E.C. Glass sweep Seminole track meet

Riding a significant lead held over from the first day of events, E.C. Glass continued its onslaught Saturday in the Seminole District indoor track championship, capturing first places in 12 of the 22 total running events.

“This weekend was filled with a lot of pleasant surprises,” said Glass coach Rodney Smith, boys’ district coach of the year. “Our kids started their PR (personal records) at the right time and we ran well today. We continued on from last night, and I thought we competed well — both boys and girls. There’s something about our kids, they just love competition.”

To say that the Hilltoppers have a talented squad this year may be an understatement. They put up a two-day total of 194 points on the boys’ side, compared to 82 for second-place Heritage and 62 for Amherst.

Glass also took first place on the girls’ side with 156 points, followed by Heritage with 95 and Liberty with 77.

Glass freshman Kate Carrington posted a time of 12:29.28 to win the girls’ 3,200-meter run. Carrington, conserving her energy, ran on the heels of Liberty’s Kennedy Flynn for the majority of the race. When she finally took first late in the contest, she went on a tear to win by more than 10 seconds.

In the girls’ 55-meter, sophomore Zakiya Bateman of Glass and freshman Latrice Morris of Heritage broke a 2001 district record of 7.34 set by Jefferson Forest’s Ebony Foster. Bateman finished in first place with 7.19, and Morris finished at 7.29 to take second.

Glass senior Erika Jackson followed her win in Friday’s pole vault with a first-place finish in the girls’ 4x400 and an 8.84 in the 55-meter hurdles. Jackson said she still has plenty to work on before heading into regional events, but she also accomplished one personal goal in the district meet — taking home Seminole District girls’ indoor track athlete of the year.

“This was a goal I was working for,” Jackson said.

Glass ran away from both Heritage and Amherst on the boys’ side thanks to seniors David Barney and Harrison Scharf. Barney won both the 1,000-meter run (2:44.34) and 1,600 (4:38.98) while Scharf dominated in the 55-meter dash (6.56) and the 300 (37.63).

Scharf’s victories earned him boys’ athlete of the year.

“It’s an honor, because we have some really good athletes in this district that I have to compete against.” Scharf said. “But it’s more about our team effort today. We had the entire team perform to the best of its ability. We got some seconds and thirds) from people who wouldn’t normally be there and that showed our depth.”

It is that depth that Scharf said the Glass boys have on their side as they seek a state championship. The Hilltoppers showcased their strength in the boys’ 3,200. Paul Mortemousque (10:40.15) took first place and teammates Jake Elbrecht, Peter Seufer and Joe Seo all followed directly behind him.

Smith said that he has enjoyed watching Barney and Scharf become quality leaders on his squad this season.

“Our seniors are great leaders,” Smith said. “They led the team all year and they continue to. We will celebrate for about an hour, then it’s on to regionals.”

Liberty’s Craig Danner won the boys’ 500 with a time of 1:10.91 over Glass sophomore Devante Dews. Prior to this season, Danner had never competed in sports at all. Minutemen coach Ben Wiese said it has taken a while for Danner to gain confidence on the track, but he is emerging as a formidable athlete.

“Craig has a lot of talent,” Wiese said. “Since the beginning of the season, we’ve been telling him he could be a district champion or do really well in the states. He’s starting to finally realize how good he is.”

Wiese, who took home the girls’ district coach of the year award, has been influential in helping the Liberty girls emerge from the bottom of the Seminole standings.

“The past few years we’ve been getting better,” Wiese said. “I also have a good coaching staff to take a lot of the headaches off of me.”

Jefferson Forest freshman Alyssa Shupe won first place in two events, capturing both the girls’ 1,000-meter and the 1,600.

“I woke up this morning with a cold,” Shupe said. “So I took the mile a little easy and then I knew I had to shape up for the 1,000, because it was really competitive.”