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Eagles run away with regional title
BY Andrew Snyder and Kevin Hageland Staff Writers
Relays have been a strong suit for the Allen boys all season, so it’s no surprise that they keep passing the victory torch from meet to meet.
After earning a District 8-5A Championship, the Eagles raced to a Region I Track and Field Title Saturday in Lubbock; a win that made them the most successful team yet for head coach Dean Garza .
“Everything fell into place,” Garza said. “It was about as good as it could get.”
Allen finished with 74 points, well above second place North Crowley’s total of 52. The Eagles accounted for a majority of this winning margin with first place finishes in both the 4x100-meter and 4x400 relays. The state-caliber members of the 4x100 relay are Jeremy Reeves, Uzoma Nwachukwu, Steven Terrell and Jordan Hicks while the 4x400 includes James Pailin, Kirk Douglas, Alex Roberson and Torin Crowder.
“The relays are huge because you get double the points,” Garza said. “And then it’s nice from a coaching perspective because you get to send four kids to state for one event.”
Those two teams require three more open spots on the trip to state as Rashid Williams is headed to Austin as a 4x100 alternate while Cortland Davidson and Allen Dietrich will serve as 4x400 alternates.
Relay mates also racked up solo points as well with Reeves and Crowder each qualifying for state in an additional event: Reeves with a first place leap in the long jump and Crowder with a second place run in the 400. Those finishes didn’t add to the number of Eagles moving onto state, but a regional championship needed contributions across the board.
Reeves’ championship jump came one year after he missed the state cut at the Region II Meet.
“Jeremy missed state by one-fourth of an inch last year,” Garza said. “So I think he remembered that.”
And Crowder made the cut in the 400 by placing second in his first year on varsity after transferring from Plano West.
“The biggest thing you can say about Torin is that he always displays hard work and determination,” Garza said.
Even those that didn’t qualify for a state spot brought in finishes necessary to the team goal, such as Quintin Peguese, third in the shot put, and Cory Jackson, third in the discus. One away from an advancing finish, these hurlers brought the Eagles a combined 12 points, brining their total in the field events to 22.
“Right there you are talking about two guys who not only medaled at regionals,” Garza said. “They also brought us valuable points.”
The remaining scoring events where Pailin’s fifth place finish in the 400 and Terrell’s fifth place run in the 100. Other notable finishes for Allen came from Cameron Deniz, who placed 13th in the 110 high hurdles; Nwachukwu, who was 11th in the high jump; and Justin Worting, who finished seventh in the discus.
With a regional title in tow, now the focus for Allen shifts to the June 5-6 state tournament where the Eagles will have to contend with teams like Rowlett, Katy Cinco Ranch, The Woodlands, Converse Judson and Killeen Ellison at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.
“One of our biggest focuses heading into state has been just taking care of ourselves and not worrying about other teams’ times,” Garza said. “We want to medal in each event and if we put up some best times we should be able to do that.
“All the guys are excited about what we have already accomplished, but at the same time we want to be like the football team and be proud about finishing what we started.”
Girls set records at regionals
The Lady Eagles didn’t qualify any state competitors, but they found success in their own right Friday and Saturday in Lubbock by breaking school records in the 4x200 and 4x400 relays. Discus thrower Kenya Steptoe also broke her personal record with a sixth place, 116-11 launch. Steptoe was one of the Allen girls’ top contributors.
Krista Steinbeiser was the closest the Lady Eagles had to an advancing state competitor with her fourth place run in the 3200. At the start of the race, Steinbeiser looked to be putting on a qualifying performance, but as the distance extended she fell behind a top 3 grouping led by Plano Senior’s Rachel Johnson.
“They were all in a bunch there at the beginning,” said Larry Halliburton, Allen girls head coach. “But [the leaders] stretched it out and stretched it out. Johnson is a good runner.”
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