OP uses its depth to sweep Cedar Run
The Yellow Jackets used overwhelming depth to easily win both the boys and girls Cedar Run District titles on Monday. In the boys, OP bested defending district champion Potomac, 198 1/2 to 97 1/2 while Osbourn and Stonewall Jackson finished a distant third and fourth.
In the girls, OP easily defeated Potomac 148 to 90 while defending indoor district champion Stonewall and Osbourn rounded out the field.
Since coach Mike Feldman took over the program in 2001-2002, the Yellow Jackets have become highly competitive. Last year’s outdoor district title was the first won by the OP girls since 1984 and on Monday, the boys won their first-ever district title as a Group AAA school.
Feldman believes that the Yellow Jackets have developed a winning attitude, especially after seeing many of his athletes experience unprecedented success in the football season. The Yellow Jackets won their first-ever Group AAA district title in football this season and many of those players, including running back Roland Hilliard, have translated that success to the track.
“They figured out how to play with the big dogs,” Feldman said. “They figured it out in football and now they’ve figured it out in track.”
Hilliard, who won the 300 and 500-meter dash and was third in the 55-meter dash, wasn’t alone on Monday. OP senior Anthony Arena won the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs, Levert James Jr. won the 1,000-meter run and the triple jump and freshman Devin Thompson won the high jump. Thompson also was second in the 55 while Ray Williams was second behind James in the triple jump.
“We have a lot of depth and we have younger runners coming up that are getting better and better,” said James Jr., whose 40 foot-five-inch leap in the triple jump topped his previous best of 40-3 in last season’s indoor district meet.
The Yellow Jacket girls were just as impressive, buoyed by another terrific all-around performance by senior Brandice Flournoy. Flournoy won the triple jump with a 35-0 and also took first in the 500-meter run. OP placed an individual in the top-6 in every event, including three in the shot put (Shanience Davis, Heather Jones, Ashley Shipp), three in the 1,000-meter run (Amanda Olson, Lindsay Simon, Beth Pacentrilli) and three in the 55-meter hurdles (Devon Alston, Elizabeth Yates, Sheena Graham). OP also won the 1,600 and 3,200-meter relays.
Stephanie Myers of Osbourn and Kharya Brown of Potomac turned in two of the most impressive days by any Cedar Run athlete. Myers won the long jump and the 55 hurdles, was second in the triple jump and high jump and fourth in the 300-meter run.
Brown, who was made eligible by Prince William County school superintendent Ed Kelly on Friday, made the most of her first district meet as a Panther. The Gar-Field sophomore transfer won the 300 and 55-meter dash. Teammate Jill Porto added wins in the 1,600 and 3,200 while Stonewall Jackson junior Kristin Milot won the 1,000-meter run.
Raiders sophomore Kelly Morris repeated as high jump champion. Osbourn’s Kerry Dale won the shot put.