PEA RIDGE — In sporting events, the difference between winning and being an also-ran can be a very narrow thing.
In football, a dropped pass might be the difference in a game, a single late turnover can alter the course of a basketball game, and a single fielding error can unravel a baseball team’s chances for victory.
In the sport of track and field, the same thing can happen. A series of fortunate events or outstanding performances can flip the fortunes of many a team, in one direction or another. A track meet is a sport with 17 different games going on within the meet itself. Fast athletes, strong athletes, athletes who can jump, or hurdle, run or throw cancontribute.
At last week’s varsity district meet, with Berryvilles’ deep and experienced team, they were pretty much considered a lock to win the overall title. Of the Bobcats’ 180 points, nearly 60 of them were scored by seniorathletes.
It was thought Gravette would likely take second place with Ozark given an outside shot at the runner-up spot. Probably no one considered the Lady ’Hawks as having even a distant shot at a district trophy with their middle of the pack finish in most of their meets this season.
Although no one knew it at the time, the ’Hawks’ upset of the Lions’ 4x800 relay event to start the finals could be considered the difference in the meet, along with several other later events. When a team bests another team by 1 point like the ’Hawks did to Gravette, every event could be pointed to as the difference maker. In the 4x800, freshman Anna Morganovercame Gravette’s lead in the final lap of the race, running a fast 2:38 split to spark the team to a 11:12 finish. That time is now listed as the No. 6 time of all northwest Arkansas high schools in 2012 regardless of classification.
The infusion of freshman athletes onto the varsity roster boosted not only the depth, but also the winning experience that the junior ’Hawks had gained from an outstanding junior high season. In fact, the ninth graders scored 61 of the ’Hawks’ 95 individual points, and they also had a hand in the 18 relay points that Pea Ridge scored.
Freshman Mikhaela Cochran scored 11 points in the 100 and 300 hurdles placing third and fourth, respectively. She accomplished this in spite of the fact she had limited experience running the 100 hurdles and no experience of running the 300 hurdles before Thursday’s meet. Cochran was the only athlete who placedin six events, leading the team with 21 points scored.
Freshman Anna Morgan took one of the two individual championships (Natalie Flippo took the other one in the 3,200) in the 1,600 and was the anchor of both the 4x800 and 4x400 meter relays.
In one of more interesting stories of the meet was the performance of diminutive freshman Rilee Patrick. The ninth grader was forced to choose between softball and track this spring and she finally decided to go with the diamond sport. A couple of weeks before the district meets, Patrick rejoined the track team and got in one meet before the playoffs.
Patrick was instrumental in helping the junior ’Hawks surge to a second place in their district meet the week previous to the varsity meet. In the varsity meet, she was given the tough double of running both the 800 and 3,200 races, something tough todo even if an athlete was in top form as the races are very close together. Patrick responded with a fourth place in the 800 and a third place in the 3,200, scoring 10 points as the ’Hawks tied the score with Gravette 108-108 with the next event being the last event. Though tired from running the 800 and 3,200, Patrick was game to try a leg on the 4x400, knowing the pressure was on to beat Gravette. Going to the well one more time, Patrick got the baton a few yards behind the Gravette runner, turned it on and passed the Lion on the backstretch to hand Anna Morgan a lead, a lead she would not relinquish, which earned the ’Hawks their final 1 point advantage overhome-standing Gravette.
The ’Hawks’ stealth run to the top caught the Lions off guard as they had assembled on the field to receive “their” second place, not knowing that the ’Hawks had just edged them out by a point. As Ioverheard more than one person say, “That can’t be right.”
But it was.
With the whole team back next year, Lady ’Hawk track in 2013 could be memorable. Even closer in time, the ’Hawks’ chances in cross country this fall are more than golden. It was at the 2011 state cross country meet that the ’Hawks surprised themselves as well as the rest of the state in taking a second place, losing by a single point to traditional powerhouse De-Queen. With more athletes out this fall, along with the knowledge that they can control their own destiny, Lady ’Hawk runners have much to look forward to.
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Editor’s note: John McGee is the art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, coaches elementary track and writes a regular sports column for The TIMES. He can be contacted through The Times at prtnews@ nwaonline.com.
Sports, Pages 8 on 05/02/2012