Sweet repeat

By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
POLAND -- Minutes after placing second in the 200-meter dash at Friday's Metro Athletic Conference meet, Poland High senior Ellen Midgley started saying all the right things, crediting the team's performance to a pre-game talk by her coaches.
"They just told us that if we did our best, we'd have a chance to win," she said.
Minutes earlier, Poland coach Troy Massey agreed. When told his team was running well, he smiled and said, "Coaching. It's all coaching."
"He said that?" Midgley said, laughing. "Oh, I see. Well in that case, they didn't say anything to us."
Minutes earlier, Canfield thrower Natasha Kassim -- who won the shot put and the discus -- was still hoping the Cardinals could pull it out.
"The whole team really wants to win this," Kassim said. "We won it seven years in a row and last year they stole it from us. I'm just trying to get as many points as I can."
Midgley wasn't surprised, saying the Bulldogs needed to win in order to "prove last year wasn't a fluke."
They did. Thanks to a strong senior class -- and junior Amber Ferraro -- the Bulldogs edged Canfield 176-164.
Ferraro, the running MVP, won the 100 and 300 hurdles, took third in the 100 and anchored the winning 4x100 relay.
When Midgley was asked if this year's team is better than last year's, she didn't hesitate.
"Yes," she said. "We all like each other and we all get along really well. Everyone runs hurt and they don't let anybody get down.
"We just enjoy each other's company."
Strong performance
Kassim, the field MVP, set a meet record in the discus on her last attempt, throwing 130 feet, 4 inches. She's gotten better each week -- she started throwing around 110 feet at the beginning of the season -- and after advancing to the regional last year, she's eyeing bigger goals.
"I'm hoping to go to state," she said.
Canfield freshman Audra Frimpong was the overall points leader, winning the 100 (with a meet-record time of 12.59), 200 and long jump while helping the Cardinals place second in the 4x200 relay.
Boys
Salem entered as the favorite, but the Quakers also entered knowing they would be without one of their best sprinters, Ben Andre.
Andre was recently bit by a snake on his palm while hunting in West Virginia. His arm swelled up to twice its size and he'll likely miss the rest of the season.
"Our other sprinters knew they needed to step it up a little," said Salem's Aiman Scullion. "But the key for us is our distance runners. Our distance team is pretty strong."
No kidding. Scullion helped the Quakers win a state cross country title last fall and that success has carried over into track. Scullion won the 1600, 3200 and helped Salem win the 4x800 relay to win running MVP.
"Personally, I think I'm in the best shape of my life," he said. "I'm definitely ahead of where I was last year."
The Quakers clinched the team title -- their second straight -- when Scullion and teammate Paul Shivers (who was battling sickness) finished 1-2 in the 3200. Salem junior Tyler Pierce was field MVP after winning the high jump and placing third in the long jump.
"We wouldn't be where we are without a bunch of football players," said Scullion. "One of the football coaches made it mandatory for them to run track.
"I didn't think it would work out because cross country and football is so different, but it has. We have a good team."
scalzo@vindy.com