The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 54

40 THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER Thursday August 31 1989 I eck East To CC iSt Fro I fling lilt I 14 A 49747 itrtkrr4li: 7777 Tr VV7" 4 1 44 A 44r -'41'- 4 if rf o4s" ctr 1 el jolt! "1 Cdi" rei -0 1 ikt n'i 5 -11 i 1 4i $444- ti: 111'41---- it4 1 111- go0444 fire torl Christy Hood who finished third in the CISAA meet last season East Mecklenburg brings back two of the top three runners at the Southwestern meet last season Kathleen Ingwall a junior was runner-up to East's Leslie McCaskill and sophomore Millie James was third Junior Peggy Martin was also an all-conference runner Garinger will be led by senior Michelle Herndon and junior Tawana Johnson After Smith Harding will be looking for help Erica White a senior is in her first year running cross-country but she has some credentials second place in the 1600 meters in last year's Tr-County track meet Like their boys counterparts the Independence girls will not be deep But they have a strong individual performer in Sherry Winn a junior who finished third in the Southwestern meet last year Myers Park is long on experience which will help the Mustangs contend for the Southwestern title Seniors Margaret McGee Kim McCutcheon Mary Brutzman and Cecelia Welton join junior Stacy McArthur as a strong nucleus North Mecklenburg is also a veteran team with the top seven runners returning from the Tr-County champion team Sherry Young a junior who finished second in the conference meet heads the list Junior Dawn RatclifT sophomore Jackie Dutterer and senior Carolyn Allen placed third fourth and fifth respectively Olympic brings back its top two runners of a year ago Jennifer Williams a junior will team with senior Natalie Whitmore Providence will rely on youth and will be led by ninth grader Amy Herman who could be the surprise of the Southwestern 4A GAM' 0 BRIENStaff the school on Monroe Road 15-year history of strong teams Members of the East Mecklenburg cross-country teams embark on an afternoon run Even with Reeder's absence Christian is favored for a fourth straight title The Charlotte Latin boys are expected to win their league championship Boys Charlotte Christian lacks depth and experience and will be led by senior Shane Rutherford and freshman Jeff Green Charlotte Country Day will count on sophomore Shawn Gorman who was the Buccaneers' No I runner last year and the 3200-meter winner at the CISAA spring track meet Charlotte Latin will be led by freshman Ken Kiser who ran as an eighth grader last season Juniors John Gatlin and Rick Spencer will lend help At East Mecklenburg sophomore all-conference runner Jason Sheppard returns He will be joined by junior Brian Miesch who was at East as a freshman but went to school in Kentucky last year and placed fifth in the Kenney freshman-sophomore cross-country meet Garinger has a new coach in Collins Bryce who replaces longtime cross-country and track coach Nate Glenn Bryce will be looking to Jared Helms a junior along with seniors Jonathan Kirk and UNC TICKETS Since some tickets have been returned by visiting teams Carolina now has some seats available for the 1989 football season Call 919-962-2296 for VISAMasterCard orders Supply is limited UNC anticipates being sold out again for twelfth consecutive year ter a freshman who won the conference meet as an eighth grader South Mecklenburg brings back a veteran team that finished fourth in the Southwestern 4A meet and fifth in the regional last season The top runners will be seniors Zack Conklin James Harris Jay Maffat and Tom Russell West Charlotte was also hit hard by graduation Seven of the 10 runners from the Tri-County 4A championship team are gone Sean Connelley a junior who was sixth in the conference meet will be the No I runner for the Lions West Mecklenburg will count on senior Chip Huntley who finished eighth in the Tri-County meet to anchor its team Girls Even with Reeder gone Charlotte Christian has experienced runners in juniors Tanya Williams and Erin Lyon Both are three-year starters and will be joined by eighth-grader Abby Reeder Jennifer's sister The Charlotte Country Day girls like the boys team will have one top runner and not much depth Mary Claudia Belk a sophomore and Country Day's top runner in 1988 tops the list Charlotte Latin is inexperienced and looking for help for senior rzo El El 1 ihpwoo iti I limp4110 20 OFF Reg Disc Prieeg 11 All Slacks 20 OFF Reg DISC Prieeg vv And Hwy 51 How Accepting Memberships Over 2000 acres of the best deer hunting land in Rowan County Small game hunting 14 acre lake $1000 for 10 year membership Samuel Clark Hunting Club Hwy 52-Gold Hill NC 704-279-3597 4111 ei)li tirr rt4 4 412 Dwayne Hall Harding will need help for James and could get it from senior Jim Hentley Independence will be short on numbers but will also have one of the county's top runners in junior Kenneth Anderson who finished fifth in the Southwestern 4A meet as a freshman Myers Park will field a young team The most experienced are seniors Brian Eversole and Sean Birk ler who were members of the team that participated in the state meet last fall North Mecklenburg lost five of its top runners to graduation and will count on freshmen and sophomores to develop early Mike Merryman a sophomore is expected to be the Vikings' top runner Olympic has a strong top three but is looking for a fifth runner to contend for the Tri-County 4A title Scott Miller a senior who has been all-conference two of the past three years returns as the Trojans' top runner Providence is starting its team from scratch but gets a couple of experienced runners from East Mecklenburg Juniors Matt Gagnon and Keith Gunter are expected to be the Panthers' top runners Providence Day has the CISAA's top runner back in Graham Cos Tool Boxes $9900 Tailgate guards Installed 820" up Truck Bed Mats s65" Utility buildings Many sizes colors We install running boards fiberglass lids pop tops extendor cabs Rock Hill SC Choice accepted 3C6 4161 SC 1-800-922-2921 a OZ3e 10 41 gq 4" i tty 0 0' 4 It4relpv N'''' 4141 ii if Ito 1 4Air- 1 Not ti 44 rritrdi i 4t At "atilt 1 410A Wednesday near East has a By MIKE PURKEY Staff WHat It's not uncommon for 75 athletes to come out each fall for cross-country at East Mecklenburg High when most schools are lucky to get 15 or 20 Numbers aren't the only reason the Eagles have been so successful but it helps East has won four straight girls and boys Southwestern 4A championships and each won regional titles last year The East girls finished second in the state meet while the boys were fourth The East Mecklenburg cross-country tradition stretches back 15 years the same number of years Larry McAfee has been coach "Somewhere down the line you're going to have good years and bad years" said McAfee whose girls team won the the 1982 state title and his boys the 1986 championship 'But what I've always done with my team is try to be consistent I like the idea that people think we're going to be competitive from year to year" Like East Mecklenburg Myers Park is also a perennial cross-country power in Mecklenburg County The Mustangs regularly get 50 to 60 athletes out each fall "Larry and I are into the sport" said Myers Park coach Richard Prince "Our interest carries over into the community and the school" East is once again expected to win the Southwestern girls title but will get a big push from Myers Park On the boys side East is rebuilding but still considered a favorite In the Tri-County 4A Harding will have one of the top individual runners in the county LaChandra Smith also an outstanding track athlete is the defending conference girls champion Michael James returns for Harding as the Tr-County boys champion North Mecklenburg is a favorite for the girls team title while West Charlotte and West Mecklenburg should contend for the boys championship Missing from the Charlotte Independent Schools Athletic Association this fall is Jennifer Reeder of Charlotte Christian who led her team to three straight conference titles Reeder is at Liberty Baptist this year Rangers Cook Up Win In 14th By JOHN GLENNON Staff Wrtfor GASTONIA In a game so long the starting pitcher had time to order a pizza the Gastonia Rangers outlasted the Charleston (WVa) Wheelers 3-1 in 14 innings Wednesday Rangers third baseman Jeff Oiler won the South Atlantic League contest with a two-run homer off Daren Burns (1-5) in the bottom of the 14th The first nine innings of the game took about two hours to play The next five took about another hour and a half "Sometimes" said Rangers winning pitcher Kyle Spencer (11-5) 'it just got to the point where you wondered if it would ever end" Charleston (32-38) put runners on base in four of the five extra innings and had runners in scoring position in three of those in nings But Spencer who struck out nine batters in his six innings wiggled out of jam after jam "I couldn't seem to get by their leadoff hitters" Spencer said "But I was a starter last year and I think I was used to going that long" The Rangers (48-21) had hits in each of the extra innings and stranded a total of seven base runners in that span The game was simply too long for Rangers starter Everett Cunningham In the I 3th long after he had showered and changed clothes he was spotted ordering a postgame pizza "I can't help it" he said "I'm starving" Oiler came to the aid one inning later smacking his I I th homer Notes: Gastonia plays its final regular-season game tonight at 7 at home against Charleston The Rangers will begin a best-of-fivegame league championship series in Gastonia on Monday or Tuesday The Rangers opponent will be the Southern Division champ Augusta or Charleston (SC) 0161111111014 13ASTOMA abthbl Whams 11 5 0 2 1 Hernandez 21) 7 0 1 1 Cols di 5020 Won es 7010 Uribs lb 5000 Swain of 7010 Roberson rf 5000 Crone lb 5 120 61 Peter 14 5 0 0 0 011er 36 7 1 32 Smith 3b 5 0 2 0 Plechowski dh 6 0 1 0 i i 5 1 2 0 A A r1 6 1 1 0 eerie 26 4010 Ekkovi 5000 Andrade 5 0 0 0 6 0 3 0 Talus 44 1 I 1 Totals 66 12 8 Two outs wtion winning run lowed Chorisoion CCO 001 000 000 00-1 000 PO 000 000 02-1 UM St Potor 4 LOB-- Chow lesion 0 Gastoma IS Roark) H0-04er MI Ws 88-- McCutcheon Clonk EN SO Chisholm Doss 6 I 1 0 5 Bums 114 7 2 2 2 Gastonia Cunningham 6 4 1 1 2 4 Ossor 2 1 0 0 1 2 Soonest I I-5 8 4 0 0 2 9 by Con ninghani T-3 35 An- ikI71 She will be joined sophomore Ste- phanie Pepper and Carolyn Miller a senior transfer from Illinois Providence Day's bright hope is Julie Saline a sophomore who was seventh in the CISAA meet last season and I I th in the NCISAA South Mecklenburg was hit hard by graduation but returns junior Holly Michaels last year's No 2 runner who finished second in the recent Harris YMCA cross-country meet Graduation was also bad news for West Charlotte All of the Lions' top runners are gone and no one has yet to emerge from the inexperienced group For West Mecklenburg to challenge North for the Tri-County title the Indians will count on junior Gena White an all-confer- ence performer who finished fourth in the league meet Note: Charlotte Catholic does not field a cross-country team Call With Results Please call us with high school results for boys soccer girls tennis girls volleyball cross-country and football Please call Immediately after games and matches and call collect In North Carolina call us at (704) 379-6445 after 4:30 pm In York Lancaster and Chester counties In South Carolina call us at (803) 324-4123 before 10 pm and (704) 379-6445 after 10 Elsewhere in South Carolina call (704) 379-6445 after 4:30 MIMI 1M -mromitarowsit I tnzwing VISA' 4 Vt IN tomt itot ift '1111 I 1 (0 Ile z1 4 10 d' 4 I tt 1 '7? ---12 ristatti 4 0" tt 4 1 -c 'TIm- 1 itbten? 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