JC, Holmwood triumph!

JC seal Champs on final day - Holmwood pip Edwin Allen by six points

BY PAUL A REID Observer Writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com

Sunday, April 03, 2011

A hundred years after their first win in 1911, Jamaica College (JC) last night won their 21st ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys Championships for the Mortimer Geddes Trophy after overhauling early leaders Kingston College (KC) on a pulsating final day of the 101st staging at the National Stadium.

In the Girls competition, Holmwood Technical held off a stern challenge from rivals Edwin Allen High to prevail by a mere six points — 226-220.

The Orville Brown-coached JC team prevailed with 280 points to KC's 269 nailbiting points as Calabar was third with 236, followed by Wolmer's Boys, 139, and Munro College fifth with 133.

JC, who last won in 2000, trailed fierce rivals KC by 21 points (112-133) from 17 completed finals at the start of the final day, but continued to chip away at the deficit before taking their first lead after 23 finals at 159-154 after scoring 14 points in the Class 2 sprint hurdles.

The lead continued to change hands almost with every event until the 26th final, the Class 2 800 metres, when the Hope Street-based school took the lead for good.

JC's win extended a glorious year for the school after they won the Under-19 football treble for the first time — the Manning and Walker Cups and the Olivier Shield — as well as the all-island Under 14 and the ISSA Under-19 hockey title, the latter a first.

Orville Brown, the JC head coach, told the Sunday Observer the coaching staff stayed up well into the early morning "assessing our situation, but we realised we are still in it".

Despite their good showing at the Gibson Relays, there were doubts about JC's depth and Brown said they, too, were nervous.

"We were not certain even in the sprint relays until after the 5000m when Bejaun Jones placed third, then they knew it was all over."

Co-captain Hugh Lewis told the Sunday Observer that "We've been saying it all year. Champs was ours to win and this is the truth; it will set you free."

Two records were broken yesterday. Ashinia Miller of Calabar set a new record in the Class 1 shot put, surpassing the previous 18.22m set last year by Chad Wright by a massive 0.76m with a new mark of 18.98m.

Traves Smikle, who had smashed the discus record on Thursday, was second in 18.05m, while Munro's Emanuel Oniya was third with 17.70m.

JC set a new mark in the Class 2 4x100m relay, posting 41.21 seconds to erase the 41.24 set by Calabar in 2006.

There were three double winners — JC's Deshawn Jackson, who took the Class 2 sprint double, Calabar's Orville Dixon, who won the Class 3 800m yesterday after winning the 1500m a day earlier, and his teammate Michael Ohara, who won the Class 3 100m/100m hurdles double.

In one of the most highly-anticipated events, 17-year-old Turks and Caicos native Delano Williams got over his "disappointment of placing third in the Class 1 100m final on Friday to win the 200m in 21.00 seconds, ahead of Green Island's Odail Todd, 21.42, and 100m champion Jazeel Murphy, 21.48.

Afterwards, he said while he gave it his all in the shorter sprint, it was the half-lap event he really wanted and was happy to finally win an individual gold medal a Champs.

Williams won two more god medals, including two in the relays as he teamed with compatriot Ifeanyi Otuonye, who led off; Rajiv Service and Waynee Hyman to upset favorites STETHS in the Class 1 4x100m, winning in 38.92 seconds.

STETHS, who were unbeaten since the Penn Relays Small Schools consolation finals last year, were second in 40.48 and Bridgeport, anchored by Murphy, third in 40.83.

He led off the 4x400m team which included Hyman, Service and anchored by Kaneil Harrison in 3 minutes 12.90 seconds, with Manchester high second and Calabar third.

Jackson of JC completed the Class 2 sprint double, winning the 200m in 21.97 seconds, with Bog Walk High's Jevaughn Minzie taking the silver in22.26 and Kedeesh Willis of St Jago, who was fourth in the 400m, third in 22.49.

Another JC athlete, Devaughn Baker, won the Class 3 200m in 22.69 seconds ahead of Jordan James of Wolmers, 22.97, and Raheem Chambers of St Jago, 23.06.

After several attempts, Seaforth High's Javere Bell finally struck gold, racing to 46.54 seconds to take the Class 1 400m, beating his IAAF World Youth Championship teammate Hyman of Munro, 47.40, with KC's Jovan Williams third in 47.60.

Manchester High's Lennox Williams retained his Class 2 title with a commanding 47.96 clocking after a false start, crossing the line well ahead of Calabar's Javon Francis, 48.83, and St Jago's Ivan Henry, who beat teammate Kadeesh Willis for the bronze.

JC's Baker appeared to have won the Class 3 quarter-mile, but inexplicably stopped a few feet from the line and was passed by the hard-rushing Jordan James of Wolmer's, who won in 50.28 seconds, an improvement on his third place last year.

Baker of JC took the silver with 50.34, while the bronze went to Calabar's Malcolm Campbell with 51.24.

Holmwood's Kevin White prevailed to win the Class 1 800m in 1 minute 52.26 seconds after a stirring home stretch battle with Clarendon College's Brian Smith, 1:52.43, and Calabar's Rando Gunn, 1:52.50.

Calabar's Jorel Belfante, the Class 2 1500m champion on Friday, was denied a second gold medal and despite diving across the line, was beaten by Foga Road's Kevon Robinson, who made up for third place last year with gold in 1:57.40.

Belafonte took silver with 1:57.45 and JC's Romaine Headman took bronze in 1:57.77.

Calabar's Dixon, who broke the Class 3 1500m record on Friday evening, won his second gold less than 24 hours later when he raced away from the Class 3 800 field, winning in 2:00.24, beating Nakeem Hemmings of JC, 2:03.14, with Foga Road High's Oyeth Bailey third.

Red-hot favourite Stefan Fennell of KC duly obliged in the Class 1 110m hurdles, sailing over the barriers to post 13.68 seconds, erasing last year's disappoints when he crashed out in the Class 2 semis.

He was followed home by Yannick Hart of Wolmer's, 14.05, and Omar Graham of Manchester, 14.24.

Tyler Mason of JC won consecutive hurdles gold, racing to 13.82 seconds in the Class 2 110m final after winning in Class 3 last year, beating Calabar's Kemar Williams, 14.16, and STETHS' Davion Dennis, 14.34.

Calabar's Michael Ohara, who won the 100m gold on Friday night, won his second gold yesterday, taking the 100m hurdles in 13.96 seconds, easily ahead of Wolmers' Jaheel Hyde, 13.93, leaning across the line ahead of St Jago's Jordan Chin, who clocked 13.96.

In one of their rare victories yesterday, Wolmers' earned nine points from Christoffe Bryan in the Class 2 high jump after he won on the count back from JC's Ashani Wright after both cleared 2.08m. Calabar's Jovan Swaby was third with 2.00.

Munro's Giovanni Mowatt sprinted away from St Jago's 2000m steeplechase winner Webster Chung to win the 5000m Open in 15 minutes 24.09 seconds, while Bejaun Jones of JC took third.

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JC, Holmwood triumph!