Published: May 06, 2008 12:14 am            

Webb, Windber boys fend off field

MEYERSDALE — When the boys team scores were tallied at the end of the WestPAC Track and Field Championships Monday at Meyersdale Area High School, it was a pleasant surprise for Windber coach Tim Saylor to find out that his Ramblers had won.

“It’s really nice to get this meet back,” Saylor said. “I think it says a lot about our boys.”

Windber finished with 146 points, 36 ahead of second-place Berlin Brothersvalley. Conemaugh Township was third (91 points) with Shade (62) and Rockwood (56) rounding out the top five.

“It was a real close meet with Berlin, which has an up-and-coming program,” Saylor said. “I was concerned with some of the traditional events in the field that we generally do well in, and we didn’t do well in them. They picked it up in other places.”

The Ramblers’ Mike Webb had a pair of individual victories, including a record-setting jump in the high jump. Webb bested his own mark of 6-foot-2 set in 2006 with a leap Monday of 6-3. The Windber athlete also won the long jump (19-71/4) and ran a leg of the winning 400 relay which equaled the meet record of the past two Rambler 4 x100 quartets. Webb was joined on the relay by Jesse Ward, Eric Soler and R. J. Gathagan.

David Burkett beat the 300 hurdles record of Portage’s Chris Willinsky (41.2) with a time of 41.1. Burkett also joined teammates Gathagan, Sam Weaver and Jon Ferensic on the victorious 1600 relay.

Berlin’s Joe Darr set a new standard in the pole vault with a jump of 12-4. Mountaineers teammate Ben Meyers claimed the discus victory with a winning throw of 119-2 and was the top thrower in the shot put with a heave of 45-7.

Devin Stern, Brandon Beverly, Jacob Little and Brett Hankinson of Berlin won the 3200 relay with a winning time of 8:49.5. Hankinson also garnered the win in the 800 (2:08.2).

Shade senior Jeremiah Wilt came away with three victories, setting new standards in the 1600 and the 3200. The Shade athlete had the winning toss in the javelin with a throw of 157-8.

Wilt won the 1600 with a time of 4:35.8, eclipsing the 4:36.6 of Meyersdale's Mike Podlesnik set last year and beat the 3200 time of the Red Raiders Donnie Sanner (10:15.7) set in 2004, running a 10:12.8.

“They announced what the record was in the 1600, and I thought I should be able to get that one,” Wilt said. “My one friend from Windber helped me by telling me to push, and I just took off and got it. In the 3200, I didn’t know what the record was until I was on the start line. My best before this was only 10:14. At the mile marker, I was on pace for it.”

In the 3200, Wilt was a straightaway ahead of second-place finisher Tim Roddy.

“It’s a lot tougher to win when you don’t have someone in front of you,” Wilt said. “I was hoping I would be able to win both running events, but to come away with two records was something a little extra.”

Conemaugh Township’s Blake Zaman had a pair of victories, winning the 110 hurdles in 16.2 and having the winning leap of 41-11 1/2 in the triple jump.

Portage’s Jared Pisarchik won the 400 with a time of 52.4.

Tyler Edwards of Meyersdale won the 100 in 11.3, then went down with an injury which may end his season prematurely. Rockwood’s Joe Miller won the 200 in 23.4.

        

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