2006 Outstanding Athletes Honored
West Ashley High School — May 8, 2006
At the 2006 Awards banquet, the Wildcats celebrated their historic season as the coaching staff presented hard-earned Varsity Letters and the Outstanding Athlete Awards. Having broken an incredible 23 of 40 school records and many stadium and meet records across the state, it’s no surprise that the team’s top honorees accounted for the vast majority of these marks. State Champion Ty Williams was honored as the boys’ Outstanding Hurdler, Amber Caparas the girls’ Outstanding Hurdler, State Champion Fred Godfrey the boys’ Outstanding Thrower, Omega Crook-Jones the girls’ Outstanding Sprinter, State Champion Keith Graham the boys’ Outstanding Jumper, and Nodia Robinson the girls’ Outstanding Runner. Also honored along with Williams, Godfrey, Graham, and Robinson were Robert Wright, Kennard Aiken, and Demetrius Snider for achieving All-State status. While the boys’ team is graduating all but Sophomore Robert Wright from their star stable, the girl’s lose just Crook-Jones and Traci Simmons to graduation. Returning with Caparas and Robinson (both Sophomores) are Freshman jumper/hurdler Jessica Gallagher who was the team’s third highest scorer behind Caparas and Crook-Jones, and powerhouse runner/jumper Sophomore Ashley Wescott, who despite competing in less than half of the season finished just behind Robinson as the team’s 5th highest scorer.
During the banquet, girls’ Head Coach Ron Sutton expressed his excitement about the girls’ potential to achieve great things in 2007. And while the boys are losing all three of their State Champions and 5 of their 6 All-State honorees, the stage is set for a new crop of West Ashley athletes to emerge from the student body and make their mark in the record books. “I was very proud of my men’s track team this year,” said Athletic Director/Head Coach Richard Luden. “We accomplished a lot, even though we did not do our best in the final 2 weeks of the season. I think that our senior leadership was the best that I have ever had, and I am proud to have known and coached all of these great athletes. To the underclassmen, we have to keep the ball rolling and keep West Ashley’s track team at the top where we belong.” Coach Luden also expressed his gratitude and admiration for the excellence in the coaching staff. When one looks at the size of the West Ashley High School student body, and the tradition of great athleticism that was put in motion decades ago by the former Middleton and St. Andrews High Schools, it’s not a stretch to imagine that the next Keith Graham, Ty Williams, Fred Godfrey, and Omega Crook may already be planning to try out for the team next year. We can only hope so. To put the final wrap on the historic season, this writer would like to encourage students and parents alike to realize the incredible experiences and opportunities that only Track & Field can offer, and anyone who has ever visited WildcatTrack.com to read the articles or surf through the photo gallery can attest to this fact. As many of West Ashley’s star athletes have proven during the school’s history, Track & Field is a prime scholarship sport, but even more important, it may be the greatest of character building sports as peer interaction in this, the nation’s largest co-ed sport, simply has no rival. There is a reason that the Olympics were built around this sport, just as there are clear reasons the sport is so often referenced throughout the Bible. So get the word out West Ashley! The Wildcat Track & Field team is looking for way more than just a few good young men and young women, and 2007 may be your year to make your mark, and have a blast doing it.
2006 State Champions!!!
Columbia, SC – May 5 & 6, 2006
For the first time in West Ashley High School History, three wildcats have been crowned as class AAAA State Champions in the same season. Tywen “Ty” Williams is the 2006 State Champion in the 400 meter hurdles, Fred Godfrey is the 2006 State Champion in the Discus Throw, and for the second year in a row, All-American Keith Graham is the 2006 State Champion in the Long Jump. Ty’s victory in the 400 hurdles was one of the most dramatic races in many years, as he proved his world-class athleticism in a way that no one could have ever imagined or even wanted. Coming off his disappointing disqualification in the 110 meter hurdles (the event he was most favored to win), Ty proved he was not to be denied a championship ring. While it was clear his adrenaline was red-lining, Ty was able to recover from no less than 3 near falls and one complete loss of momentum during the 10 hurdle race to recover and beat out the tight field in a photo finish. It was truly an astonishing display of perseverance, athleticism, and flat-out heroism as Ty bounced back from tumbles that typically put a hurdler out of the race for good. Visit WildcatTrack.com later in the week for streaming video of the inspiring run. After disappointing losses at the 7AAAA Region Championships and a subsequent 2nd place ranking after last week’s qualifying round, Star Strongman Fred Godfrey also exhibited tremendous character and superior athleticism by completely dominating the field when it mattered most. Having thrown the best distance the entire year in SC earlier in the season Fred was certainly one of the favorites, but of the three crowns Coach Luden’s boys took on this historic day, none was more satisfying then Fred’s. And to avoid any chance of being diminished, Keith Graham not only produced the biggest long jump of this decade in SC, but he also gained the #1 ranking in the nation by turning in the best official jump of the year anywhere in America. While his jump of 24’-5.75″ was just 5 inches short of the state record, on his best jump of the day Keith scratched by just 4 inches while clearing an estimated 26’-6″, so all in attendance recognized Keith has more than enough potential to represent the US Olympic Team in coming years.
Not to be denied, the Wildcats also won two silver medals. Star 800 meter runner Nodia Robinson made the loudest statement of any lady at the Championships when she won the sliver medal after narrowly losing the gold to her nemesis, defending State Champion/State Record Holder Jessica Nichols. Even more impressive, in the same race Nodia defeated the legendary Kate Niehaus who was forced to settle for a bronze medal for the first time in two years. Niehaus, a senior 4-year veteran of the powerhouse Spring Valley team, is known as the greatest female runner in the history of SC, as she holds 4 state records (1600m, 3200m, 3200m relay, and Cross Country) and has won more State Championships (13) than any athlete in state history. But on this day and in this race, Nodia Robinson was one second faster than Kate as she shattered the school record by 5 seconds and qualified for the Junior National Championships in doing so. It was an absolutely beautiful race form start to finish, and when the three women hit the home stretch it was nearly a dead heat and the finish could hardly have been closer. Be sure to visit the photo gallery for a full sequence of shots chronicling the home stretch. The boys elite sprint relay team or Ty Williams, Robert Right, Kennard Aiken, and Demetrius Snider also took a Silver Medal in the 4×400 relay, and shaved almost 4 seconds off the West Ashley school record. In the other notable State finalist races, Sophomore Amber Caparas finished 7th in the 400 meter hurdles, and the “all sophomore” girls 4×800 relay team made up of Nodia Robinson, Amber Caparas, Lauren Bass, and Ashley Wescott hacked an incredible 16 seconds of the school record while also finishing 7th. In any other year at most any other school, finishing ranked 7th in the State’s largest most competitive class would be a tremendous accomplishment, yet none of these sophomores are satisfied, and that’s an awesome sign for the future. The boys’ team had a couple of disqualifications and Keith had a rare off-day in the Triple and High jumps, but the disappointments were so well overshadowed by the victories that they’re hardly worth mentioning. In all, the 2006 season started with historic expectations, and it ended with historic results. Just 6 years since its birth, the West Ashley High School Track team has already separated itself as one of the premier track and field programs in the state. With such a wonderful legacy firmly in place, it’s easy to say that Wildcat Track is going to come back strong in 2007. Check back next week for the end of season wrap up article!
Wildcat Stars Advance
to the State Championships
Sumter, SC – April 29, 2006
At the AAAA State Championship Qualifying Meet, the top 32 State athletes in each event battled it out in preliminary heats in hopes of winning one of just 8 spots in the Championship finals (next Saturday in Columbia). While most of the Wildcat stars advanced and excelled as expected, there were a few notable disappointments. For the boys, All-American Keith Graham (Sr.) again advanced in all three jumping events and appears poised to repeat as State Champion in both the Long Jump and the Triple Jump. Keith is well within reach of winning the crown in the High Jump as well. Cross-town rival Darryl Roddick of Fort Dorchester actually turned in a slightly better qualifying Triple Jump, not that it matters in the qualifying format, but it certainly proves that Roddick is going give Keith a good fight at the finals. The elite sprint relay squad of Ty Williams, Robert Wright (Soph.), Demetrius Snider (Sr.), and Kennard Aiken (Sr.) advanced in both the 4×100 relay and the 4×400 relay. While they broke the school record in both events with times of 42.61 and 3:23.71 — the third and 2nd best qualifying times respectively — they are genuine contenders for the State crown in these relays. Robert Wright (Soph.) also advanced in the 100 meter dash. Star strong man Fred Godfrey (Sr.) advanced in the Discus with the 2nd best throw of the day, but missed advancing in the Shot Put by just a few inches. Even more disappointing – one of the biggest shockers of the meet – top ranked hurdler Ty Williams was tripped up at the third hurdle of the 110 high hurdles and was disqualified due to hand foul committed during his recovery, so the do-or-die nature of this meet stung the cats hard on this one. Having dominated the event all season long, it was a tough blow to the team to see what appeared to be a sure State crown fall with such blind-siding finality. Not to be defeated, Ty came back with a vengeance to run a 54.43 in the 400 meter hurdles, a new school record and the top time in SC this year. The final blow came when the day’s stiff wind severely hindered Senior Pole Vaulter Ben Burbage (as the photo gallery shows), causing him to miss his opening height and fail to repeat as a State finalist. In all, while the Wildcat boys’ chances to win the overall team Championship may be a long shot (Reigning State Champion Ridgeview High simply has an incredibly deep team), the Cats are still in line to win State Crowns in an astounding 6 events and appear to be the only team with a chance to unseat Ridgeview. And so the historic season finally approaches its dramatic climax. Stay tuned!
For the girls, the increasingly impressive 4×800 relay team – made up of four sophomores — again broke the school record with an elite time of 10:08.41, the 5th best performance of the meet. Led by 800 meter star Nodia Robinson, the team of Amber Caparas, Lauren Bass, and Ashley Wescott could realistically break into the top three at the State finals this year, but even more than that, it certainly appears that this foursome is destined to win the State Championship at least once over the next two seasons. They’re by far the youngest team to qualify, and each girl continues to improve with every meet. Super Sophomore Nodia Robinson also easily advanced in the open 800 meter run with the 3rd best time, and is well within reach of that crown. Likewise, fellow Super Sophomore Amber Caparas again dismantled the school record and turned in the 4th best time (within a few tenths of 2nd and 3rd) with an elite time of 66.84 seconds. Like Nodia, Amber is also well within reach of the crown. This is the second year in a row that the pair of young stars has made it to the elite State Championships. Coach Ron Sutton must be proud. On the downside, veteran Seniors Omega Crook-Jones and Traci Simmons narrowly missed qualifying. Omega’s run at the State crown in the 100 meter hurdles, despite her 4th place ranking, ended due to a misstep during the difficult race. With 6 boys and 4 girls making it to the big dance, as the old saying goes (sort of), “and then there were 10.” It’s important to note that most athletes spend their entire high school career hoping to make it to the State Championships just once. So while the Wildcat Track team has become an annual fixture at the pinnacle meet, none take the honor lightly. These young athletes are the best of the best, in more ways than one.
The State Championship Meet is being held at Spring Valley High School in Columbia this Saturday at 9:00. Contact us for details and directions!
Click Here to view the Photo Gallery from the State Qualifying Meet
New State Rankings put Boys 2nd, Girls 15th
among ALL schools in SC
SCRunners.com — April 26, 2006
With just the State Qualifying meet Saturday and the May 6th State Championship meet remaining, the new Power Rankings at SCrunners.com place the Wildcat Boys 2nd and the Girls 15th among more than 100 high schools in the state. Prety impressive. The Power Rankings system uses the top times and distances from each team’s elite-class athletes to establish the rankings. At the last ranking cycle on March 30th, the boys were ranked 3rd and the girls were ranked 25th, so both continue to improve as they sprint toward the State finals. Click Here to see the complete rankings of all schools with elite-class athletes. Click Here to see the ranking profiles for each Wildcat elite-class athlete. Note that while all four Wildat relay teams that have advanced to the State Qualifying meet have achieved elite-class scores, the atheltes’ profiles do not reflect relay rankings.
Wildcats Dominate 7AAAA “All Region” Team
Charleston, SC — April 19 & 20
It was the biggest week of the year for athletes from Wando (W), Stratford (S), James Island (JI), Goose Creek (GC), Berkeley (B), and West Ashley (WA). Not because this meet determines Region Champions, and not because it named the 2006 All-Region Team, but rather because it was the first of three meets where the dream continues… or comes to a screeching halt. Only the top 4 in each event advance to the State Championship Qualifying meet, so for most, this was the last meet of the season, and for some it was the last meet of their career. Now that they’re playing for keeps, emotions were flying high as every athlete brought their A game like never before. And as the “All Region Team” chart below shows, many Region Championship records fell in their wake. And while the Wildcat boys and girls both failed to win the team trophies for the meet, the All Region chart clearly shows that the Cats are bound to have a huge impact at the State Championships. Case in point: While the very well-coached Wando girls won the team championship, they took 1st in just two events and just two Wando girls made the All-Region team. Meanwhile, the strong Berkeley girls settled for 2nd despite winning 6 events with 6 All-Region athletes, and the West Ashley girls also won 6 events with 6 All-Region athletes to settle for third. Take a look at the number of WIldcat’s who won Region Championships in their events and thereby made the All-Region Team. It’s an impressive collection, and overall (boys and girls collectively), West Ashley won more events and produced more All-Region athletes than any other school in the region. Go Cats!
Click here for Day 1 Official Results Click Here for Day 2 Official Results
2006 7-AAAA All Region Team
West Ashley-WA, Wando-W, Stratford-S, James Island-JI, Goose Creek-GC, Berkeley-B
|
Event |
Girls’ Champion |
Boys’ Champion |
New Record |
| 4 x 800M Relay | Nodia Robinson Amber Caparas Lauren Bass Ashley Wescott–WA |
Mark Bowers Jannai Bryant Toma Walker Marvin Green–S |
WA GIrls: 10:08.73 S Boys: 8:11.23 |
| Long Jump | Avis Campbell–W | Keith Graham–WA | Graham: 24′-2″ |
| Triple Jump | Olivia Black–JI | Keith Graham–WA | Black: 34′-07″ Graham: 48′-11.25″ |
| High Jump | Jesse Gallagher–WA | Keith Graham–WA | – |
| Pole Vault | Amber Meteraud–W | Kori Gathers–S | – |
| Discus Throw | K. Lattimore–S | Quinton Turner–W | Turner: 160′-05″ |
| Shot Put | S. Watson–B | Brian Coleman–S | – |
| 4 x 100M Relay | Catrina Morrison Leanna Morrison Shirinia Page Jan Ronbinson–B |
Joseph Bethel Trico Blanding Leon Johnson Timmy Smalls–S |
– |
| 100/110M Hurdles | Omega Crook–WA | Ty Williams–WA | Williams 14.58 |
| 100M Dash | Omega Crook–WA | Andre Ellington–B | – |
| 1600M Run | Jessica-Nichols–B | Daniel Vincent–W | NIchols: 5:21.14 Vincent: 4:34.16 |
| 400M Dash | Jessica Nichols–B | Demetrius Snider-WA | – |
| 400M Hurdles | Amber Caparas–WA | Ty Williams–WA | Caparas: 67.21 Willaims: 56.28 |
| 800M Run | Jessica Nichols–B | Toma Walker–S | Nichols: 2:19.07 |
| 200M Dash | Omega Crook–WA | Robert Wright–WA | – |
| 3200M Run | Rindi Wood–JI | Daniel Vincent–W | Vincent: 10:05.64 |
| 4 x 400M Relay | Catrina Morrison Leanna Morrison Jessica Nichols Shirinia Page–B |
Robert Wright Ty Williams Demetrius Snider Kennard Aiken–WA |
B Girls: 4:03.36 |
| TEAM CHAMPIONS | Wando (W) | Stratford (S) |
Click here for Day 1 Official Results Click Here for Day 2 Official Results
Wildcat Highlights and Top Scores at the 7AAAA Championships
(10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 for 1st through 6th)
For the Girls: Senior Omega Crook-Jones (the Post and Courier’s Sports Page Cover Girl) rebounded from the injury she suffered at the Beaufort Classic with miraculous results, scoring 30 points by sweeping a trifecta in the elite 100 meter dash (new school record), the 200 meter dash, and also the 100 meter hurdles with another new school record, a time of 15.85 that is the 4th fastest time of the year in the state AAAA — clearly putting Omega in contention for the State Championship. Sophomore Amber Caparas qualiified in all four of her events and scored 18.5 points by winning the 400 meter hurdles, the 4×800m relay, finishing 2nd in the 4×400 relay, and 4th in the 100 meter hurdles. Amber’s time of 67.21 in the 400m hurdles is both a new school record and a new region record, and is the 2nd fastest time of the year in the state AAAA, so she too has her sights on a State Championship… or two. Sophomore Ashley Wescott also showed large for 18.5 points and joined Amber as the two Wildcat girls to qualify in four events after winning the 4×800 meter relay and taking second in the Triple Jump, third in the 400 meter dash, and 2nd in the 4×400 relay. These are remarkable results for someone who began competing just three weeks ago, so all the coaches are expecting huge things from Ashley over the next two seasons. Wonder Freshman, (“Baby Jess”) Jessica Gallagher added a solid 17 points by winning the high jump, finishing 3rd in the 400 meter hurdles, and 6th in the 100 meter hurdles. And rounding out the top 5 scorers is fellow Super Sophomore Nodia Robinson who carried the girls in the 4×800 meter relay victory (new school and meet record time that is also the 6th fastest in the state AAAA this year), finished second in the 800 meters (also a new school record) to reigning State Champion and state record holder Jessica Nichols, and also taking 2nd in the 400 meter relay for a total of 12.5 points. Nodia’s record time of 2:20.26 in the 800m is the 4th fastest time in the state this year. With all this young start power, Coach Ron Sutton sure has a lot to look forward to.
For the Boys: Star Senior, reiging State Champion Keith Graham surprised no one by again scoring 30 points after pulling the trifecta of wins in the three jumping events. His new meet and stadium records of 24′-02″ in the Long Jump and 48′-11.25″ in the Triple Jump are likely to tatoo the record books for another hundred years or so. Keith is that good, and a personal visit during the meet by the USC coaching staff who asked Keith to become a Gamecock was an honor befitting the star that he is. By all indications, Keith will in fact be joining the the Gamecocks in the very near future. Fellow national-class star Senior Ty WIlliams answerd with 24.5 points by winning the 110 meter hurdles (new meet record), the 400 meter hurdles (new meet record), the 4×400 meter relay, and 2nd in the 2×100 meter relay. Ty has the state’s best times in both hurdle events this season, so dual State Championships are definitely his for the taking. Superstar Sophomore sprinter Robert Wright added 22.5 points by winning the 200 meter dash and the 4.x400m relay, and taking 2nd in the 100 meter dash and the 4×100 meter relay. though one of the top ranked throwers in the state, Senior Fred Godfrey settled for 2nd in both the Shot Put and the Discus for 16 points. Demetrius Snider won the 400 meter dash with an impressive 49.95, won the 4×400 relay, took 2nd in the 4×100m relay, and 6th in the 200m dash for 15.5 points; and Kennard Aiken rounded out the top scorers with 14.5 points after winning the 4×400m relay, taking 2nd in the 4×100m relay, and 3rd in the 400m.
Keith Graham Crowned Again at the
50th Anniversary Queen City Relays
Charlotte, NC – April 15, 2006
Keith Graham again turned the rare hat trick by winning gold medals in all three jumping events en route to yet another MVP award at the 50th Anniversary edition of the Queen City Relays held at Myers Park High School in Charlotte, NC. Teams from several Atlantic states and as far away as Cleveland, Ohio helped form one of the most competitive fields of athletes the Wildcats have faced all season; in fact only last Saturday’s 144 team Taco Bell Classic showcased more talent. So it didn’t take long for the Keith Graham buzz to spread through the field, and the prolific jumper left no one disappointed – except of course his competition. In the Long Jump, Keith again broke the school record with a huge jump of 24’-6″ on his very first attempt. One coach in attendance reported that this offering was the second longest jump in the U.S. this year. We’ll check on that, but it sure sounds right, especially since it was just 2 inches short of a 25-year-old record at a meet that has hosted future Olympians and NFL stars alike. After the big jump Keith felt he could go further, but with the condensed schedule Coach Luden felt Keith should save himself for the Triple Jump that began just 30 minutes later. It turned out to be the right call, as for the second time this season Keith had to prove his metal by winning the event on his final attempt. This time it was to the reigning North Carolina State Champion, and this time it wasn’t the wind that disrupted Keith’s stride but the unusually short runway at Myers Park stadium. Though Keith scratched on his first two jumps and never quite found his mark on the board, he still produced an elite 48’-4″ to defeat his NC counterpart by a mere 3 inches. At the end of the day, Keith was crowned the Outstanding Male Athlete among all in attendance, still undefeated in both the Long and the Triple Jumps, and still perfect when MVP Awards were on the line. All in a day’s work for Mr. Graham. Meanwhile fellow Senior Ty Williams was the only other Wildcat boy to win a medal when he broke the West Ashley school record with an elite time of 38.70 in the 300 meter hurdles; an event that South Carolina athletes only get to run when visiting North Carolina, Georgia or a handful of states that still run the old prep distance instead of the Collegiate/Olympic distance of 400 meters adopted in SC during the mid 90’s. Despite the record time (due mostly to his lack of familiarity with the event), Ty settled for the bronze medal behind two of North Carolina’s top ranked hurdlers. Also impressive at the meet were Robert Wright and Dana Brown who both ran elite times (11.1) in the 100 meter dash, and the 4×100 relay team (Wright, Williams, Aiken, Snider) who turned in another elite time in the event while finishing fourth.
For the girls, Sophomore Amber Caparas matched Ty WIlliams’ performance in the 300 meter hurdles and returned to elite form by shattering the girls’ school record by a whopping 5 seconds with an elite time of 48.60. This was the first time Amber had ever run the event, so she was more than pleased to take the bronze medal behind two highly-ranked North Carolinians who have been running the “old school” event for years. In the only other event in which the girls team medaled, Amber shared her second bronze medal of the day in the 4×100 meter Shuttle Hurdle Relay after she, Freshman Jessica Gallagher, and Seniors Omega Crook and “Shemco” Gadsden (with a time of 1:10.7) shaved more than 3 seconds off the school record the foursome set earlier this year at the Wildcat Relays. Omega is still nursing a bit of a limp from her injury suffered at the Beaufort Classic, but the Wildcats are hopeful she’ll be ready for this week’s Region Championships and the ensuing march to the State Championships in May.
Click Here for the Official Results at SCRunners.com
Click Here to view the Photo Gallery
Keith Graham Plays Super Man at the
2006 Taco Bell Track & Field Classic
Columbia, SC — April 7 & 8, 2006
In a weekend of highs and lows for the Wildcats, neither the competition (some of the best in the nation) nor the elements (by far the worst of the year) could stop the enigmatic Keith Graham from rising to the top of the field. The Taco Bell Track and Field Classic featured the top talent from 144 schools from around the nation, and Keith was ready to take them all on single-handedly. While others grew weary, Graham proved there is no such thing as kryptonite in his athletic career. In the end, his 1st place finishes in Triple Jump and the Long Jump along with his 3rd place finish in the High Jump (actually tied with two other jumpers for first place but fell to third in tie-breakers) netted Graham 28 points; enough to beat 138 of the teams all by himself. As the top overall scorer in a field of thousands of athletes in attendance, Graham remained unbeaten in his quest for Field MVP domination this season and easily solidified himself among the top Prep track & field athletes in the nation. It’s one thing to win the MVP at local, regional, and state meets, but the Taco Bell Classic is an entirely different league. For Keith Graham, it was just another day at the top of the podium. And while the Wildcat boys finished an impressive 3rd as a team, the celebration was dampened by the simple fact that the cats should have and most likely would have won the team championship trophy had Ty Williams (top ranked hurdler in the state) and the boys’ sprint squad competed in all of their events. Instead the sprinters withdrew amidst the soaking rain and chilling temperatures to fight another day; especially considering their already battered condition coming off Thursday’s grueling Charleston County Championships. Had they known that in the end the top trophy was a mere 12 points from thier grasp, they may have reconsidered their concessions. Nonetheless (despite the bad-luck of the draw that forced Ty to run in a slow heat at the height of the rain), Ty still took 5th in the high hurdles. Likewise, due to a bad 1st handoff of the baton, Ty and the rest of the 4 x 100 relay squad also settled for 5th. In another disappointing moment, star thrower Fred Godfrey, though ranked number 1 in the state, was forced to setle for 6th in the Discus after being (for lack of a better word) “cheated” out of his best throw of the day on a bad call by the judge. The 152 foot toss, though 18 feet less than his season’s best, would have garnered the 3rd place medal (had it counted as it rightly should have according to the rule book). Regardless of the lows, the overall showing was still a great sign of the boys’ legitimacy in the state and the nation. On the girls’ side, though the lady cats won most of thier heats, their placement in slower heats (due to their lower early season qualifying times) pretty much removed them from the podium in each event. Sophomore Nodia Robinson had the best showing for the girls by missing the podium by one slot with a bittersweet 9th place finish (one second behind her pace) in the 800 meters. Slightly more disappointing was fellow Sophomore Amber Caparas’ 10th place finish in the 400 meter hurdles, as she finished 3 seconds slower than her pace, a time that would have put her high on the podium among a group of national class athletes. The two star sophomores were clearly hamstrung by slow heat placements and four straight days of grueling races but neither found any consolation in excuses. And while Freshman Jessica Gallagher finished a respectable 18th in the 400 meter hurdles and 14th in the high jump, had she kept pace with her season’s best of 5-2″ she would have tied for 9th. Timing is everything in Track, so let’s hope that this huge test nets results when the Wildcats return to Spring Valley for the State Championships in May.
Click here for the Boys official Field results
Click here for the Boys official Track results
Click here for the Girls official Field results
Click here for the Girls official Track results
2006 Charleston County
Championships in the Record Books
Charleston, SC — April 6. 2006
As the CCSD (Charleston County School District) Championship meet came to a close familiar faces reigned in their top events. Superstar jumper Keith Graham again won the boy’s Field Event MVP and speedster/hurdler Ty Williams kept pace with another Track Event MVP award, as the Wildcat boys lived up to their billing with a convincing team victory. The Wildcat boys are for real, that’s for sure, and all the recent press and local talk has done nothing to distract them from their run for the State Championship. It’s clear that the boys will produce several Individual State Championships, but the elusive team crown is clearly their ultimate goal. On the girls side, even without their 2nd leading scorer, sprinter Omega Crook-Jones who is out with an injury, the girls tied for second with James Island behind the always strong Wando girls’ squad. Nonetheless, the leaders of the girls team, Amber Caparas (Soph.), Nodia Robinson (Soph.), Jessica Gallagher (Fresh.) and rising star Ashley Wescott (Soph.) were each among the top scorers overall. Even more, Amber and Nodia turned in elite times in thier main events (Nodia broke the CCSD record in the 800m) and the two relays they anchor (the 4×800 where they broke the CCSD record, and the 4×400 where they missed the CCSD record by 8 tenths of a second). The girls team may be young, but its equally young stars are aiming for the State Championships and appear to be in position to make a bigger impact at the State Meet than any school in the area. This weekend’s Taco Bell Classic in Columbia will be the biggest test for both the boys and the girls, so stay tuned!
Here are the highlights from the meet as provided by the staff: Girls Field MVP — the Millie Kennedy Award — went to Sharonda Laboard from St. John’s High School. She won the shot put and discus. The girls Track MVP went to Rindi Wood from James Island High School. She won the 1600 and 3200(CCSD record in the 3200) and 2nd in the 4 x 800 relay. Boys field MVP was Keith Graham of West Ashley High School. Keith won 1st in the long jump, 1st in the triple jump (new CCSD record), 2nd in the high jump, also ran 2nd leg on the 4 x 400 relay team that won the Gold. The boys track MVP was Tywen Williams of West Ashley High School. Ty won 1st in the 110 M HH (new CCSD record), 1st in the 400M IH (new CCSD record), 1st in the 4×100 relay ( new CCSD record) and 1st in the 4 x 400 relay — nearily breaking that record as well.
Wildcat’s Top Scoring Medalists
(10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 for 1st through 8th)
For the girls Sophomore Amber Caparas won the gold in the 400 meter hurdles, won the silver in the 100 meter hurdles, and shared the gold medals in both the 4×800 relay and the 4×400 relay for a total of 23 points; Freshman Jessica Gallagher won the gold in the 100 meter hurdles, won the silver in the high jump, and finished 5th in the 400 meter hurdles for 22 points; Sophomore Ashley Wescott shared the gold medals in both of the relay events, won the silver in the 400 meter dash, and won the bronze in the Triple Jump for 19 points; and Sophomore Nodia Robinson won the gold in the 800 meter run and shared both golds in the two relays for 15 points.
For the boys Senior Keith Graham won the gold in the Long Jump, the gold in the Triple Jump, the silver in the High Jump, and shared the gold in the 4×400 relay for 30.5 points; Senior Ty Williams won the gold in the 110 hurdles, the gold in the 400 hurdles, and shared two golds in the 4×100 and te 4×400 relays for 25 points; Sophomore Robert Wright won the gold in the 200 meter dash, won the silver in the 100 meter dash, and shared two golds in the two relays for 23 points; and Fred Godfrey won the gold in the Discus (breaking the CCSD record) and the silver in the Shot Put for 18 points.
Click Here for the Final Official Results for all Track Events
Click Here for the Final Official Results for all Field Events
The Gallery is currently undergoing periodic maintenance, so while it is still viewable and loaded with shots from day 1 of the CCSD Championships, day two photos will not be loaded until Monday.Thanks for your patience!
Day One at the 2006 Charleston
County Championships
Charleston, SC — April 5, 2006
Day one featured the finals in all field events and preliminary heats in the girls’ 100 meter hurdles, the boys’ 110 hurdles, and both the girls’ and the boys’ 100 and 200 meter dashes. Several Charleston County records have already fallen, two of which were more than 25 years old, so be sure to check back Friday for the full story and all official results sheets.
Click here for the finalists from Wednesday’s preliminary races
Click here for the the official final results from Wednesday’s field events
Click here to view the photo gallery from day 1
Wildcat Stars Ranked 1st in State,
Boys Squad Ranked 3rd in Team Rankings
Based on SCrunners.com’s elite scoring system, 6 Wildcat track stars have achieved high rankings in the state. Reigning 2-event State Champion
Keith Graham (Sr.) is ranked 1st in all three jumping events;
Ty Williams (Sr.) is ranked 1st in both hurdle events; Fred Godfrey (Sr.) is ranked 1st in the discus throw; and Robert Wright (Soph.) is ranked 1st in the 100 meter dash. All four men are ranked 1st across all state classes including the state AAAA in which they compete. For the girls,
Amber Caparas (Soph.) is ranked 2nd in the 400 meter hurdles for class AAAA and 5th over all classes, and Nodia Robinson (Soph.) is ranked 4th in class AAAA and 4th overall in the 800 meter run. Just as impressive, the boys squad is currently ranked third with a score of 174 in class AAAA. Perenial powerhouses Spring Valley and Ridge View were ranked 1st and 2nd with scores of 198 and 188 respectively. Meanwhile the very young girls squad ranks a respectable 25th among 48 ranked teams.
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Hurdlers Rule as Wildcats Leave
Their Mark on the 30th Anniversary
Beaufort Track Classic
Beaufort, SC — April 1, 2006
In a day when all four West Ashley hurdle records were literally obliterated with national-class times, team leaders Ty Williams and Keith Graham again pulled the rare trifecta by sweeping their individual gold medal events, winning the MVP awards (for track and field respectively), and leading their squad to another team championship. While Keith again turned in elite performances to win all three jumping events and set a new meet record in the long jump with a mark of 24’-1″, this day belonged to Ty Williams and his hurdling protégés. Ty not only annihilated his own school records in the 110 meter High Hurdles (13.94) and the 400 meter Intermediate Hurdles (54.64), but he also broke the Beaufort Classic records in both events; quite an accomplishment considering the meet dates back to the 70’s. Both national-class times are among the best (if not the very top) turned in this year by a South Carolinian. The way Ty took the breath out of the crowd and his competition alike was a treat. He won both events by shocking distances against several elite performers, and it looked as if a Collegiate athlete was putting on an exhibition, as surly his times would have won at many college track meets this weekend. At the same time Sophomore Amber Caparas crushed the girls 400 meter hurdle record with an elite time of 67.89 (2 seconds off the previous record), also one of the best times this year in SC. Amber’s side by side race with one of Georgia’s top female hurdlers was likely the most exciting duel of the day as Amber “walked” (ran down) her opponent over the last two hurdles and beat her to the line in a near photo finish. It was in last year’s Beafort Classic that Amber suffered a nasty fall over a hurdle on the home stretch that knocked her out of medal contention, so it appears Amber slayed more than one demon on this dramatic day. Across the board, nearly every Wildcat turned in personal records, and the West Ashley girls’ hurdlers (Omega Crook-Jones, Amber Caparas, and Jessica Gallagher who also took the bronze in the 400 meter hurdles) parlayed those times to fill a lopsided 3 of the 7 slots in the 100 meter hurdle finals among a field of 13 teams. Wildcat hurdles coach Jackie O’Rourke must be doing something right. In a bittersweet turn that proved to be the only dark moment in a great day, Senior sprinter Omega Crook-Jones was the top qualifier for the 100 meter hurdle finals only to injure her thigh/knee in the final race; an injury that cost her a sure medal, two engagements in the finals of the 100 meter and the 200 meter dash, and most probably the rest of the season. It was last year’s Beaufort Classic that prematurely ended Ty Williams’ run for the State Championship with a similar injury. To close with brighter news, Super Sophomore Robert Wright broke the school record in the 100 meter dash with a blistering 10.65 and won the gold medal in doing so. This amazing athlete is also breaking records for the Wildcat’s Soccer Team, as just this week Robert scored 4 goals in a single game — one within the first 18 seconds of the match. How’s that for speed? The final school record to fall this weekend was the boy’s 4×100 meter relay (Demetrius Aiken, Ty Williams, Kennard Aiken, and Robert Wright) with a time of 42.76, 1 hundredth of a second better then the previous mark. Next up for the Wildcats is the Charleston County Championships this Wednesday and Thursday at West Ashley Stadium.
Top Scoring Medalists
(10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 for 1st through 6th)
For the boys, Senior Keith Graham narrowly regained his role as the team’s leading scorer with three gold medals for 30 points; Ty Williams won the gold in both hurdle events and shared a silver and a bronze in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays respectively for 23.5 points; Super Sophomore Robert Wright won the gold in the 100 meter dash, the silver in the 200 meter dash, and shared the silver and the bronze in the two sprint relays for 21.5 points; and Senior thrower Fred Godfrey won the gold in the discus and the bronze in the shot put for 16 points.
For the girls, Sophomore Amber Caparas won the gold in the 400 meter hurdles, shared the gold in the 4×400 relay, finished 6th in the 100 meter hurdles, and shared 4th in the 4×800 relay for 14.5 points; Wonder Freshman Jessica Gallagher won the silver in the high jump and the bronze in the 400 meter hurdles for 14 points; Sophomore and rising star Ashley Wescott won the silver in the triple jump, shared the gold in the 4×400 relay, and shared 4th in the 4×800 relay for 11.5 points; and Senior Traci Simmons won the bronze in the 400 meter dash and shared the gold in the 4×400 relay for 8.5 points. Key absentees among the season’s top scorers were Senior Omega Crook-Jones whose injury halted her run for three medals, and Sophomore Nodia Robinson who missed the meet due to an AAU Basketball tournament in North Carolina.
Omega Crook-Jones Steals the Show in the Last Minor Meet of the 2006 Season
Charleston, SC — March 29, 2006
In the last meet of an action packed March, the official half-way point in the 2006 season brought the usual mix of high excitement and exceptional competition as both the boys and the girls turned in elite performances. The seven team meet that included Battery Creek, Beaufort, Orangeburg-Wilkinson, Wando, North Charleston, Academic Magnet, and West Ashley high schools provided the most intense action of all the Wednesday night (minor) meets of the 2006 season. And for the second meet in four days, the Wildcat boys won convincingly while the girls continued to improve, beating all but the Wando girls, repeating the results at Saturday’s Warrior Classic. The fact that this was the last of these minor meets this season may have had something to do with the intensity, but most would agree it was simply a sign of the top athletes finding their mid-season stride. And no one better found their stride on this cool March night than Senior sprinter Omega Crook-Jones. In fact, Omega finally found her Olympic-styled 3-step stride (well, for 6 of the 10 hurdles anyway) on the high hurdles to rock the school’s 100 meter hurdles record with a 16.74 seconds, one of the top recorded times in the state this year. Even more, Omega kept her adrenaline pumping all the way through the next event, the 100 meter dash, for an official time of 13.04 seconds; another record breaking run that smoked a girls’ school record that has stood since 2001. All expect Omega to be competitive in the 100 meter dash all the way through to the State finals, but if she can begin to perfect her steps for all 10 hurdles in the 100m Hurdles, there is little doubt that she should find herself wearing the Gold medal at the State Championships this May. From here on, things get very serious. After this Saturday’s 30th Annual Beaufort Classic, the Cats will compete in the Charleston County Championships, the Taco Bell Classic (Columbia), the Queen City Relays (Charlotte), and the Region 7-AAAA Championships, each of which are major 2 day events.
Top Scorers
(10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 for 1st through 6th)
For the boys Senior Keith Graham again led all scorers by winning all three jumps for 30 points; Senior Ty Williams won both hurdle events and shared a win in the 4×100 relay for 22.5 points, Sophomore Robert Wright took second in the 100m and the 200m while sharing the win in the 4×100 relay for 18.5 points: and Senior thrower Fred Godfrey returned from his triple gold domination of the State Powerlifting Championships last Saturday to win the Discus and take second in teh Shot Put for 18 pts.
For the girls Senior Omega Crook-Jones won the 100m hurdles and took second in both the 100m and 200m dashes for 26 points; Sophomore Nodia Robinson won the 800m, took 3rd by a hair in the 400m, and shared a win in the 4×800 and second in the 4×400 relays for 20.5 points; Sophomore Amber Caparas won the 400m hurdles, took third with a personal record in the 100m hurdles, and shared second in the 4×400 relay for 18 points; and Freshman Jessica Gallagher continued her hot streak in the high jump with another win while finishing 5th in both hurdle events for 14 points.
Wando Plays Host to Wild “Cat Party”
at the 2006 Warrior Classic
Charleston, SC — March 22, 2006
Keith Graham’s return to the Wildcat lineup after a week away was both dramatic and inspiring as the boys’ team completely dominated the 8-school meet. Current scoring leader, star hurdler/sprinter Ty Williams surely appreciated his teammate’s return as he answered with Gold medals in each of his four events, running away with the track event MVP award. On the girl’s side “wonder freshman” Jessica Gallagher surely felt the magic in the air as she shattered the school record in the high jump (5’2”) taking the gold while also scoring in all four of her events. It seemed that Graham’s return turned up the performance of every single Wildcat on both squads as the boys and the girls produced season’s best times and distances in nearly every event. The boys crushed the field to win yet another meet (despite the absence of star thrower Fred Godfrey who was away at the State Power Lifting meet), and the much younger girls’ team nearly matched their performance by taking a runner up trophy for the first time this season.
A Flair for the Dramatic
On this memorable day Keith Graham defeated his worthy nemesis (Fort Dorchester’s Darrell Roddick) to take the gold in all three jumping events for the first time this season and adding the field event MVP to boot. Roddick had tied or bested Graham on the high jump in each previous meeting this season, but not today. Today Roddick faced Keith Graham at his competitive best, and everyone in the stadium could sense that he was a man on a mission. Keith overcame a terrible headwind and chilling conditions to win the Triple Jump in the most dramatic final jump of his brief two year career. After three less-than-stellar jumps, Graham had semi-retired to the sideline with full intention of passing on his final jump unless Roddick could somehow overtake him on his last attempt. When Roddick jumped an eye-opening 46’ 11”, some 5 inches better than Grahams best on this windy day, it quickly sunk in to the coaches and the team that for the first time ever Keith would have to prove that he could jump a national-class 47 feet or better on his final jump — or face his first defeat on the Triple Jump since winning the State Championship in 2005. All who watched could feel that this was much more than a classic head to head battle between two great athletes. The moment had all the makings of THE character building crossroad of Graham’s athletic career. For the first time Keith would taste the “do or die” pressure that separates the potential Olympians from the masses of great athletes who simply never make it to the big time. Don’t be mistaken, Graham has made bigger jumps at bigger meets. His two State Championships and handful of meet MVP awards prove that. But this moment was special for an entirely different set of reasons, and Keith was the first to admit that he had never before felt so much pressure to get off a great mark. So when he took his final run and struck the board everyone held their breath, praying that he wouldn’t scratch. Then while he danced through all three phases of the jump with more grace and determination than ever in his career even Roddick had to marvel. In the face of all the pressure and the horrible conditions, Keith jumped an astounding 48’9”; the second longest of his career and second longest in South Carolina this decade. If you have yet to see Keith Graham jump as a prep, we encourage you to attend one of the Wildcat’s meets this season. It is a treat, and if he’s jumping in the Olympics one day you’ll want to say you “saw him when…”
Gold Medal Winners and top Scorers
(10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 for 1st through 8th places respectively)
For the boys Senior Keith Graham took the gold medal in all three jumps and added a point running one of the relay events for a total of 31 pts.; Senior Ty Williams crushed the field to take the gold medal in both hurdle events and shared the gold in both the 4×100 and the 4×400 for a total of 25 points; Junior Robert Wright won the gold in the 200m, the silver in the 100m and also shared the gold medals in the two sprint relays for 23 points; and Junior thrower Jonathan Jackson won the gold medal in the Shot Put and took 4th in the Discus for 15 points.
For the girls Senior Omega Crook took the gold in the 100m hurdles and the silver in both the 100m and 200m dash for a season high 26 points; wonder Freshman Jessica Gallagher took the gold medal in the high jump, the bronze in the 400m, 4th in the 100m hurdles and 6th in the Triple Jump for 24 points; Sophomore Amber Caparas won the gold in the 400m hurdles, shared the gold in the 4×400 relay, took the bronze in the 100m hurdles, and placed 7th in the Triple Jump for 20.5 points; fellow super Sophomore Nodia Robinson won the gold in the 800m, shared the gold in the 4×400 relay, and shared 5th in the 4×800 relay for 13.5 points; and thrower Sylvia Greene had her first breakout day by winning the gold medal in the Discus and taking 6th in the Shot Put for 13 pts.
Click here for the 2006 Warrior Classic Official Results Sheet
Click here to visit the photo gallery
Wildcats Sweep Gators and Knights in
Wednesday Night Meet
Charleston, SC — March 22, 2006
On an unseasonably cold night, both the boys and girls swept in the three team meet as their team leaders won each of their main events. While National Honor Society member Nodia Robinson was given the night off to prepare for a major exam (good call Coach Sutton!), all the other stars were in the house and each won their main events against depleted Stratford and Goose Creek squads. It was blatantly clear that the Wildcat standouts are planning to take the gold at this weekend’s 1st Annual Warrior Classic at Wando High School in Mt. Pleasant. We hope to see you there!
TopScorers
(5, 3, 2, and 1 for 1st through 4th respectively)
For the boys Fred Godfrey (throws), Ty Williams (hurdles), and Keith Graham (Jumps), each won their 2 main events for 10 pts. each while distance runners Tyler Dawson and Trey Nash showed strong with 6.25 pts. each.
For the girls Omega Crook-Jones (sprinter, hurdler) scored 13 pts.; “wonder’ Freshman Jessica Gallagher (jumper, hurdler, sprinter) scored 12.5 pts.; Amber Caparas (hurdler, sprinter) scored 9.25; and Lauren Bass (long sprinter, short distance) added 6.25 pts.
Click here to visit the Photo Gallery
Fred Godfrey Dominates the Field at the 2006 Outback Azalea
Summerville, SC — March 18, 2006
Despite the absence of their leading scorer, the Wildcat Boys team had all the competition talking at Saturday’s 14th Annual Outback Azalea Invitational in Summerville. Recognized as one of the top Track & Field events in South Carolina, the meet featured approximately 20 schools from around the state. As past years have indicated, if you can medal or win at the Outback Azalea, your chances are pretty good that you’ll repeat the trick at the State Finals. Last year Keith Graham put himself on the map by winning the Field Event MVP Award after sweeping the gold medals in the Long and Triple Jumps. So while Keith was again out of action (He’s scheduled to return to action this week with a clean bill of health) star thrower Fred Godfrey kept the award in the family for the 2nd year in a row after sweeping the gold medals in the Discus and the Shot Put. Quite a feat even at a lesser Saturday meet, so this was a huge win for the Senior, one that puts him among the elite class of athletes who could win it all at the AAAA State Championships this May. On the track, Senior sensation Ty Williams had maybe the most electrifying victory of the day when he broke the Outback Azalea meet record to win the 400m hurdles with a blazing time of 55.4 seconds (just a few tenths short of his school record set in 2004). Ty almost swept the hurdle events, but after posting the best time of the day on the 110 High Hurdles during his preliminary round (14.4 sec.), he was nearly knocked off the track by an adjacent hurdler during the finals and the resulting loss in time forced him to settle for the bronze. Ty also shared the gold in the 4×400 relay and the bronze in the 4×100 relay. On the girls side, Nodia Robinson and Amber Caparas, the tandem of Super Sophomores who made their mark while just freshman during the 2005 season, both staked their early claims as contenders for this year’s State finals in their top events. On this day in fact, Nodia made the boldest statement of any girl in the meet by keeping pace with State Champion and 800m State Record holder Jessica Nichols, missing the gold by just 2 seconds en route to shattering the West Ashley School Record by 4 full seconds. The fact that Nodia had just set the new record 3 days prior certainly sent a message to the USC-bound Nichols, and since the two girls are in the same region (7AAAA) we can expect a series of dramatic rematches as the rivals march to the State Championships side by side. Amber Caparas found similar success in her marquee event, the 400m hurdles by missing both the gold and the silver by less than 5 tenths of a second each to two state ranked hurdlers to settle on the bronze medal. Amber missed breaking her own school record by just a half a second, so it appears she too is on the verge of breaking the mark. Nodia and Amber also teamed up to lead the girls 4×400 relay team to its second silver medal at the Outback in as many years. And while the School Record relay team lost its two star seniors to the college ranks, Nodia and Amber seem to have found worthy successors in Senior Tracy Simmons and Sophomore Lauren Bass, as the new foursome beat last year’s silver medal time at the Outback by 2 full seconds. For this, hopes are rising high that this years offering for the elite event may also repeat its success as a finalist at the AAAA State Championships.
Medalists/Top Scorers
(10, 8, 6, 5, 4, and 3 for 1st through 6th)
The boys’ team won 6 medals. Senior thrower Fred Godfrey won two gold medals for 20 points.; Senior Ty Williams won the gold medal in the 400 hurdles, the bronze in the 110 hurdles, and shared a gold and a bronze in the 4×400 relay and 1×100 relay respectively for 20 points; and sprinters Robert Wright, Demetrius Snider, and Kennard Aiken joined Williams to share the gold and bronze in the two relays for 4 points each.
The girls’ team won 4 medals. Sophomore Nodia Robinson won the silver in the 800m and shared the silver in the 4×400 relay for 10 points; Sophomore Amber Caparas won the bronze in the 400m hurdles and shared the silver in the 4×400 relay for 8 points; Omega Crook-Jones won the bronze medal in the 200m dash for 6 points; and Senior Traci Simmons and Sophomore Lauren Bass joined Robinson and Caparas for a share of the silver in the 4×400 relay for 2 points each.
Girls’ Records Fall in Mid-Week meet
Charleston, SC — March 15, 2006
Super-Sophomore Nodia Robinson and Freshman Jessica Gallagher became the first members of the girls’ team to break individual school records this season. Nodia surpassed her own 800m record with a time of 2:26.3, a number that is sure to fall many times this season. Jessica broke a record that has stood since 2001 when she jumped 4′8″ in the high jump. She too is hoping to break that mark again before the season’s end. On the boys side leading scorer Keith Graham sat out due to a sore hamstring. Also joining Graham on the sidelines were fellow State Champs Toma Walker (Stratford) and Jessica Nichols (Berkeley). It seems that Saturday’s Wildcat Relays took its toll as most of the stars were nursing minor injuries.
High Scorers
With Senior Keith Graham and Junior Robert Wright missing from the lineup, team leaders Ty Williams and Fred Godfrey were left to carry the squad as best he could. Williams took first in both Hurdle events as well as the 4×100 relay for 11.25 pts. and Godfrey took 1st in the discus and 2nd in the shot for 8 pts. For the girls side, Sophomore Amber Caparas took 1st in the 400m hurdles and the 4×400 relay and 2nd the 100m hurdles for 9.25 pts. while fellow Sophomore Nodia Robinson took 1st in the 800m and the 4×400 relay and 2nd in the 4×800 relay for 7.5 pts.
Record Shattering Day at the 2006
Wildcat Relays
Click Here for the Highlights and Complete Medal Results
Cats “Play Nice” as they Host the
3rd Annual Glasspro WIldcat Relays
Charleston, SC — March 11, 2006
So Keith Graham didn’t break every record known to man, no big deal, one.was enough. And so what if the boy’s sprint squadron didn’t fly away with every gold medal in sight, they still got a couple of them. On a winter’s day that will long be remembered as much for its unseasonably summery conditions (80 degrees and sunny) as it will for its prolific number of records broken (all but one record fell), both the boys and the girls teams made huge strides. The girls finished 6th (two silvers and one bronze) among a field of 16 competitive squads and narrowly missed the gold in two elite events, the Shuttle Hurdle Relay and the 4×400m Relay. And despite the seemingly modest day for the boys, they still ran rough-shot over all but one team. Thanks in part to the heroic efforts of nationally ranked long-sprinter Toma Walker, only the Stratford Knights could stand toe-to-toe with the West Ashley boys (tied with 4 gold medals each), yet even they fell short as the Wildcats outscored the Knights in total varsity medals (10 to 6). Despite the cats’ impressive overall victory, consider this: Keith Graham turned in the day’s best individual Triple Jump, Long Jump, and High Jump but took home just one gold medal. Same goes for Fred Godfrey, who threw the best discus and put the best shot of the day. Likewise, super-sprinter/hurdler Ty Williams didn’t touch a set of blocks or jump a single hurdle yet still won two gold medals. It’s important to remember that while the West Ashley boys’ performance this Saturday may be the clearest indicator of the Wildcats’ total team strength, it’s even more impressive when you consider that an all-relay format can hamstring a team with superstars. But not the Wildcats, for it appears they are in fact a well balanced TEAM. Yes, Carolina, Track and Field is still a team sport in Charleston, and the superstars at WAHS were quite content to share the limelight with the underclassmen on this beautiful March day. Be sure to visit the photo gallery for proof.
Top Scorers
(10, 8, 6, 5, 4, and 3 pts. for 1st through 6th places)
For the boys, six familiar names scored 9 points each. Seniors Keith Graham and Fred Godfrey both won 1 gold and 1 silver (field event points are shared by two), and the sprint squad of Ty Williams, Robert Wright, Demetrius Snider, and Kennard Aiken shared 2 golds and 2 silvers (track event points are shared by four). Fred Godfrey’s Discus throw of 170 feet broke his previous record by a whopping 15 feet, an “Elite” distance that puts him firmly into State Championship contention.
For the girls, Sophomore Amber Caparas anchored all three of the girl’s medal victories (silver in the Shuttle Hurdles, silver in the 4×400, and bronze in the Sprint Medley) and also scored in the Triple Jump (5th) for 7.5 points: Freshman Jessica Gallagher shared the silver in the Shuttle Hurdles, 5th in the Triple Jump, and 5th in the High Jump for 3.75 points; and Senior Omega Crook-Jones shared two of those medals (silver in the Shuttle Hurdle and bronze in the Sprint Medley) for 3.5 points.
Sr. Keith Graham again led the boys team after winning the Triple and the Long jumps and taking 2nd in the High jump for a total of 13 pts.; Fred Godfrey again dominated in the discus and shot put for 10 pts., and rookie sprinter Dana Brown showed great promise in Robert Wright’s absence (he was away with the Soccer Team) by taking 1st in the 100m and 2nd in the 200m for 8 pts. Omega Crook-Jones took the 100m hurdles, the 200m, and the 400m for 15 pts.; Freshman Jessica Gallagher again showed signs of her future stardom by taking 1st in the High jump while scoring in all 4 of her events for 12 pts.; and the always solid Sophomore Amber Caparas took 1st in the 400m hurdles and also scored in all 4 of her events for 10.25 pts. Check out the scoreboard down the left hand column of this page to see the season tally for every team member. See you Saturday at the Wildcat Relays!
Beaufort, SC — Saturday, March 4thAs the longest standing high school track and field event in the coastal South Carolina region, the Beaufort Relays has seen its share of dominant teams, but few if any could have surpassed the outing enjoyed by the 2006 Wildcat boys’ squad. In an all-relay format that involves every traditional event except the 400m hurdles, the boys won the gold medal in 7 of the 14 events, an amazing feat against 15 competitive high school teams. The boys actually would have won 8 of the gold medals were it not for a dropped baton on the final leg of the 4×100m relay. Among the remaining 6 events, the boys took 4 bronze and one silver. The silver medal was another near miss of the gold due to a 2 inch deficit in the combined shot put. Meanwhile the resurgent girls’ squad also made a strong showing by capturing 3 silver and 3 bronze medals. Maybe the most promising development for the girls’ squad was the return of Sophomore Nodia Robinson who is fresh off a long season on the Wildcat girls’ basketball team. Robinson was the 9th ranked 800m runner in the state AAAA as a freshman, and her presence proved to provide a significant lift to the team. As you will see in the photo gallery, this unusually mild late winter day was full of bright sunlight, bright medals, and bright smiles among all the Wildcats.TOP SCORERS (1st through 6th, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3 respectively, divided by the number of athletes on the relay team-4 for track events and 2 for field events).BOYS: Once again the enigmatic Keith Graham broke numerous records (see below) while sharing the gold medal in both the Triple and Long jump relays and the bronze in the high jump relay for 12 points; David Jackson partnered with Graham to win the gold in the triple jump and also shared bronze medals in both the high jump and the shuttle hurdle relay for 10.5 points; Fred Godfrey and Darin Martin shared the gold in the discus and the silver in the shot put for 9 points each; and Ty Williams, Robert Wright, Kennard Aiken, and Demetrius Snider shared gold medals in the 4×400, the 4×200, and the sprint medley relay for 7.5 points each.GIRLS: For the second meet in a row Amber Caparas and Omega Crooke-Jones lead all scorers for the girls’ squad. Due to the dropped baton by the elite boys sprinting foursome as detailed above, Amber was the sole Wildcat on either squad to medal in all four of her events. Amber shared silver medals in the shuttle hurdle relay, the 4×400 relay, and the sprint medley relay and also shared the bronze in the triple jump for 9 points. Omega Crook-Jones also shared the silver medals in the shuttle hurdle relay, the 4×400, and the sprint medley relay for 6 points.Elite Performances
Get used to it — Senior Keith Graham is out to leave his mark in every stadium he visits in his final year as a prep, and this year’s Beaufort Relays was no exception. In the Triple Jump, Keith again broke his personal record and the West Ashley School record with a mark of 49′- 6.5″, more than 8 inches beyond the record mark he set on this past Wednesday night in the season home opener. Even more remarkable, the historic jump also broke long-standing Beaufort Stadium and Beaufort Relays meet records. And so not to leave long jump fans feeling neglected, Graham again broke the 23′4″ mark to break the Beaufort Stadium and Beaufort Relays records in that event as well. Senior Ty Williams easily proved himself as “the” elite sprinter at the event, as his dominant presence and spectacular splits are quickly becoming the true source of the Wildcat swagger. Also showing himself to be an elite performer and high scorer in every meet is Senior Fred Godfrey, who provided dominant performances in both the discus and the shot put. Similarly for the girls, Senior Omega Crook-Jones and super Sophomores Amber Caparas and Nodia Robinson clearly continue to stand out among the elite athletes as they produced terrific splits in each of their events.For the complete listing of all boys team scoring for each event click here.
For the complete listing of all girls team scoring for each event click here.Click here to see this week’s schedule, and don’t forget the Glasspro Wildcat Relays this coming Saturday!
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HOT start to the 2006 Season! Charleston, SC — Wednesday, March 1, 2006 Wednesday night’s meet was a blast as Bishop England, Hanahan, and North Charleston High Schools rolled into Wildcat Stadium on a hot 75 degree afternoon with an unusually high level of excitement for a season opener (click here to view the photo gallery). The Bishops and the Hawks brought two of the largest teams in the state and North Charleston’s Cougars brought a larger team than in past years, so the 4-team meet generated a much larger crowd than expected. Once the smoke cleared, it was obvious that the Wildcat boys came out to prove they are a legitimate contender for the State Championship team crown by scoring 125 points, just 10 less than their opponents combined totals (69, 48, and 18 respectively). Meanwhile, having lost thier top two scorers to the colegiate ranks, the Wildcat girls showed the signs of a rebuilding year, scoring 45 ponts in a team loss to both the Bishops and the Hawks (153 and 59 points respectively) while defeating the Cougars who squeeked out 8 points. WILDCAT TOP SCORERS WILDCAT ELITE PERFORMANCES Click Here to see the 2006 Season Schedule, and don’t forget, the 2006 Glasspro Wildcat Relays are just over a week away! |
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BOYS 100M-Wright-WA 11.00; 200M-Wright-WA 22.50; 400M-Milligan-NC 54.8; 800M-Jones-Hanahan 2:10.4; 1600M-Nash-WA 5:09; 3200M-Stadelman-BE 11:12.8; 110 High Hurdles-Williams-WA 14.9; 400 IH-Williams-WA 58.9; 4×100-WA 43.4; 4×400-WA 3:38.3; 4×800-BE 8:54.2; Long Jump-Graham WA 23-5; Triple Jump-Graham-WA 48-10; Shot Put-Godfrey-WA 47-4; High Jump-Graham-WA 5-10; Pole Vault-Daniels-BE 11-6; Discus-Godfrey-WA 130-3. Next: WA at Beaufort Relays Saturday. BE hosts Father Kelly Class Saturday. GIRLS 100M-Jamison-Hanahan 12.7; 200M-Crook-Jones WA 26.7; 400M-Simmons-WA 106.8; 800M-Swavely-BE 2:51.2; 1600M-Dodds-BE 6:08.9; 3200M-Clark-Pounder-BE 14:29.3; 110 High Hurdles-Crook-Jones WA 17.3; 400IH-Sharp-BE 1:13.9; 4×100-Hanahan 51.1; 4×800- BE 11:15.5; 4×400-BE 4:26.3; Long Jump: Thomas- Hanahan 14-7; Triple Jump-Caparas-WA 31-8; Shot put-Brown-BE 26-8; High Jump-Bessinger-Hanahan 4-10; Pole Vault-Coste-BE 8-6; Discus-Brown BE 76-10. Next: WA at Beaufort Relays Saturday. BE hosts Father Kelley Classic Saturday. 2007 Wildcat Girls Amber Caparas 173 2007 Wildcat Boys
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