03.5 feet. The Pam Pack senior will compete with a heavy heart. His step-brother, Johnathan Kirk, a U.S. Marine, was killed in combat in Iraq.
Also competing in the shot for Northside will be Korey Booth (42-6.5) and Michael McConville (41-7.5), who are seeded seventh and ninth, respectively.
Other area entrants are Southside’s Floyd Moore (42-11, fourth seed), Williamston’s Alonza Ransom (43-3.5, third seed) and the Tigers’ James Bond (40-9, 12th seed).
Northside’s T.J. Slade (20-04, seventh seed) and Anthony Martin (20-0) will take part in the long jump event.
Slade (6-2, tied for second seed) and Martin (5-10, 10th seed) will also compete in the high jump.
Slade (40-4.5, fifth seed) and Martin (39-11, eighth seed) will add to their busy day by participating in the triple jump. They’ll be joined by teammate Tony Lee (40-2.5, sixth seed).
Martin (11.24, 17th seed) will also run in the 100-meter dash.
Williamston’s Alonza Ransom (131-09, second seed) and James Bond (121-03, sixth seed) will be joined by Southside’s Floyd Moore (121-02, seventh seed), Mattamuskeet’s Gene Johnson (101-5, 12th seed) and Northside’s pair of Booth (113-01, ninth seed) and Hopkins (108-03, 10th seed) in the discus event.
A pair of Panthers, Wesley Andujar (17.02, fourth seed) and Rick Harris (17.26, fifth seed), will compete in the 110-meter hurdles.
Southside’s Chris Godley (53.10, fourth seed) leads the area runners in the 400-meter dash. Northside’s Clay Leary (54.04, seventh seed) will also compete.
Half of the field in the 300-meter hurdles is comprised of area athletes. Running in the event will be Southside’s Bryon Jordan (43.3, third seed), Northside’s Harris (43.47, fourth seed), Andujar (43.74, fifth seed) and Leary (44.53, ninth seed), along with Williamston’s Tiaris Northern (44.30, seventh seed) and Marquise Staton (44.50, eighth seed).
Running in the 200-meter dash will be Williamston’s Brandon Alston (23.40, eighth seed) and Jamel Moore (23.60, 15th seed).
Northside’s Warren Hamilton (5:01) is seeded second in the 1,600 meter run.
Hamilton is also seeded second in the 3,200 meter run with an 11:17 clocking.
Competing in the 800-meter run will be Northside’s Chad Davenport (2:11, third seed) and Eric O’Neal (2:16, 11th seed), along with Southside’s Brandon Cratch (2:11.5, fourth seed) and Williamston’s Printise Wilkins (2:15.70, 10th seed).
Northside (9:17, fourth seed) and Williamston (9:57.16, sixth seed) will compete in the 3,200-meter relay.
The Panthers (1:36.51, eighth seed) and Tigers (1:36.78, 10th seed) will run in the 800-meter relay.
Competing in the 1,600 meter relay will be Southside (3:42, fifth seed), Northside (3:50, seventh seed) and Williamston (4:00.70, 10th seed).
1-A Girls
Suzanne Lee qualified to compete in four events at regionals and is among the top five seeds in each category. The Northside senior is first in the high jump with a leap of 5-0 and second in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 48.54.
Joining Lee in the high jump are teammates Savannah Boyd (4-8, tied for fifth seed) and Iva Winstead (4-8) and Williamston’s Lashonya Bazemore (4-6, 10th seed).
Lee, who placed fourth in the 300-meter hurdles at state last year, will be joined at regionals by teammate Ashley Clayton (51.02, fifth seed) and Williamston’s Shakenna Bass (55.87, 11th seed).
Mary Baker has the best throw among the East Regional contestants in the discus. The Southside senior has a best toss of 112-0, nearly 19 feet better than the second seed.
Also competing in the event will be Northside’s Charley Taylor (83-11, fourth seed), Raquel Wilson (83-01, fifth seed), Amber Smith (70-05, ninth seed), Williamston’s Lynn Davis (84-11.5, third seed) and Mattamuskeet’s Arianna Ward (69-02, 11th seed).
Baker also has the top throw in the shot put event with a heave of 33-6.
Joining Baker in the event will be Mattamuskeet’s Sharyane Wright (32-8, third seed), Roanoke’s Kirstie Roberson (28-11, sixth seed), Williamston’s Lynn Davis (27-8, 10th seed) and Northside’s trio of Raquel Wilson (30-9.5, fourth seed), Charley Taylor (30-6.5, fifth seed) and Alicia Brewer (27-6, 12th seed).
Williamston senior Michelle Bracey has the top 100-meter hurdle time with a 16.14 clocking. She’ll be joined by Northside’s Lee (17.31, fifth seed) and Clayton (18.78, seventh seed), along with Williamston’s Bass (19.57, 10th seed).
Williamston’s Bracey (33-7, second seed) and Bazemore (29-7, seventh seed) will be joined by Northside’s Winstead (26-0, ninth seed) and Savannah Norman (24-01, 12th seed) in the triple jump event.
Bracey is the second seed in the long jump with a leap of 16-8.5. She’ll be joined in the event by Roanoke’s Genae Roberson (14-10.5, seventh seed) and Brittany Andrews (14-6, ninth seed), along with Bazemore (13-11.5, 11th seed) and Northside’s Lakeyva Freeman (13-4, 12th seed).
Competing in the 100-meter dash will be Northside’s Ashley Meeks (13.13, fifth seed) and Mattamuskeet’s Treka Gibbs (13.22, sixth seed).
Participating in the 400-meter dash will be Northside’s Lee (1:04, third seed), Southside’s Tuijunia Keech (1:06.5, seventh seed), Mattamuskeet’s Gibbs (1:07, eighth seed) and Roanoke’s Genae Roberson (1:08, 11th seed).
Running in the 200 meter dash will be Williamston’s Bass (27.70, fifth seed), Southside’s Keech (28.30, 10th seed) and Roanoke’s Alexis Lloyd (28.37, 12th seed).
Northside’s Katie Bowen (6:12, fourth seed), Molly Hardison (6:24, sixth seed) and Casey Lewis (6:47, eighth seed) will take part in the 1,600 meter run.
The Panther trio of Bowen (2:44, fourth seed), Lewis (2:49, sixth seed) and Kayla Cerny (2:53.43, eighth seed) will compete in the 800-meter run.
Competing in the 3,200 meter run are Northside’s Hardison (14:15, fifth seed) and Brook Leigh (16:28, seventh seed).
Northside (11:16) is seeded second in the 3,200-meter relay.
Williamston (1:57.32, fifth seed) and Roanoke (2:10.05, seventh seed) will participate in the 800-meter relay.
Northside (53.3, fourth seed) and Roanoke (53.36, ninth seed) will run in the 400-meter relay.
Competing in the 1,600 meter relay will be Northside (4:41, fifth seed) and Williamston (4:45.03, sixth seed).