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Bradshaw wins tight race to claim state hurdles title
By Joseph Staszewski March 7, 2009
ITHACA, N.Y. – Darryl Bradshaw had no idea where he
finished in the tight 55 meter hurdles. First he was curious and then he
started to prepare for the worst.
“My thoughts were really, ‘Did I win? Did I win? Did
I win?,’” Bradshaw said. “I started telling myself, ‘If I didn’t win don’t take
it too hard.’ That’s why I was so level. … I was preparing myself for that.”
“When everyone was saying congratulations, I said,
‘I won?,’” Bradshaw said.
Seaton was able to overcome a slow start to place
second, passing Mercer and Brett Harrington of Edison Tech (Section V) just
before the finish line.
Then the Sheepshead Bay junior began to be filled in
on the good news.
Indeed he had, nipping Fordham Prep’s Wayne Seaton
at the finish line to place first in a time of 7:41 at the New York State
indoor track & field championships at Cornell University Saturday. Seaton
was second in 7:44.
Most of the stacked field was about even going over the third
hurdle with Uniondale’s Nathaniel Mercer, who placed fourth, narrowly in front,
but Bradshaw found an extra gear from there.
“Since we pretty much crashed the hurdle on the
third that allowed me to pick it up for the last two,” he said.
“When I starting picking up speed over the hurdles
one by one, I thought that there was a chance to come back,” Seaton said.
Bradshaw said once he found out he had officially
won the hurdles, his mind went immediately to his upcoming 4 x 200 relay, which
did not turn out the way he and his teammates had hoped.
Paul Fyffe was trying to hold off Ramapo’s Chidi Ezemma (Section I) over the final turn, with both runners side by side and battling with their arms a bit. The junior said he was bumped and pushed to the inside, but no infraction was called. Sheepshead Bay, which had the top time coming in, ended up placing second to Ramapo (1:31.05) in a time of 1:31.92. Ezemma said he hit Fyffe’s foot.
“He brushed me in,” Fyffe said. … “I kind of feel
like it was my fault because I had the race.”
There was certainly no controversy in the 300.
Medgar Evers Jermaine Brown won easily in a time of 34:42 and Sheepshead Bay’s Jonathan
Thomas was second in 34:94. Brown said he didn’t push himself. He had hurt his
hamstring at the Eastern States Championships two weeks ago and tweaked it at
the PSAL Championships last Saturday
“It’s disappointing,” Isijola said. “Everyone on the
track, I already beat them in the 55.”
“I never really wanted to push it, but it feels
good,” Brown said. “I realized I could have kicked at the end. It feels good,
but there is still a lot of work I need to do.”
Sheepshead Bay sprinter Ayo Isijola tweaked his
hamstring at the State meet during the 4 x 200 relay trials and was noticeably limping
at the end of each stage of the 55 meter dash. The favorite finished a distance
fifth in 6.50. Middle Country’s Miles Lewis won in a time of 6.40.
Sean Atkinson was out of it for another reason.
“I was tired,” he said. “I didn’t know I could run
that fast.”
He lay flat on his back, exhausted, waiting to
receive his medal. The Nazareth senior had just come from way behind to place
second in the 600 in a time of 1:21.15. Zavior Brown of Pine Brush (Section IX)
won in 1:20.67.
Atkinson got off to a not unusual slow start and was
surprised to watch favorite Terrance Livingston of Great Neck North pull up in
front of him. He then surged forward over the final lap, moving into third on
the back straight away and past Mike Quercia of Marcellus for second place around the final
turn.
Monsignor Farrell pole vaulter Cory Duggan was third
with a vault of 14 feet 9 inches. Fordham’s Preps 4 x 800 relay of Michael
Jennings, Zach Keefer, Harley Griffiths and Carlos Petrovich placed a tough
third in a time of 5:08.56.
“I didn’t expect to pass that many people, but when
I heard the crowd it really helped,” he said.
“I tried to bring it back in the first 400 and I
did,” Jennings said. “I just could stay with him in the last straight away.”