Penn Relays: Nansemond River's Taylor wins boys long jump

PHILADELPHIA

Nansemond River junior James Taylor was just hoping to put pressure on Jamaica’s Tarik Batchelor, the top seed in the Penn Relays boys high school championship long jump.

Taylor did one better as he jumped a personal-best 23 feet, 10 ½ inches to win the long jump title on Saturday.

Taylor became the first male athlete from South Hampton Roads to win the Penn Relays high school long jump and is just the third male athlete from the area to win an individual event. Great Bridge’s Lawrence Johnson won the pole vault in 1992 and First Colonial’s Brian Kollar won the javelin in 1998.

“This is a big accomplishment for me but also for the school because we’ve never had a Penn Relays champion,” said Taylor, who came in as the No. 2 seed.

Taylor has been running track for only two years and admits that he’s still learning. But it didn’t show as he had the top qualifying jump after the trials. He and Batchelor tied for the best performance in the finals but Taylor won it because he had the best overall jump.

“I really don’t know what I’m doing,” Taylor said about the long jump. “I was just feeding off of (Batchelor) and doing what he was doing because he has more experience than me.”

Taylor’s performance also caught the eyes of many college coaches. He already has interest from Nebraska, East Carolina, Virginia, Norfolk State and Hampton.

“A lot more coaches have now been asking about him,” said Nansemond River coach Franco Britt. “That’s why I really wanted him to come here to really get his name out there.”

Western Branch boys win large school 400 relay title

Western Branch’s Kevin Newsome could rank this weekend as one of his best.

Earlier this week, Newsome – one of the nation’s top quarterbacks – verbally committed to play football at Michigan. On Saturday, Newsome led the Bruins’ 400 relay to the large schools title.

The foursome of Jeffrey Artis, Tory Womack, Olimas Robison and Newsome ran 42.01.

It was the ninth fastest high school time of the afternoon. Nansemond River was in the same heat and ran 42.19 to place fourth.

Robison said he felt the Bruins had a chance once he handed off to Newsome in the middle of the pack.

“When I saw him about halfway down the track,” he said, “I just knew we were going to win it.”

Newsome, who has played football in front of thousands of fans, said competing at Penn Relays was an exhilarating feeling.

“It wasn’t about me but it was about the team,” he said. “And I just knew we had to win. This was a lot of fun.”

Womack, Newsome’s cousin, also had a strong leg to put the Bruins in position for the win.

“When the gun fired and I saw Artis coming and I was like, ‘Let’s go, let’s run,’’’ he said. “It was just an awesome experience – a once in a lifetime experience.”

Booker T. Washington also ran well. The Bookers team of Jayvon Smith, Rasul Crenshaw, Cordarol Madison and Anthony Church ran 42.71 to place third in the small schools championship.

The Bookers also shined in the 1,600 relay. The team of Madison, Crenshaw, Church and Deshawn Wilson ran 3:18.62 in the trials but it wasn’t good enough to advance to the Championship of America final. Their time is the second fastest time in the state this season behind only Bethel, which ran 3:14.71 at the Penn Relays.

Green Run 400 relay missed out by not being here

Green Run boys coach Willie Maul will be kicking himself after he sees the results of the high school boys 400 relay Championship of America final.

Jamaica swept the top three spots. Calabar High School won the race in 40.74, followed by Camperdown (41.04) and St. George (41.33).

Last week at the Norfolk State Invitational, Green Run’s team of Davion Jones, Antonio Simmons, Tavon Gatlin and Dejor Simmons ran 41.36.

Unfortunately, Maul didn’t bring his team to Philadelphia because he didn’t know the Stallions could run that fast when the Penn Relays deadline came around.

Green Run’s time is the fastest in the state and the 11th best automatic time nationally.

Ailing Copeland unable to perform

Lakeland senior Chris Copeland has been thinking about the Penn Relays ever since he finished runner-up in the boys high jump championship last year.

And after just missing twice at 7 feet last week at the Norfolk State Invitational, he thought he was ready for this competition.

Unfortunately, a right hip pointer stopped Copeland from competing. He cleared 6-3 on his opening jump but came off the mat limping, which prompted Lakeland coach Greg Rountree to pull Copeland out of the event.

“Coach said I may have hurt it after going from 6-8 to 7 feet last week,” said Copeland who finished eighth overall at the Penn Relays. “With the weather being cold today, I may not have fully stretched it. And when I did a warm up, I felt pain down the right side of my leg.

“It’s frustrating because this is a real big meet. And I know if I would have been healthy that I could have won it.”

Rountree thinks the chilly temperatures may have caused the injury.

“I know he’s disappointed because this is the Penn Relays,” he said. “But I’d rather do this then not have him jump the rest of the season.”

Jamaica’s Andrew Riley won the event with a leap of 6-9.

Around the track …

Lakeland’s Jerome Wilson jumped 45-9 ¼ to place 13th in the high school triple jump championship. Western Branch’s Jeffrey Artis jumped 45-6 ¼ to place 14th. . . . Norfolk State’s 1,600 relay team of Tyrell Moon, Troy Wilkerson, Raymond Brown and Randy Lee ran a season-best 3:10.01. . . . Two former Booker T. Washington athletes fared well. Hurdler Elaine Rhoades, who now competes at Bowie State, ran 1:00.65 in the 400 hurdles to place fourth overall. Her time ranks her third nationally in Division II this season. And Norfolk State sophomore Marlon Woods cleared 6-9 ¾ to place fifth in the college men’s high jump championship. . . . Former Tallwood standout Faraign Giles helped South Carolina place fifth in the college women’s 800 relay Championship of America final.