Track & Field
Saturday, May 26, 2001
Riverdale’s Jones wins two track titles
Source: The Daily News Journal- Murfreesboro
CHATTANOOGA — Rutherford County athletes proved they’re among the state’s elite Friday in the TSSAA Boys’ State Track Meet at Girls Preparatory School by doing well in Class AAA.
Riverdale’s Chris Jones won state titles in the boy’s 100- and 400-meter dashes. Oakland placed second as a team with 42 points. The Warriors tallied 34 points to share fourth place with Tullahoma. La Vergne tallied eight points. Hunters Lane won with 81 points.
“Now I’m satisfied,” Jones said. “I wanted to win at state, and I did that. My goal was to win a state title.”
Jones ran a 10.65 in the 100 and blistered the 400 in 46.82. Oakland’s Ronnie Lytle placed fourth in the 100 with a time of 11.09. Tee Thompson of Oakland was fifth in the 400 with a time of 50.69.
A 10.65 isn’t Jones’ fastest time in the 100 this season. He ran a 10.46 at the Region 2-AAA meet in Tullahoma last week.
“I wanted the 400,” Jones said. “I wanted it more than any event. I wanted it really bad. I had to beat him (Hunters Lane’s Sean Waller, who gave Jones trouble earlier in the season). I got off to a good start in the first 100 and kept going.”
Jones was part of the 4x100 relay team which finished second to Dobyns-Bennett with a time of 41.66. Oakland’s 4x100 relay team was fourth with a time of 42.36.
Oakland snuck up on the competition near the end. Alvin McDermott placed second in the 200-meter dash — which was the next-to-last event — at 21.99. Riverdale’s Marvin Smith was seventh in the same race with a time of 22.69.
“We knew that we had more people in the meet than any school other than Hunters Lane,” Oakland coach Mark Saltalamachia said. “Going into the last three races, we had some people running. Nick (Bacon) and Caleb (McCain) put us within striking distance.”
Bacon and McCain put the Patriots within striking distance by participating in the 800-meter run. Bacon placed fourth with a time of 1:58.83, and McCain finished eighth by running the event in 2:09.75.
In the day’s last event, the Oakland 4x400 relay team placed seventh with a time of 3:34.12. Oakland’s 4x800 relay team was third at 8:05.07.
“It went well,” Bacon said of the 4x800 relay team’s performance. “Everybody performed up to their capabilities. It felt good.”
Ben Roy placed fourth in the high jump for Oakland at 6-2, and Gabe Batten placed eighth in the shot put at 46-6 1/4.
Smith was fifth in the triple jump at 43-4 3/4 for the Warriors, and John Batey placed eighth in the discus at 46-6 1/4.
“What a way to go out,” Saltalamachia said. “We represented Oakland, our city and Rutherford County well.”
La Vergne’s LaBronn Anderson placed fifth in the 1600 and 3200-meter runs. He ran the 1600 in 4:37.68 and the 3200 in 9:52.
“I guess it just wasn’t my day,” Anderson said. “I started out well; I just tightened up. I really would’ve liked to have been in the top three.”
CHATTANOOGA — Rutherford County athletes proved they’re among the state’s elite Friday in the TSSAA Boys’ State Track Meet at Girls Preparatory School by doing well in Class AAA.
Riverdale’s Chris Jones won state titles in the boy’s 100- and 400-meter dashes. Oakland placed second as a team with 42 points. The Warriors tallied 34 points to share fourth place with Tullahoma. La Vergne tallied eight points. Hunters Lane won with 81 points.
“Now I’m satisfied,” Jones said. “I wanted to win at state, and I did that. My goal was to win a state title.”
Jones ran a 10.65 in the 100 and blistered the 400 in 46.82. Oakland’s Ronnie Lytle placed fourth in the 100 with a time of 11.09. Tee Thompson of Oakland was fifth in the 400 with a time of 50.69.
A 10.65 isn’t Jones’ fastest time in the 100 this season. He ran a 10.46 at the Region 2-AAA meet in Tullahoma last week.
“I wanted the 400,” Jones said. “I wanted it more than any event. I wanted it really bad. I had to beat him (Hunters Lane’s Sean Waller, who gave Jones trouble earlier in the season). I got off to a good start in the first 100 and kept going.”
Jones was part of the 4x100 relay team which finished second to Dobyns-Bennett with a time of 41.66. Oakland’s 4x100 relay team was fourth with a time of 42.36.
Oakland snuck up on the competition near the end. Alvin McDermott placed second in the 200-meter dash — which was the next-to-last event — at 21.99. Riverdale’s Marvin Smith was seventh in the same race with a time of 22.69.
“We knew that we had more people in the meet than any school other than Hunters Lane,” Oakland coach Mark Saltalamachia said. “Going into the last three races, we had some people running. Nick (Bacon) and Caleb (McCain) put us within striking distance.”
Bacon and McCain put the Patriots within striking distance by participating in the 800-meter run. Bacon placed fourth with a time of 1:58.83, and McCain finished eighth by running the event in 2:09.75.
In the day’s last event, the Oakland 4x400 relay team placed seventh with a time of 3:34.12. Oakland’s 4x800 relay team was third at 8:05.07.
“It went well,” Bacon said of the 4x800 relay team’s performance. “Everybody performed up to their capabilities. It felt good.”
Ben Roy placed fourth in the high jump for Oakland at 6-2, and Gabe Batten placed eighth in the shot put at 46-6 1/4.
Smith was fifth in the triple jump at 43-4 3/4 for the Warriors, and John Batey placed eighth in the discus at 46-6 1/4.
“What a way to go out,” Saltalamachia said. “We represented Oakland, our city and Rutherford County well.”
La Vergne’s LaBronn Anderson placed fifth in the 1600 and 3200-meter runs. He ran the 1600 in 4:37.68 and the 3200 in 9:52.
“I guess it just wasn’t my day,” Anderson said. “I started out well; I just tightened up. I really would’ve liked to have been in the top three.”
