Last modified: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 4:22 AM CDT

Looking to repeat


Richard McCoy will be looking to win the Class 6A state long jump title again and he would like to add gold medals in the 100-and 200-meters.


Friday at Bishop Miege in the East Kansas League meet, the Blue Valley West senior won all three events.


He also placed second in the triple jump accounting for 38 points for his Jaguars.


McCoy raced to his first 100-meters title with a clocking of 10.91 and had a 22.29 in winning the 200. He leaped 22-11 in winning the long jump. His best in the long jump is 24-7 ½.


“I have been in a slump (in the long jump),” McCoy said. “I have to focus on my technique.”


The Jaguars along with Blue Valley, BV North and BV Northwest will be competing Friday at the 6A regional hosted by Shawnee Mission West at the SM North District Stadium.


The field for 100 for McCoy will be tough with just the first four finishers qualifying for state.


“I have to relax, run my race and finish strong,” he said.


* * * *


BV West easily won the boys team title with 216, giving the Jaguars their second straight title. St. Thomas Aquinas placed second with 120.5 points.


St. Thomas Aquinas captured their third consecutive girls title. The Saints had 158 points to 129 for BV West.


* * * *


BV West senior Aaron Ashley made the 2007 All-Sun football first team on offense as a wide receiver and defensive back on defense.


He has signed a letter of intent to play for the Air Force Academy in the fall of 2008.


Despite signing the letter of intent, Ashley has been a reserve on the basketball team and is long jumping and running sprints for the track team.


He finished second in both the long jump and 200-meters at the EKL meet.


He did not participate in track as a junior to get ready for the football season, but is in the sport as a senior.


“I am really having fun with all the guys,” he said.


What made him decide to attend the Air Force Academy where he has a commitment to Air Force following graduation?


“I want to serve my country,” he said. “It is a great opportunity to be in a position to do things later in life.”


And he is looking at the idea of flying those Air Force planes.


* * * *


BV Northwest senior Laura Roxberg decided on the tough 800 and 3,200 double at league. The events were about 30 minutes apart.


“I wanted to see if I could do it,” she said. “These were the ones that I wanted practice going into next week.”


She will be attempting to run the 1600 in addition to the two events she ran at EKL at the regional. She has to finish in the top four in all three to run them at the state meet May 23-24 in Wichita.


She won both events with a 2:17.4 in the 800 and 11:23.54 in the 3,200.


* * * *


BV North junior Erin Beck won her first EKL 1,600-meter title with a mark of 5:21.41 clocking.


She will be facing a tough field at the regional to qualify for state.


“I have to do harder and smarter training,” she said. “And I will have to run faster (at regionals to place in the top four).”


* * * *


BV West senior Todd Harmon won the 110-meter high hurdles at EKL with a clocking of 15.39, but he knows he will have to run faster to make it to state.


“I need to get in the 14s to qualify for state,” he said.


Harmon won the 5A 300-meter intermediate hurdles as a sophomore but a back injury hindered his junior season.


He placed second in the intermediates at the EKL meet.


“I have to stay with (SM East senior Andrew) Pennington in the intermediates (at the regional),” he said.


* * * *


Blue Valley senior Ben Loats placed second at EKL last year, but this year won the event with a clocking of 4:27.29.


What was the difference?


“I held strong with the leaders and with 200 (meters) to go I kicked it in,” he said.


He will face a tough challenge at regionals with a strong group of distance runners.


“It will be really tough,” he said. “There will be a lot of competition for the four spots.”


 

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