Jay dominates distance (04/06/05)

PORTLAND — The Jay County girls track team can go the distance.

If there was a race Tuesday in which an individual had to run more than 300 meters, the Patriots won it. They used that distance dominance to knock off the Blackford Bruins in a three-team meet 81-69. Muncie Southside was a distant third with six points.

Jay County’s boys track team got two wins apiece from Justin Gilbert and Joseph Vormohr, but finished second overall with 48 points. Blackford won with 71 points, and Muncie Southside was third with 37.

The Patriot girls team started off strong in the 4x800-meter relay and never relented. Rose Weaver ran the opening leg and opened up a solid lead on the other two teams, and Amanda Johnson, Alyssa Johnson and Jill Roughia never let them get close.

The Patriots cruised to victory by nearly 50 seconds, winning in 10-minutes, 57.80 seconds. The school record of 10:12.04, set by Weaver, Roughia, Alyssa Johnson and Nicole VanSkyock at the 2004 regional meet, is one they plan to break again this year.

“Rose Weaver led off a did a wonderful job,” said JCHS girls coach Tyler Caldwell. “She got us a lead, and then Amanda came in as a freshman being in her first varsity race and held that exact same lead all the way around for her 800. Then with the experience Alyssa and Jill have they were really able to put it away. It was 10:55, and we’re going to get a whole lot better this year.”

Jay County’s dominance in the distance races was also highlighted by a sweep of the 800 run. Alyssa Johnson and Roughia traded the lead a couple of times before Johnson took it down the home stretch and the pair finished one-two in times of 2:35 and 2:36 respectively. And, Jessica Mosier crossed the finish line in third place in 2:47.

Alyssa Johnson grabbed a second victory in the 3,200 run by nearly 30 seconds in 12:42.

Amanda Johnson was also a double winner on the evening.

She and Mosier went first and third in the 1,600 run, with Johnson winning in 5:49. And, she rallied in the final 10 meters of the 400 run to win by just one 10th in 1:05.30 with teammate Tequila Guntle third.

The Patriot team of Roughia, Weaver, Erika Hunt and Nicole Pfeifer also took the 4x400 relay in 4:35.30.

“Middle distance and long distance came up strong,” said Caldwell. “We swept the 800 with a great effort from Alyssa Johnson, Jill Roughia and Jessica Mosier. Obviously in the 400 we did well.”

Senior Jessica Heitkamp picked up the final running win for the girls team, taking the 200-meter dash in 28.92.

A couple of freshmen added big wins in the jumping events. Guntle was first in the long jump at 13 feet, 8 1/4 inches, and Hunt took the high jump at four feet, 10 inches.

“I thought (our 4x100 team) ran well,” added Caldwell. “Our sprinters ran well. We had a lot of kids step up tonight. Being first-year kids I didn’t know what they were capable of doing until tonight. They did really well.

“Overall I really didn’t know how Blackford was going to be. Last year they stuck it too us pretty bad a couple times. I was really pleased with how the kids showed up tonight.”

Gilbert came up big for the boys team in their first meet of the season. He won the 200 dash in 24.17, and the long jump with a leap of 18 feet, 11 inches. He narrowly missed a third victory as he was edged at the line in the 100 dash.

He was part of a third victory, running the anchor leg for the winning 4x100 relay team. He was joined by Adam May, Alex Michael and Sean Hatzell in finishing in 46.55.

Vormohr took care of the throwing events for the Patriots. He won the shot put with a toss of 48 feet, four inches on his final throw, and added a victory in the discus at 141 feet, 10 inches.

“I was pretty happy with his long jump, he an excellent asset on our relay teams and he’s picked up — he’s one of those guys we need to fill in for some of the seniors, he’s filling the gap from (Paul) Imel last year,” said Garringer.

“I’m pretty happy with where (Vormohr) is at now compared to last year.”

May, a senior, took first place in the 400 dash with a time of 55.11 to lead the lone one-two Patriot finish of the night. Micah Enyart followed him in second.

Curtis Hess took care of the other Jay county win, taking the 110 hurdles in 16.96.

“Overall we did place second behind Blackford, but the effort was tremendous — our times our down,” said Garringer, who hopes to have a couple of athletes in competition Thursday who were not available against Muncie Southside and Blackford. “... We’re right where we want to be right now. We’ve got a starting point to go from and we’re pretty happy.”[[In-content Ad]]