The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE CH Reeves Raptors seem to be well on their way to tightening their stranglehold on the Government Secondary Schools Sports Association’s (GSSSA) Junior High Track and Field Championships.

After the first day of the two-day championships yesterday at the Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium, the Raptors soared out in front of the eight-team field with a total of 305.50 points, 119 points ahead of their nearest rivals, AF Adderley Fighting Tigers. The HO Nash Lions are third with 140.

Rounding out the field are the TA Thompson Scorpions with 117 points; DW Davis Pitbulls with 112.50; LW Young Golden Eagles with 100.50; Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves with 87.50 and the SC McPherson Sharks with 79.50.

CH Reeves, whose coaching staff is led by Rashad McKenzie, lead both the female and male team scoring.

In the girls division, the Raptors are ahead with 127.50, followed by DW Davis with 84.50 and AF Adderley with 64. On the male side, CH Reeves are on top with 178, while AF Adderley are next with 122.50 and HO Nash with 82.

The final day of the junior segment of the meet will conclude today, starting at 9am.

On Thursday to Friday, the senior segment of the meet will be held with the CV Bethel Stingrays out to defend their title.

On their way to taking the early lead in the four divisions - male and female bantam and junior divisions - the Raptors dominated the individual categories yesterday, capturing 10 of the 21 finals and taking second in three of the four 4 x 100 metres relays and third in the other.

The 4 x 100m relays, which closed out the first day of competition, saw AF Adderley victorious in the boys’ bantam (Everon Nixon, Omar Kelly, Tamar Cash and Kamran Clarke) in 53.04 seconds with CH Reeves (Crestwell Farrington, Jamal Flowers, Ahmad Evans and Leandre Lightbourne) taking second in 54.01. TA Thompson (Dudley Jean-Pierre, Shavar Bethel, Laroda Symillian and Keano Ferguson) were third in 55.23.

In the junior boys’ relay, AF Adderley (Travon Smith, Latrell Foerbes, Joshua Anderson and Allen Jean) broke the tape in 48.73 seconds. CH Reeves (Teran Miller, Javano Lamm, Raheem Roker and James Autustine) took second in 49.42 and HO Nash (Lealand Symonette, Tanarjo Moss, Conrad Newry and Shaquan Mackey) were third in 49.67.

On the girls’ side, Anatol Rodgers (Ravyn Collie, Oprah Adderley, Danajae Culmer and Shania Pritchard) came home first in the bantam division in 57.73 seconds. They were followed by DW Davis (Genira Jane, Sasha Gibson, Kenderline Charles and Ashanique Johnson) in 58.34 and CH Reeves (Leandra Miller, Victoria Kemp, Chelsea Daxon and Nacola Smith) in 58.48.

And in the junior division, DW Davis (Marvenique Tucker, Precious Rolle, Jalexica Philistine and Anishka Lotmore) took the win in 53.54 seconds while CH Reeves (Nerline Casseus, Tyra McKenzie, Abagial Saunders and Craisha Johnson) came second in 54.29 and LW Young (Kelecia Rolle, Davonnia Brown, Eldricka McClain and Trecia Smith) third in 55.90.

Individually, the 100m 400m, 1,200m and 1500m were contested on the track with a number of events on the field to conclude the first day. Again, the results were spread around but CH Reeves’ Leandre Lightbourne posted the only double triumph when he took the bantam boys’ 100m and the long jump with a leap of 4.72m (15ft 6in).

Also in the 100m, AF Adderley’s Kiashia Smith, who posted the fastest qualifying time of 14.42 seconds, went on to win the bantam girls’ final in 13.86 as she ran away from the rest of the field. The junior girls’ race was a little closer as Anishka Lotmore, of DW Davis, who turned in the second fastest qualifying time of 13.78, pulled off the win in 13.54 as leading qualifier Tyra McKenzie (13.65) of CH Reeves, got second in 13.58.

And in the junior boys division, HO Nash’s Tanarjo Moss clocked 12.14 seconds to win the title after he ran the fastest qualifying time of 12.31. Moss just nipped AF Adderley’s Allen Jean, who ran 12.15.

In the 400m, CH Reeves got a one-two from Raheem Roker (56.21) and James Autustine (58.65) in the junior boys race.

“It was good. Through the whole race, I decided to keep my composure and as I came to the finish, I came with my momentum and strength,” said Roker, a 15-year-old ninth grader, who improved on his fourth place finish in the one-lap race last year. “I was very pleased.”

Another Raptor, Craisha Johnson, powered her way to victory in the junior girls 400m in 1 min 03.40 secs. She was chased to the line by SC McPherson’s Mya-Angela Miller in 1:04.61.

“It was great. I started at a good pace. I was hoping to get under one minute, but I will get it at another time,” said Johnson, a 14-year-old ninth grader. “I finished strong actually. Better than I expected.”

Not to be left out of the spotlight for CH Reeves was Ahmad Evans, the winner of the junior boys 400m in 1:01.69. The time was a little slower than his qualifying time of 1:01.66, but he will take the performance that saw him hold off his team mate Jamal Flowers, who came second in 1:03.16.

“It was good. It was easy competition, not too hard. I passed some of them at the 200m, so it felt good to win,” said Evans, an 11-year-old seventh grader.

And in the bantam girls division, HO Nash’s Rashae Dean stopped a sweep of CH Reeves in the one-lap race by taking the crown in 1:06.14, well ahead of Raptors’ Nacola Smith in 1:10.67.

“It was good for me because I always do the 400 and all you have to do is pace yourself and push and you can make it,” said Dean, an 11-year-old seventh grader, who led from start to finish. “I was very pleased with my performance.”

In the middle distance racers, Smith showed her versatility as she took the bantam girls 1,200m in 4 min 47.47 sec ahead of team-mate Antonique Francis, who clocked 4:49.12. The bantam boys’ race was won by AF Adderley’s Omar Kelly in 4:05.97 ahead of CH Reeves’ duo of Crestwell Farrington (4:17.74) and Ricardo Harris (4:19.45).

Camielle Lovena, of DW Davis, came from behind on the final lap and out-sprinted two other competitors on the home stretch to snatch victory in the junior girls’ 1,500m in 5:51.71.

“I felt great. It was a long and hard race, but I still made it,” said Lovena, a 14-year-old ninth grader. “I was just thinking about God and he pushed me through.”

And in the junior boys 1,500m, Cordero Thurston got another victory for CH Reeves as he stopped the clock at 5:10.30 ahead of his teammate James Autustine, who got his second runner-up place on the day.

“It was good, a little rough because there was a lot of people,” said Thurston, a 14-year-old ninth grader. “We still had to try hard and pace yourself and try get back in front. I had to keep up with my teammate, but coming down the stretch, I knew I had a lot more strength so I went for it.”

Autustine said there wasn’t anything he could do. “I didn’t have anything left,” the 14-year-old ninth grader said. “I like how he kept up with me and we went for it.”

On the field, CH Reeves’ Chelsea Daxon won the bantam girls long jump with 3.73m (12ft 3in) and TA Thompson’s Satarra Dorsette took the shot put with 8.34m. HO Nash’s Ty’Anna Gordan was the junior girls’ high jump winner with 1.34m (4ft 4 3/4in) and Anatol Rodgers’ Ellise Curling won the discus with a heave of 19.61m (64ft 4in).

And in the junior boys division, Jaythan Belle of HO Nash won the high jump with 1.60m (5ft 3in); CH Reeves’ Chea Cleare took the long jump with 5.35m (17ft 6 3/4in); his team-mate Lenaz Moxey was the winner of the discus with 27.33m (89ft 8in) and LW Young’s Anthony Carey tossed the javelin 35.26m (115ft 8in) for the win.