Falcons’ King, Mustangs successfully defend FCCA boys track titles
A few of the names were different, but many of the results were the same as they were a year ago in the Fayette County Coaches’ Association Track & Field Meet with Connellsville’s Kenny King winning the Track MVP and the Laurel Highlands boys repeating as team champions Saturday at Uniontown’s Bill Power Stadium. King was a force on the track with 20 points. The junior won the 1,600 with room to spare in 4:26, 14 seconds ahead of Albert Gallatin’s Patrick Reagan. He won the 800 in 1:59, seven seconds ahead of teammate Brad Showman. King anchored two winnings relays, the 3,200 in 8:32 and the 1,600 in 3:38.
His teammates picked him up in the 1,600 relay, giving him too much room to work with to make an Albert Gallatin come-from-behind victory improbable.
“I was real satisfied with the 1,600. Jared Smith brought us back into it, and Brad and I are distance runners so I knew we would hold the lead,” King said, who ran his best time of the season in the 1,600 by breaking last year’s mark.
“I did exactly what I planned on. Knowing the field, I knew whom I had to worry about. I let the race unfold and do what I have to do.”
Josh Zueger didn’t occupy much attention during the day, but the thrower/jumper from Laurel Highlands finished the day with 18 points in the field to take the MVP.
Zueger won the triple jump with a leap of 40-feet, 11 inches. He took second in the high jump with a jump of 5-8 and was third in the javelin with a throw of 147-8.
The Mustangs’ Danny Garbutt was also in the mix for the MVP with first place finishes in the discus (129-7) and shot put (45-71/2).
Laurel Highlands speedster Jack Macioce made a serious bid for the track MVP. The underclassman won the 100 by tying the meet record of 10.7 seconds and the 200 in 22.87. He anchored the winning 400 relay team of Alex Bota, Matt VanSickle and Tim Wardell to a time of 44.11 seconds. He and his Mustang teammates closed the day with a third place in the 1,600 relay.
Macioce uses the effort of his teammates as well as the rest of the field to push his effort forward.
“I got pumped up today. I knew Walter Richardson from Uniontown was in the 100 finals. It got me pumped up and my adrenaline running. I got to know him today. He’s a nice kid,” Macioce said.
“Seeing Alex (Bota) run that curve (to open the 400 relay), that got me fired up. I’ve run against all of these guys before. I knew I could beat the Connellsville kid, I’d be good in the 200.”
Connellsville’s Scott Jones (110 high hurdles, 300 intermediate hurdles), Laurel Highlands’ Jared Jodon (pole vault) and James Ashton (javelin) and Albert Gallatin’s Jason Williams (400), Nate Turner (high jump) and Reagan (3,200) were also county champions.
The Mustangs won the team title with 123 points. Connellsville was second with 96 points with Uniontown finishing with 63. Albert Gallatin wasn’t far behind with 55 points.