Steel Valley sweep: Harding wins final titles

Steel Valley Track

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Steel Valley Conference Track meet was held Thursday May, 14, 2009 at Chaney HS in Youngstown, OH.

Raiders junior Deaver Williamson set league records in the 100 & 200.

By JOE SCALZO

Vindicator sports staff

YOUNGSTOWN — As she spread out on the grass, recovering from a tiring (if not dramatic) leg of the 4x400-meter relay, Warren Harding sophomore Ja’Quana Threats yelled to no one in particular, “SVC champs, baby!”

Her coach, Charles Penny, broke into a large smile and said, “That’s what I’m talkin’ about!”

The Raiders ran away with the boys title and the clinched the girls crown with a win in the 4x400 relay Thursday at Chaney High School in what is expected to be the final Steel Valley Conference track meet.

“You only get one opportunity to compete in the last of something,” said Penny. “We talked a lot about the SVC, how it’s a tough-nosed conference, a blue-collar conference.

“Our kids were well-aware of what this means and who came before them.”

Harding, Chaney, East and Warren JFK will leave the six-team league at the end of the season, with only Mooney and Ursuline remaining. The league, which was formed in April, 1949, was once arguably the best football conference in the state, but has struggled to stay alive in recent years after Boardman and Fitch left in 2003.

None of that mattered on Thursday, though.

“This title means a lot because it’s the last one,” said junior Deaver Williamson, who tied the league record in the 100 (10.6) and broke the 200 mark (21.40) to tie classmate Marvin Logan for the points title. “We wanted to come out and win both sides, boys and girls, and put our names in history forever.”

Ironically, the SVC’s first event was a boys track meet held on May 14, 1949 — 60 years ago to the day. That one was won by Struthers.

Williamson, who has already verbally committed to the University of Michigan in football, provided one of Thursday’s highlights when he edged Chaney senior Myke Parker and Mooney senior Matt McWilson in a blazing 100 final that saw all three finish under 10.8.

He then lowered the 200 mark by three-tenths of a second.

Logan won both hurdling events as the Raiders easily bested Mooney for the team title, 1721‚Ñ2 to 110. Warren JFK finished third, followed by East, Ursuline and Chaney.

“We had our hands full,” said Penny. “Mooney is Mooney. People want to say what division they’re in, but people in the Steel Valley know that regardless of the division, everyone that comes here is tough.”

Penny switched his lineup in several races, preferring to keep his best runners fresh in order to focus on piling up points, not necessarily wins.

He took that same approach on the girls side, utilizing several athletes in unusual ways. The most obvious example was sophomore Claire Brugler, who ran both the 300 hurdles (where she finished second) and the 3200 (fifth).

The strategy worked, as Harding’s girls beat Mooney 151-143. JFK was third, followed by East, Chaney and Ursuline.

“Kids were doing things that were out of the norm and were just for the sake of the team,” said Penny. “Too many times, athletes at that age are resistant to that, but they were open to it and relished it.

“And I’m sure they don’t want to do it again.”

Harding senior Shanae Butler had a tremendous meet, setting a conference record in the 200 with a time of 25.20 (the previous mark was 25.37) and just missing the 100 record with a time of 12.20 (the record is 12.1).

Considering Boardman’s Amber Bland held both those records, she’s in good company.

“It’s great to win [the team title],” Butler said. “We came out and did what we had to do.

“It prepares us very well for next week [at districts].”

Mooney put up a good fight for the girls title, setting a meet record in the 4x100 relay with a time of 50.00, one-tenth of a second faster than Boardman’s 1983 mark.

Cardinals senior Christina Oles won the 1600 and 3200 to tie Butler and Chaney sophomore Christina Oles for the points lead with 20.

But it wasn’t enough, as the Raiders secured the crown with an eight second victory in the 4x400 relay — the meet’s last event.

(Literally.)

“Everyone bought into the team concept and now we can sit back and figure out the individual races for next week,” said Penny. “It’s just a great feeling to know we’re the last ones to have that title.”

scalzo@vindy.com