Patriot girls stay perfect (04/04/08)

Some new blood helped keep the Patriot girls undefeated. For the boys, the usual suspects set the pace.

Freshman Jordan McMillan and junior newcomer Kaelee Keller joined senior Amanda Johnson in leading the Jay County High School girls track team to 67-point evening as it finished ahead of visiting Adams Central (43) and Bellmont (34).

"We knew coming in that Adams Central was a really quality team, so we took it as a big challenge," said JCHS girls coach Brian McEvoy. "We knew that we would be pushed at this meet. So I'm really happy with the girls' performance.

"Our team effort has been good."

For the boys team, juniors Dexter Shreve and Brandon Reynard and senior Sean Hatzell were in on every victory in a second place finish with 67 points. Bellmont pulled out the win with 75 points, and Adams Central was a distant third with 15.

"We're 2-2 right now, and in five year's I've not been 2-2 at this point," said Patriot boys coach Greg Garringer, whose lost its first four dual meets last season. "So I'm pretty happy."

McMillan and Keller stepped forward to help lead the girls as they and Johnson each won an individual event and contributed to a relay victory.

Both first-time wins were close calls, with Keller building a big lead in the 100-meter dash before holding off Adams Central's Jessica Grandlinard by just four hundredths of a second in 13.84 seconds. McMillan's victory was nearly as close as she took the 200 dash by just a tenth of a second in 28 flat.

The pair of newcomers also teamed with senior Sarah Mescher and junior Lindsey Current to post a winning time of 55.5 in the 4x100 relay.

"Jordan McMillan is a freshman and she goes out and wins the 200," said McEvoy. "She did well in the high jump [third] and long jump [second] and ran a pretty good leg in our 4x100 relay."

Johnson was dominant as usual in the event in which she has made trips to the state finals in each of the last two seasons. She cruised to victory by nearly eight seconds in the 800 run in 2-minutes, 32.7 seconds.

She also rallied the Patriot 4x800 relay team, reclaiming the lead at the start of the back stretch and running away for the victory in 11:00.4. Leah Wellman, Katie Butcher and Erica Butcher joined her in the victory.

"Amanda is always solid for us," said McEvoy. "She just takes whatever task we give her this year and just runs it to the best of her ability."

Shreve and Reynard have held much the same role for the boys team, having combined for 10 individual wins in the first two meets of the season.

Six of those have come from Shreve, who led a dominating Jay County effort Thursday in the 400 dash. Running from the inside lane, the junior made up the stagger before the mid-point of the race and pulled away from the field to win in 52.1 seconds.

Patrick Johnson, a sophomore, made it a one-two Patriot finish with a time of 57.1.

Shreve didn't have his best day in the long jump, but still won by nearly a foot at 19 feet, 3 inches. He also took the high jump, clearing the bar at 6 feet, 2 inches.

Garringer said Shreve had trouble getting his steps down in the long jump, "but he came back and had another good night in the high jump at 6-2, and then really ran a great 400. He's really leading by example now."

Reynard was a double winner for the second straight meet, dominating both hurdle races.

He took the 110-meter high hurdles by more than a second in 16.4, and was first in the 300 hurdles by 4.5 seconds in 41 seconds flat.

Hatzell, a senior who qualified for the regional last year, also contributed two wins. He took the 100 dash in 11.7 seconds, and was first in the 200 dash at 24.6.

Shreve, Reynard, Hatzell and Johnson teamed to win the 4x400 relay by more than seven seconds in 3:41.4, and Reynard, Hatzell, Lance Franklin and Garrett Krieg were first in the 4x100 relay at 46.5.

"Sean Hatzell is always right there with them," said Garringer after referring to Shreve and Reynard as "the dynamic duo. They're the three guys that are coming back from last year that are scoring for us consistently and have regional experience. And they're passing that on. I can see guys like Garrett Krieg and Patrick Johnson, the younger guys, picking up on their example."

For the Patriot girls, Aly Miller dominated the 3,200 run in 12:50.01. Amy Alig picked up the win in the shot put with a toss of 29 feet, 3 inches.

"Aly Miller has been solid," said McEvoy. "She ran three miles tonight, all pretty hard. She handled that responsibility well.

"Field events have really stepped up this year. Amy Alig has been great in shot and disc for us. ... That's a big lift for us getting points out of shot and disc again."

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