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77 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, June 2, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 7, 2004 Crater�s Jason James, left, pulls away from teammate Adam Goff to win the 110-meter high hurdles with a time of 14.7 seconds. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli James jets to four wins Crater boys remain unbeaten; Black Tornado girls get school record from Rachel Munyon By DON HUNT Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — Jason James was recovering from the flu bug Thursday, but that didn’t stop the Crater High track and field phenom from dominating another meet. The swift senior sped to a lifetime best of 14.7 seconds to win the 110-meter high hurdles, tied his personal record in the 100 (11.11) and added a victory in the 300 intermediate hurdles (39.57) in fueling the unbeaten Comet boys to an 84-60 win over North Medford at Dutch Meyer Stadium. The Black Tornado girls, boosted by another school record in the discus by Rachel Munyon, won 16 of the 17 events in coasting to a 109-34 victory. Advertisement James, who missed Saturday’s Grants Pass Rotary Invitational, said he still felt weak Thursday and was suffering from a headache. Other sprinters wouldn’t mind such maladies if they could run as fast as James, whose clocking in the short hurdles ranks as the second-fastest in the state this season. "I was surprised I ran that fast because I really haven’t been feeling well at all," said James, who also ran a split on Crater’s winning 4x400 relay. "But once the gun goes off, you forget about that stuff. You’re just out there trying to win." The Crater boys, who lost the Southern Oregon Conference district meet by a single point last season, are determined to win it in 2004. Their victory Thursday lifted them to 5-0 in SOC dual meets. They’ll meet the team that nipped them at district last year — South Medford — in their final dual Tuesday at South. "This is a special group of kids," said Crater coach Hans Smith, whose boys are also unbeaten in big meets with wins at the Crater Classic and Grants Pass Rotary. "They’ve really banded together and worked hard. If you ask one of them to run an extra event or do something else to help the team, they’ll jump right in and do it. "The key now is to keep everyone healthy before district." Dan Lebel also had a big day for the Comets. The versatile senior won the high jump at 6-2 (and narrowly missed at 6-5), claimed the javelin at 161-1, finished second in the 200 at 23.62 and ran a leg on the Comets’ 4x400 relay. The North Medford boys were led by David Faaeteete, who bagged victories in the shot put (52-1¾ ) and discus (166-11). Faaeteete went over the 160- mark for the fifth time this season in the discus. "I’m still waiting to get to that next level," said Faaeteete, who has a state-leading throw of 175-6. "It’s a little frustrating being stuck in the 160 range, but I know I’ve got some bigger throws in me." North Medford’s other notable performance in the boys meet belonged to Josh Casebere, who soared to a lifetime best of 21-2 to win the long jump. "I’ve been having trouble with my approach, but I straightened some things out today," said Casebere, a junior who bettered his previous best by nine inches. "The main thing was, I kept my eyes up through my jump." Munyon, meanwhile, launched the discus 132-9 to shatter her previous best by more than seven feet and move to No. 2 in the state. "My technique is coming together," said Munyon, who has broken the school record three times this spring. "I’m getting across the ring faster, and I think that’s a big part of my improvement." The other eye-catching mark among the girls Thursday was registered by freshman sprinter Justine Lawson, who blazed to a winning time of 26.31 in the 200. The time is the fastest in the SOC this season. "Justine is just now learning how to sprint," North Medford coach Mark Hodges said. "Early in the year, she was overstriding and leaning too far forward. But she’s corrected those problems, and now she’s one of the top sprinters in the SOC." Jenna Siebenlist also had a good day for the Tornado, winning the long jump with a mark of 16-3½ and the 100 hurdles with a time of 16.0. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times