Respass and Daves Win Suffolk Winter Track Titles
Quillian Respass and Josh Daves capped off a winter of strong performances by winning the Suffolk small school championship in their respective events to pace the Huntington boys’ winter track team to a fifth place finish at Suffolk Community College West in Brentwood.
Ron Wilson is having a memorable first season after taking over from longtime coach Dennis Walker, who retired in June 2007. The rookie has the Blue Devils holding their own with Suffolk’s elite as the program reaches new heights.
Before the county championships got underway, Huntington received a huge surprise when Walker appeared out of nowhere. “The kids were ecstatic,” Wilson said, adding that his team wanted to put on a show for their beloved former coach, and they did just that.
Respass helped the Blue Devils get off to a fast start, running a blistering 6.9 seconds to win the 55m dash as teammate Emmanuel Dume crossed the line in third place in 7.2.
Not content to be a mere bystander, Walker went to work, helping Huntington’s Jake Gayle and Josh Daves get their steps down for the long jump. When it was time to perform, both went beyond the expectations of many opponents. First, Gayle broke his previous personal best mark with a leap of 20’1 to reach the finals, before ultimately placing fifth overall. But, it was Daves who owned the event, soaring 20’10 ½ to grab the Suffolk crown.
The 4 x 200m relay team of Gayle, Daves, Dume and Respass fell two seconds short in their quest for third Suffolk title, coming from fifth to finish second in 1:38, two seconds off the pace of champion Amityville.
Wilson was pleased with Huntington’s fifth place showing out of more than 20 teams. “That’s pretty impressive,” he said. Walker joined in congratulating the Blue Devils for their fine performances.
Wilson is now pushing his team even harder as the Blue Devils get set for the state championship qualifying meet at Suffolk West. Vying for a berth in the state finals at Cornell Univ. will be Repass and Dume in the 55m, Gayle and Daves in the long jump, Chris Glaser in the hurdles and Brian Cotter in the 1000m run. The 4 x 200m relay will also attempt to reach the state meet.
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