Boys finish fourth, girls ninth at Group AA State meet

From staff reports
Published: June 5, 2008

“We had a great meet.” Emphasis on great.
Orange County High School track coach Renee Almond was pleased with her teams’ efforts last weekend at the Group AA State Track Meet at Harrisonburg High School.
When the Hornets came home, they had two state champions and a fourth-place finish for the boys and a ninth-place finish for the girls.
A great meet indeed.
Orange senior Logan Collins won the 800 meters in a time of 1:55.55, edging Blacksburg’s Peter Dorrell by less than half a second.
Classmate Kevin Pearson also came home a state champion, winning the 100 meters in 11.20.
Pearson, the Jefferson District’s most valuable athlete, earned the Hornets a handful of other points with a second-place finish in the 200 meters (23.27) and a fifth-place finish in the long jump (20’ 4").
The boys 4 x 100 relay team of Pearson, Tyrone Ellis, Jeff Carey and Michael Johnson finished fourth with a time of 43.69.
James Harris competed in the discus, throwing his personal best of 130’ 1” to finish 14th.
Collectively, the Hornet boys accumulated 37 points to finish fourth behind Blacksburg (38), Brookville (45.33) and Jefferson District rival Western Albemarle (54). More than 50 teams were represented in Saturday’s meet.
The girls collected 22 points for a ninth-place finish, with just five points keeping them from a top-five showing. Brentsville won the girls state championship with 45 points.
Ashontae Jackson led the Hornets, placing in three individual events and in one relay.
Jackson posted personal bests in the 400 meters, where she finished third (57.04) and in the long jump, where she finished fifth with a leap of 17’ 11”. She also placed fourth in the 200 meters (26.65).
Teammate Nicole Walters was seventh in the 800 meters, running 2:22.26.
Jackson, Walters, Kayla Jones and Lynnie Bresnahan finished fourth in the 4 x 400 relay with a time of 4:03.89.
Coach Almond said this was the school’s most successful state run during her nine-year tenure coaching.