By Mitch Abramson
Once the smoke had cleared, Xaverian emerged holding the Brooklyn-Queens Outdoor championship for the second consecutive year, fending off Molloy 91-79 1/2 and St. Francis Prep, which scored 44 points.
The Terriers and Stanners couldn't match Xaverian's ability to manufacture points from so many different events. The Clippers scored heavily in distance races such as the steeplechase and the 1,600-meter relay, where they tallied 16 points, but they also scored well in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles, showing that Xaverian is nimble as well as resilient. Xaverian also showed its strength by scoring well in the shot put.
“Xaverian proved to be a little stronger than us today,” said Stanners coach Bro. Bob Andrew. “They dominated the steeplechase on Wednesday and did well in the distances. They had a lot of quality kids all around.”
So did Queens. Many of the kids saved their best performance for the championship. Holy Cross' talented quartet of runners in the 400-meter relay were clicking on all cylinders, proving that the secret to winning any relay race is a clean hand-off.
Holy Cross ran the 4×100 relay in 43.4 seconds, the fastest time in the Catholic school league, but all the runners would talk about was getting their hands on the baton.
“I had a lead on the last leg, so I was just focused on running hard,” said Gordon Mckenzie, a junior who won the 200-meter in 21.9 seconds. “But I had to make sure I got the baton to keep the lead. It feels good to have the fastest time in the Catholic schools, but I want to win the cities, too. (To do that) we have to work on passing the sticks.”
St. Francis Prep's Jeffrey Aime surprisingly found himself in the winner's circle following the 100-meter sprint, considered one of track and field's most glamorous events. The week before, Aime, a sophomore from Queens Village, practiced with his coach putting more pressure on his leg and leaning forward more at the start of the race, but he didn't think his preparation would pay off so soon.
“In the middle of the race I saw the kid in the lane next to me from the corner of my eye,” said Aime, who won in 10.83 seconds. “So I ran faster and won by a lot. Before the race I didn't think I would come in first. I didn't think it would happen for me in my first varsity championship.”
Reach reporter Mitch Abramson at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
