Washington Husky Clock
washington husky clock Best 2009 USA High School Track & Field Performances Feature 10 New Records - Part 1 Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley Ten new records were set this season when the autom...
washington husky clock
Best 2009 USA High School Track & Field Performances Feature 10 New Records - Part 1Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley Ten new records were set this season when the automatic timers finally stopped and the best 2009 USA high school track and field competitive performances were in the books. The only double record-setter was not an individual, but the Track East Carolina relay team made up of New Bern High School sprinters from Raleigh (NC). Their 3:19.58 effort in the 1,600 sprint medley relay swept away the old mark of 3:21.1 with Fuquawn Greene's 21.5 and Miles Sparks' 21.8 in the 200, Andrew Hendrix's 46.6 in the 400 and brother Anthony Hendrix's 1:49.7 in the 800. Track East Carolina also set the 800 sprint medley relay record with a 1:28.20 clocking that erased the old mark of 1:28.43. The absolute dominance of the Track East Carolina team was shown as they also ran the nation's fastest times in the 4x200 relay and the 4x400 relay. Albemarle High School's 4x800 relay team also got into the act by setting a new standard of 7:30.67, wiping out the old mark of 7:32.89. Albemarle's 800 runners were fast and deep—Garrett Bradley went 1:55.43, Zach Vrhovac 1:50.57, Luke Noble 1:55.34 and Anthony Kostelac 1:49.33. The other 7 new USA high school records were set by Reggie Wyatt in the 300 hurdles (35.02), Marquise Goodwin in the long jump (26-10), Mason Finley in the discus (236-06), Curtis Beach in the decathlon (7,466), Shelby Greany in the 2,000 steeplechase (6:33.7), Toni Young in the high jump (6-04), and Anna Jelmini in the discus (190-03). Last year the two dominant athletes were German Fernandez and Jordan Hasay. Fernandez set new records in the 3,000 and 3,200 and led all comers in the 1,500, 1,600 and mile. Hasay set a new record in the 1,500 and led all comers in the 3,000, 3,200 and 2 mile. This year college recruiters saw more quality athletes emerge. Among of the boys were Andrew Springer who led everyone in the 1,500, 1,600 and mile; Trevor Dunbar who was first in the 3,000 and 2 mile; Lucas Verzbickas, a freshman who led the 3,200 and 2 mile; and Marquise Goodwin in the long jump. Among the girls were Chelsey Sveinsson, a sophomore who led the nation in the 3,000 and 2 mile; Kori Carter who swept the 100 and 300 hurdles; and Ciarra Brewer, a sophomore in the triple jump. Two of last year's outstanding graduates—German Fernandez and Christine Babcock—continued to perform at a national caliber level as college freshmen. Fernandez went to Oklahoma State and promptly became the NCAA Division 1 champion in the 1,500, running 3:39.00 compared to his high school best of 3:44.8. Babcock went to the University of Washington and, combined with incoming freshman and Canadian junior national cross-country champion Kendra Schaaf, led the Huskies to their first ever NCAA Division 1 Cross-Country Championship. Babcock finished 5th in 20:02 in team competition at the 2008 NCAA Championship meet and Schaaf finished 9th. Babcock ran 4:33.82 last year to set the new national high school record for the 1600-meter run and clocked 4:35.41 in the mile, the 2nd best high school time ever (the national record is 4:35.24). Here are the current United States high school track and field records through 2008 followed by the best performances by high school competitors during 2009: USA Boys High School Track and Field Records and Best 2009 Performances: 100 Meters: – 10.01 - 10.30 by Randall Carroll of Cathedral High School in Los Angeles (CA). 200 – 20.13 - 20.58 by Dentarius Locke of Chamberlain HS in Tampa (FL). 400 – 44.69 - 45.48 by Tavaris Tate of Starkville (MS) HS. Other elite prep sprinters include Andre Carter, Kenneth Gilstrap, Prezel Hardy, Blake Heriot, Qunicy McDuffie, Ryan Milus and Clayton Parros. 800 – 1:46.45 - 1:48.66 by Robby Andrews of Manalapan (NJ) HS. 1,500 – 3:38.26 - 3:45.46 by Andrew Springer of Westerly (RI) HS. 1,600 – 3:53.43 - 4:01.06 by Andrew Springer of Westerly (RI) HS. Mile – 3:53.43 - 4:02.70 by Andrew Springer of Westerly (RI) HS. 3,000 – 7:59.83 - 8:14.11 by Trevor Dunbar of Kodiak (AK) HS. 3,200 – 8:36.30 - 8:50.70 by Lucas Verzbickas of Lincoln-Way Central HS in New Lenox (IL). 2 Mile – 8:34.40 - 8:49.79 by Trevor Dunbar of Kodiak (AK) HS. Other elite prep distance runners include Mac Fleet, Elijah Greer, Patrick McGregor, Zachary Mellon, Chris Stogsdill and Zachary Wills. 2,000 Steeplechase – 5:43.90 - 5:53.13 by Alex Dier of Honeoye Falls (NY) HS. 3,000 Steeplechase – 8:50.01 - 9:09.97 by Joe Whelen of Hamburg (NY) HS. 5,000 – 13:37.91 - 14:18.42 by Lucas Verzbickas of Lincoln-Way Central HS in New Lenox (IL). 10,000 – 28:32.7 – 31:18.13 by Parker Stinson of Cedar Park (TX) HS. 110 Hurdles – 13.30 - 13.31 by Wayne Davis of Southeast HS in Raleigh (NC). 300 Hurdles – 35.28 – 35.02 by Reggie Wyatt of La Sierra HS in Riverside (CA). New USA High School Record. 400 Hurdles – 49.38 - 49.78 by Reggie Wyatt of La Sierra HS in Riverside (CA). Other elite prep hurdlers include Kelby Dias, Kendall Hayes, Camern LaCour, Dale Morgan, Cody Riggs, Jordan Rispress, Tyler Stephenson and Neamen Wise. 4x100 Relay – 39.76 - 40.54 by Monsignor Pace HS in Miami (FL). 4x200 Relay – 1:23.31 - 1:24.80 by Track East Carolina of New Bern (NC) HS. 4x400 Relay – 3:07.40 - 3:08.05 by Track East Carolina of New Bern (NC) HS. 4x800 Relay – 7:32.89 - 7:30.67 by Albemarle HS of Charlottesville (VA). New USA High School Record. 4x1 Mile Relay – 17:06.06 - 17:17.21 by The Woodlands (TX) HS. 800 Sprint Medley Relay – 1:28.43 - 1:28.20 by Track East Carolina of New Bern (NC) HS. New USA High School Record. 1,600 Sprint Medley Relay – 3:21.10 - 3:19.58 by Track East Carolina of New Bern (NC) HS. New USA High School Record. 4,000 Distance Medley Relay – 9:49.78 - 9:55.17 by The Woodlands (TX) HS. High Jump – 7-07 - 7-05.75 by James White of Grandview (MO) HS. Pole Vault – 18-03 - 18-00.25 by Jack Whitt of Norman North HS in Norman (OK). Long Jump – 26-09.25 - 26-10 by Marquise Goodwin of Rowlett (TX) HS. New USA High School Record. Triple Jump – 54-10.25 - 52-06.25 by Bryce Lamb of Chandler (AZ) HS. Other elite prep jumpers include Chase Cooper, Damar Forbes, Ricardo Jaquite, Erik Kynard, Ricky Robertson and Hammed Suleman. Shot Put – 81-03.50 - 72-08 by Nick Vena of Morristown (NJ) HS. Discus – 234-03 - 236-06 by Mason Finley of Buena Vista (CO) HS. New USA High School Record. Javelin – 241-11 – 239-00 by Sam Crouser of Gresham (OR) HS. Hammer – 260-00 - 256-09 by Conor McCullough of Chaminade HS in West Hills (CA). Other elite prep throwers include Hayden Baillio, Devin Bogert, Matt Kosecki, Stephen Saenz, Justin Shirk and Cameron Tabor. Decathlon – 7,359 – 7,466 by Curtis Beach of Academy HS in Albuquerque (NM). New USA High School Record Using International Implements and Hurdles. (This is Part 1 of a 2-Part Series.) About the Author Read my articles on track and field, cross-country and distance running, including: |
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College Football - in Just Two Years Nick Saban Has the Crimson Tide No. 1 in the Nation
Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley
Goodbye Texas. Hello Alabama. It is now the Crimson Tide that have become the No. 1 coveted target in the nation for big-time college football programs in America.
The Texas Longhorns, who were No. 1, took on their 4th top-ranked team in consecutive weeks and came up short on the road Saturday (11-1-08) in Lubbock to No. 6 Texas Tech 39-33 on a scoring play that never should have happened with 1 second left.
In a Texas-style shootout, the Longhorns trailed 19-0 and rallied to take a 33-32 lead on Vondrell McGee's 4-yard touchdown run with only 1:29 to play. That gave just a little too much time left for the Red Raiders' Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree, two gifted athletes on a mission few others would dare to take.
With virtually no time left and 28 yards from pay dirt, Harrell found himself surrounded by nasty Longhorns and out of time with Crabtree in double coverage and no room to even turn around. So what does a great quarterback do? He throws high into double coverage, hoping his All-American wide receiver is as great as Harrell thinks he is.
Michael Crabtree does not disappoint either his teammates or himself. He rises to the challenge, grabs the rock with sure hands, breaks the wannabe arm tackle of a sophomore cover back trying to strip the ball, and takes a couple of steps into the end zone and the game clock shows 1 second left.
Amazingly, Crabtree stays in bounds as thousands and thousands of screaming, delirious fans pour onto the field of play. It is sheer bedlam as fans begin to rip down the goal post at one end of the field, and the officials on the field try to restore order for the extra-point attempt and final kickoff to Texas to eliminate the one second left on the clock.
This is college football in America on a Saturday afternoon. A major university with thousands of fans who have suffered through the dominance of Texas and Oklahoma teams for too many years. This is their moment of glory and they will not be denied. It is the competitive spirit of America in its finest hour, their years of hardship and agony are over and their 15 minutes of fame and glory have arrived.
All of the Texas Tech fans, players and coaches need to party down big-time because Texas Tech's season is not over. The Red Raiders will now run a gauntlet somewhat similar to the one that the Longhorns faced as 8-1 Oklahoma State and 8-1 Oklahoma lie ahead and a lesser-light Baylor team lurks in the background.
The drama of this game could not have been higher. Texas Tech only needed a field goal to win the game, but could not rely on its kicker to convert from some 40 yards out. Not only was Harrell's pass into double coverage over the top, and even though Crabtree made a great catch, had he been tackled short of the end zone or gone out of bounds, it is unlikely in the moment that the Red Raiders could have called a time out and still had enough time to set up for a game-winning field goal try.
"All we needed was a field goal, but a touchdown's even sweeter," said Raider quarterback Graham Harrell after the game. "If you're a quarterback and don't want to be in that situation, you should change positions." Harrell finished with 474 yards passing and 2 touchdowns while completing 36 of 53 attempts.
Was this really THAT big of a win for Texas Tech? Yes it was. The Red Raider win over Texas was the biggest win in Texas Tech history and its first win against a No. 1-ranked team. The victory gave them command of the Big 12 South and put them smack in the middle of the race for a spot in the national championship game.
And just how close was Texas to winning? How about 1 second among 60 minutes of play? Or the fact that on the play prior to Crabtree's winning 28-yard TD catch, freshman safety Blake Gideon dropped what would have been a game-ending interception on a tipped pass. That single drop meant Harrell could make the dangerous decision to throw into double coverage to Crabtree. The rest is now history.
The win vaulted No. 6 Texas Tech past Penn State, Florida and Oklahoma into the No. 2 spot in this week's AP Top 25 Poll. For Texas Tech fans around the world, this rise to prominence came none too soon.
The reason Alabama vaulted from No. 2 in the AP rankings to the top spot is because the Crimson Tide shut out Arkansas State Saturday 35-0, scoring in every quarter and looking every bit as if they should be No. 1.
Coach Nick Saban has quickly become better than the gold standard in Alabama. Saban has taken the Crimson Tide to the No. 1 ranking in the nation in only his second year at Tuscaloosa.
Saban is the highest paid coach in college football ($32 million for 8 years). Many fans and boosters at Alabama believe Saban is worth every penny of it and now you know why.
Saban turned around Michigan State's program in one year and went to 3 bowl games in his first 3 years. He turned around Louisiana State's program in one year, won or shared 3 SEC titles, went to bowl games all 5 years and won the National Championship in 2003. He turned around Alabama in his first season last year and went to a bowl game. Now his Crimson Tide players are 9-0 and in the hunt for a spot in this year's national championship game.
No. 5 Florida recorded a huge win on the road at No. 8 Georgia, putting some major hurt on the Bulldogs, 49-10. Since their unexpected lack of focus and 31-30 loss to Mississippi, Coach Urban Meyer's Gators have gone ballistic croc hunting, ripping apart Arkansas 38-7, LSU 51-21 and Kentucky 63-5 before hosting Georgia.
Apparently the Gators have become so savage that they will rip apart their victims but also drink their blood in their quest to get into the national championship game.
Both Texas and Georgia lost to top-ranked teams. Texas Tech, Alabama and Florida were among 13 of the 20 AP Poll teams to win this week, 7 others—including Texas and Georgia which played top-ranked teams--lost and 5 teams were idle. No. 3 Penn State, No. 13 Ohio State, No. 18 Ball State, No. 21 North Carolina and No. 25 Maryland were all idle.
The other ranked teams which won big and made a statement included:
No. 4 Oklahoma at home in a waltz over Nebraska 62-28 (the Sooners led 62-21 after 3 quarters), No. 7 Southern Cal on the road shut out Washington 56-0 (the Huskies are dead and waiting for fired head coach Tyrone Willingham to get on down the road), No. 9 Oklahoma State at home over Iowa State 59-17 (the Cowboys scored in every quarter), No. 11 Boise State at home shut out New Mexico State 49-0 (the Broncos scored in every quarter against what we think is a team in the southwest), No. 12 TCU on the road over UNLV 44-14, and No. 15 LSU at home over Tulane 35-10.
Four other ranked teams won but were hardly impressive. They included:
No. 10 Utah on the road over weak, unranked New Mexico 13-10 (the 9-0 unbeaten Utah Utes are overrated big-time and may find that out this week when they clash with 9-1 TCU), No. 14 Missouri on the road over unranked Baylor 31-28 (the now toothless Tigers take down a 3-win Baylor team), No. 17 BYU on the road over weak, unranked Colorado State 45-42 (the Cougars are hardly ferocious, they gave up 32 points to TCU, 35 to UNLV and now 42 to Colorado State after beating a winless 0-8 Washington team 28-27 earlier in the season), and No. 22 Michigan State at home over Wisconsin 25-24 (it's true that Wisconsin may well be the best 4-5 team in the country, but the Spartans should have won by two touchdowns).
Five other ranked teams committed the unpardonable sin of losing to an unranked team. They included:
No. 16 Florida State lost on the road to Georgia Tech 31-28, No. 19 and unbeaten Tulsa lost on the road to Arkansas 30-23, No. 20 Minnesota lost at home to Northwestern 24-17, No. 23 Oregon lost on the road to California 26-16, and No. 24 South Florida lost on the road to Cincinnati 24-10.
About the Author
Read my other detailed, knowledgeable, interesting articles on college football, including:
"Texas Handles Unbeaten Oklahoma State, and Penn State Whips Ohio State"
"Top 6 Teams Remain on Top, Led by Unbeaten Texas, Alabama & Penn State"
"Only 10 Undefeated Teams Remain - Oklahoma, Missouri and LSU All Lose"
Find my Blog at:
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html