ROCKY MOUNT -- Behind middle-distance runners Joseph Speight and Kevin Smith and strong relays, the Fike High boys track team stormed from nowhere to a runner-up finish in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-A East Regional at Nash Central High School on a windy Saturday.
The Golden Demons owned an outside shot at overtaking NEW 6 Conference rival Nash Central for the championship going into the 1,600-meter relay, the final event. Fike, third behind Nash Central and Rocky Mount, respectively, in the conference meet, could have emerged the champion if it had won the event and Nash Central did not place in the top six.
The foursome of senior Josh Foster, senior Stephen Ewan, Smith, a junior; and junior Darrus Parker, set a sizzling first-place pace of three minutes. 27.6 seconds, but Nash Central claimed third to prevail by a mere five points.
The Bulldogs amassed 74 points, followed by Fike with 69, White Oak 68, Rocky Mount 58.5 and Northern Nash 47 to comprise the top five.
Charles B. Aycock finished 13th with 14 points, while Southern Nash took 16th (11 points), Hunt 19th (6 points) and Beddingfield tied for 20th (2 points).
"The kids had a good day," summarized Fike head coach Tom Griffith. "Going into the regional, I thought, if we placed in the top five, we would be doing well. Nash Central had a great meet and we feel fortunate to come as close to them as we did."
Fike's 1,600 quartet posted the state's second best time of 2008.
Juniors Speight and Smith seized individual championships and the Golden Demons qualified all four relays for next weekend's 3-A Championship meet in Greensboro.
Also state-bound are the third-place 400 relay of senior Keith Blunt, freshman Zameze Braswell, sophomore Michael Farr and junior Dajuan Lucas; the runner-up 800 relay of Blunt, Braswell, Farr and Lucas; the third-place 3,200 relay of senior Auston Jones, Ewan, sophomore Cody Jones and Speight; Foster with a runner-up showing in the triple jump; and Parker with a second-place effort in the long jump.
Smith, second in the preliminaries, won the 400 with a time of 50.79 seconds. Speight, with a time of 2:03.10, edged Northern Nash junior J.J. McLaughlin for the 800 victory.
The Demons' 800 relay notched a time of 1:30.04, while the 400 relay's time was 43.93. The 3,200 foursome was clocked in 8:42.
The top four finishers in each event earned state berths.
Also eligible to travel to Greensboro from The Wilson Daily Times readership area are Charles B. Aycock senior Cameron George, the pole vault champion (12-6), CBA junior Edmond Miller, fourth in the pole vault (11-0); Hunt senior Jonas Dewald, third in the 800 (2:03.7); and the fourth-place Southern Nash 3,200 relay of senior Tyler Turner, junior Tim Mason, senior Josh Harris and senior Caleb Deese (8:43).
Heading a disappointing Beddingfield showing was junior Raymon Farmer with a fifth-place time of 15.65 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles.
"Last year, Fike sent one boy (to the state meet)," Griffith pointed out. "This year, we are sending 10. I am very pleased."
The first-year Fike coach noted his runners were successful because of their ability to stay relaxed the final 50-60 meters.
Griffith credited the strategy of assistant coach Reggie Dickerson in the 1,600 relay. Dickerson decided to shift Smith to the third leg and Parker to the anchor assignment.
The lanky Foster put the Demons in third place after the first leg and, on the second leg, Ewan kept them near the front. Smith raced Fike out front on the third leg.
"The last 150 meters, Darrus blew everybody off the track," Griffith proudly noted. "We knew going in, if we ran what we were capable of running, we should win."
Speight won his first race since being sidelined with a sprained ankle.
Smith flashed the form that won him the conference championship.
"He has been solid for us all year," Griffith praised. "He had the lane he wanted, and he ran his race."
In the field events, Foster was slightly disappointed with a runner-up jump of 43 feet, one inch in the triple jump.
"I have been battling a heel injury all spring," he pointed out. "And the wind was blowing hard. I could have done better. Next week (state championship), I should do way better."
Parker's sentiments were similar after a second-best performance of 21-3 in the long jump.
"It was good enough for second," he reasoned, "but it wasn't good enough (to win). I've got to get used to doing it over and over. I think I will do better (in the state meet)."
Depth was decisive for Nash Central, which was triggered by junior Danny Allen with a victory in the 110 hurdles and second place in the 300 hurdles.
Double winners were White Oak's Darryl Williams in the 100 and 200, and Northern Nash's Zack Brantley in the 1,600 and 3,200.
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