Brookville, Heritage seek state track titles

By Ted Allen
Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: May 30, 2008

Region III boys and girls track and field champions Brookville and Heritage, respectively, consider themselves legitimate contenders for Group AA state titles today and Saturday at Harrisonburg High.

“We hope to come out on top,” Brookville coach Ramsey Moore said. “We’ve won two indoor state titles in school history, but we’ve never won an outdoor state meet. That’s our goal.”

Brookville has four top-five finishes in indoor and outdoor track combined over the past four seasons, winning the indoor title in 2007 before finishing runner-up this past winter.

“From the teams we’ve taken the last four years, they’re experienced enough to know how to handle a two-day state meet,” Moore said. “We’re not going to be intimidated by the competition.”

If Clemson-bound Ethan Nixon, who has been bothered by a hamstring injury this season, is healthy, and can win or place well in his five events, that would give the Bees a big boost.

Nixon, the defending 110-meter hurdles state champion, pulled out of the triple jump and the 300 hurdles at last week’s Region III meet after straining his hamstring in the anchor leg of the winning 400 relay. But he expects to give all five a try this weekend.

“I’m going to rest as much as I can between here and states,” he said then. “That’ll be my last time running a high school track meet, so I’ll try to go all out.”
Moore predicts the winning team will eclipse 60 points.

“Western Albemarle (the indoor state champion) can top out at 64,” he said. “We have the potential to score about the same if everything goes (right).”

Pioneers coach Theo McIvor believes his boys team, paced by senior sprinter Shawn Sutton and sprinter/jumper Corey Calloway, can give the Bees a run for their honey.

“Next week, we’ll do well,” he said after Heritage finished second to Brookville at the regional meet at Liberty University. “At the state meet, it’ll be very different.”

But he has more reason for optimism on the girls side, where the Pioneers could be in a tight race at the top.

“I don’t think it’ll take many points to win at the state meet,” McIvor said. “Thirty points might win it as strong as the field is. If we can get three first-places out of (Laura) Rapp and (a top-five finish from Destiny) Dubose in the 300 hurdles, we’ll have a shot.”

Rapp, a senior bound for Wake Forest, swept the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 events at both the Seminole District and Region III meets and hopes to follow the lead of Northside’s Catherine White, last year’s distance triple crown winner, at the state meet.

“All the races are going to be really tight,” Rapp said. “It’s up in the air. With Catherine not there, there’s not a dominant, shoe-in winner. Everyone will have to come ready to run at state. I’m sure it will be a battle.”

After placing sixth and seventh, respectively, at last week’s Northwest Region meet at Virginia, E.C. Glass’ girls and boys teams will face some extremely challenging competition at the Group AAA state meet at Todd Stadium in Newport News.

Daniel Inge, who set meet records in winning the pole vault at the Western Valley District (15-feet, 6-inches) and Northwest Region (16-0) events, will attempt to repeat his state championship from the indoor season on Saturday, starting at 9:30 a.m. His personal best is 16-4½ set May 2 at Brookville.

Appomattox’s boys, led by seniors Will Morgan and Michael Chambers and sophomore Kenny Scott in the jumping events, will look to carry some momentum from their Region B championship to Saturday’s Group A state meet at Radford University.

“We hope to come out on top,” Brookville coach Ramsey Moore said. “We’ve won two indoor state titles in school history, but we’ve never won an outdoor state meet. That’s our goal.”

Brookville has four top-five finishes in indoor and outdoor track combined over the past four seasons, winning the indoor title in 2007 before finishing runner-up this past winter.

“From the teams we’ve taken the last four years, they’re experienced enough to know how to handle a two-day state meet,” Moore said. “We’re not going to be intimidated by the competition.”