39th Glenn D. Loucks Games
Thursday-Saturday, May 11-13, 2006 - White Plains HS, White Plains NY
Coverage by Northeast Region Editor Tim Fulton
Saturday Report: Drama From White, Layne
Stories By Tim Fulton
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White over Bean – again
Sophomore wins 1600m in 4:13.53
Every weatherman you could find last week told the same story. It was going to rain for about a week. Every weatherman was wrong. Saturday at the Loucks Games turned into a beautiful day - mostly sunny, cool, and bit of a breeze.
The best boys race of the day was the 1600m that matched two Millrose and Penn Relays mile competitors head-to-head; Somers’ Alex Bean and Garden City’s Charles White. The two had raced six times before and they were split 3-3. Bean finished 2nd at the Penn Relays in 4:14.12 while White closed fast to finish 3rd. White even closed a huge lead Bean had at the NY State Class a cross country championships to catch him in the final 50m of the race, so there was some history here.
After Bean set the early pace, Collegiate, NY’s Chris Williams took over at the 700m mark and took the field through the 800m in 2:09. The 1200m split was 3:14 as Bean and White looked poised for a quick last circuit.
Bean took charge and tried his best to take the kick out of White, but with 150m left White starting turning over his shorter legs. Bean stands 6-03 while White is closer to 5-05. And even though Bean ran his last lap in 60.2, White went by him in an instant to win his 2nd straight Loucks 1600m title – as a sophomore – in 4:13.53.
After the race White said that once the adrenaline gets going on the last lap, he finds another gear. Anyone who’s ever watched him race knows that. Bean and White could meet again at the NYS Champs June 9th and 10th.
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Lynne Layne doubles 100-200
Almost pulls off miracle in 4x100m
The New Rochelle girls have won a ton of Loucks Games team and individual titles over the years, more than any other school. They have had athletes that most schools seem to only get once every 25 years, if ever. But senior Lynne Layne could be the best one.
Layne went to work on a cold, rainy day on Friday, winning the 100m dash in a pedestrian-for-her 12.21. Both her and her coach were frustrated with the poor conditions and the slow time. She also placed 2nd in the long jump in 18-04.5, an event she won at the Penn Relays two weeks before.
But Saturday was a nice day and Layne looked sharp in the 200m. Her biggest in-state rival was there – Baldwinsville’s Lareea Chisolm. As Layne lined up for the 200m final in lane two after being only the 3rd fastest qualifier, you could tell she was motivated to run fast.
She shot out of the blocks and started making up the stagger. By the time she reached the steeplechase pit on the infield, you knew it was her race. She stopped the clock at 24.46 to Chisholm’s 24.77. Layne ran 24.05 at the NY State Champs last spring and she will be looking to get her school record of 23.85 set by Stacey Minott in 1993.
Local coaches and fans are used to huge come-from-behind wins from Layne, so when she got the stick in the 4x100m, way out of contention, all eyes were on her. She went from 6th to 3rd in a flash and a lead that seemed insurmountable now became possible. There was a lean at the finish and the home school, White Plains (NY), won the event 49.02 with Suffern (NY) 2nd in 49.43 and New Rochelle 3rd in 49.45.
How about Suffern? Not only did they win the 3200m run, 2000m steeplechase, and 4x800m relay, place 5th in the DMR at 12:07.44 with no one older than a freshman, but they have one of the best sprint teams in the Northeast. They truly are a remarkable program.
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Jones doubles up with triple win
Senior leaps just short of 50 feet
Gary Jones (Webster Schroeder, NY) was the heavy favorite to win his second Loucks Games title of the meet. The only real question was if Jones could clear 50 feet in doing so.
On Friday, in the cold and rainy conditions, Jones leapt 22-08 in the long jump to win by 8 inches. On Saturday, with the sun shining and the wind gusting at his back, Jones came streaking down the runway in his yellow and blue uniform, powered into the air, and made his mark in the sand. It looked like it could be a 50-footer. It was going to be close. Everyone waited to see the officials turn the performance marker around. And when they did it said 49-10.
Jones seemed disappointed about missing the 50 foot barrier but his performance was the best at the meet since 1981 and now ranks him as the 3rd best triple jumper in meet history. The meet record of 52-04.5 was set by the NYS record holder, Sanya Owolabi from Sleepy Hollow in 1978.
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Johnson doubles 100-200
Overcomes injury to win 200
Rashad Johnson won the 100m dash on Friday in 10.89 seconds, which is a new event for the senior from Saunders, NY (Yonkers). And there he was again on Saturday, coming down the home stretch, trying to overcome Darius Walker (Lexington). Johnson came onto the straight in 2nd place but with about 30m to go Walker started to pull up with a hamstring injury. Walker battled through it but his form went out the window and Johnson came up and took the lead and the win, this time in 22.10.
Afterwards Johnson laid on the track holding his right thigh. Saunders coach Joe Intervallo said that he suffered a strained quadriceps muscle but the injury didn’t appear to be serious.
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400m hurdles won out of 2nd section
The Loucks Games has cut out rounds of different events and toyed with the order in recent years, all in hopes of making the meet better. Most of those decisions seem to have paid off, but not in the 400m hurdles this year.
The 400m hurdles semis were dropped this year and a final on time was run on Saturday. Tarem Cannonier of Woodlands, NY ran 56.36 in the 2nd fastest section, run 2nd to last, and then had to wait.
Colonie’s Joe Soblosky and Phillipsburg’s Ryan Arreola were staging a great battle for the title – or so they thought. Soblosky has just a little more left at the end and he crossed the line first. But the crowd waited to see his time. It was 56.37, one hundredth of a second slower than Cannonier’s 56.36. While it did provide some drama in the meet one can’t help and wonder what it would have been like if they were in the same section.