South Point teams favored in OVC meet
Published 12:00 am Thursday, May 13, 2004
The Ohio Valley Conference track meet appears to be heading in a southern direction. Say, South Point.
The South Point Pointers boys and girls teams appear to be the odds-on favorites to win this year's Ohio Valley Conference meets to be held Friday at Coal Grove High School.
Last year, Chesapeake edged the Pointers 131-130 in the boys meet while the Fairland Lady Dragons were easy winners on the girls' side.
But the depth of the South Point teams may be too much for other league members to overcome, especially Chesapeake on the boys' side and Chesapeake and Rock Hill in the girls' meet.
"If anyone is going to beat South Point, they're going to need some help from the other teams to split up South Point's totals. They've got a lot of depth," Chesapeake coach Phil Davis said.
The Pointers should get several first-place finishes.
Chris Smith has not lost this season in the shot put and discus. Quentin Smith is the favorite in the high jump and Stephen Leighty has the top height in the pole vault.
Smith should also score well in the 100 and 200 meters while Leighty could place high in the long jump.
Benji Smith and Zach Norris could go 1-2 in the 400 and all of the South Point relay teams are expected to place in the top two spots.
Chesapeake will look to Scott Davidson in the pole vault, sprinters Tristin Clark and Cody Hunt and the all-around talents of Jeff Thornburg.
On the girls side, South Point has sprinter Porcha Ball to rack up big points if she is healthy. Ball pulled a muscle at the Charleston Gazette Relays and has spent the past two weeks recuperating.
Teammate Sarah Lee is a favorite in the high jump and long jump.
The Lady Pointers' Whitney Damron will go head-to-head with Fairland's Bethany Barbour in the shot put and discus.