SNOW HILL –Just before the holiday break, Kent County junior Janey Depp and Snow Hill senior Allie Suarezapecheche renewed their running rivalry from the fall when Depp led KCHS’ girls to their first-ever region championship in cross country while trailing Suarezapecheche by less than a full second as the individual champion.
The occasion for the rematch as it were was the Pat Russo Invitational, named for Stephen Decatur High School’s coach of 40-plus years, held Dec. 17 at the Worcester County Recreation Center in Snow Hill.
Suarezapecheche won the 800 meters in 2:45.82 and the 1600 meters in 5:50.32, with Depp placing second in 2:46.84 and 5:53.00, respectively.
They followed one another across the finish line in the 3200 meters as well, with Suarezapecheche placing second in 12:35.59 and Depp placing third in 13:15.51.
North Caroline’s Linda Ridgell led the 3200 in 11:58.26.
This was the 12th edition of the Pat Russo Invitational, featuring 16 public high schools from the Eastern Shore.
The format is different from regular-season indoor track meets. The limit is two entries per school per event [instead of three]. Each team [girls and boys] is given three “wild card” entries, where they can get a third runner or field competitor.
Medals were awarded to the top three place-finishers in each event and ribbons were handed out to those who finished fourth through eighth.
For KCHS, Depp and third-place finisher Ke’yare Hawkins in the shot put came home with medals, while Keelyn Clayton, Trent Johnson, Joey Homyack and the boys’ 4×800-meter relay collected ribbons.
As a rule, the Trojans ran faster than they did the week before in their season opener.
Printed here are the results for Kent County. Top-10 place-finishes are noted.
GIRLS
500 meters: Keelyn Clayton, 1 minute, 34.13 seconds, fourth.
800 meters: Janey Depp, 2 minutes, 46.84 seconds, second; Clayton, 2:52.30, eighth; and Delilah Markovic, 3:18.45.
1600 meters: Depp, 5 minutes, 53.0 seconds, second; Clayton, 6:21.48, eighth; and Markovic, 7:33.54.
3200 meters: Depp, 13 minutes, 15.51 seconds, third.
Shot put: Ke’yare Hawkins, 32 feet, 3.75 inches, third.
BOYS
55 meters: Bennett Harris, 7.57; and Nate Copper, 7.98.
300 meters: Harris, 44.28; and Copper, 48.94.
500 meters: Trent Johnson, 1 minute, 17.75 seconds, seventh; Joshua Na-El, 1:28.83; and Chris Gonzalez, 1:40.33.
800 meters: Joey Homyack, 2 minutes, 15.41 seconds, seventh; and Johnson, 2:32.52.
1600 meters: Homyack, 5 minutes, 5.43 seconds, seventh.
3200 meters: Samuel Bell, 15 minutes, 21.24 seconds.
4×800-meter relay of Homyack, Christian Merrill, Johnson and Pacome Mennetrier, 9 minutes, 39.45 seconds, fourth.
Shot put: TaeShaun Demby, 24 feet, 10 inches.