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CLOUDY Temp: 57 °F Wind: NW at 9 mph Sunday, June 22, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend June 1, 2003 Skipper steals the show at boys 4A meet By DON HUNT Mail Tribune EUGENE — Tommy Skipper showed the Hayward Field crowd that he was more than a pole vaulter at the Class 4A track and field championships Saturday. With an appreciative audience of 7,904 looking on, Skipper won the 100-meter dash in 10.88 seconds and finished second in the 200 (21.86) to fuel the Pioneers to their first state track title. One day earlier, Skipper shattered his own state meet record in the pole vault by clearing 17 feet, 7 inches and narrowly missed setting a national high school record of 18-2½ . Skipper personally accounted for 28 of Sandy’s 59 points. Advertisement Beaverton, led by the 1-2 finish of Brandon Tower and Nick Cole in the shot put, took second in the team standings with 45 points. Grant was third with 40 points and Churchill of Eugene was fourth with 32. Meanwhile, competitors from the Southern Oregon Conference struggled to gain any measure of success on the state’s biggest stage. The Klamath Union boys managed a tie for seventh place, thanks largely to Zach Tucker, who finished third in the high jump Friday with a mark of 6-6, and to the Pelicans’ 4x400 relay, which fought to second place Saturday. But the best any individual could fare Saturday was the third that Crater’s Jason James accomplished in the 110 high hurdles. And for the second straight day, North Medford’s David Faaeteete scratched on all of his throws in a weight event. Friday it was the discus, Saturday the shot put. James’ time of 15.12 was well off his lifetime best in the short hurdles, but he felt fortunate to even be on the track Saturday after falling and injuring his right leg during a 300 hurdles qualifying round Friday. "I hit my bad leg on the second hurdle today," James said. "It kind of affected my race but I’m pretty happy with third place. The form charts up here had me for fourth." Kory Mahr of Grants Pass took fifth in the triple jump with a leap of 44-6¾ , Klamath Union’s Kevin Pellegrino claimed seventh in the 1,500 with a time of 3:59.84 and South Medford’s Alan Phillips was seventh in the javelin with a personal record mark of 177-5. "Just being here in this stadium helped me throw farther," said Phillips, a junior who PR’d by 4½ feet. "I’ve never seen this kind of crowd intensity. The people up here really get into it." The crowd was hoping for a state meet record in the 800 from Mike McGrath. The Lincoln High senior set an all-time state best of 1:48.5 at the Centennial Invitational in April and seemed like a good bet to better the meet record of 1:50.73 set by Mike Miller of Tigard in 1979. But McGrath, who is headed to Oregon on a track scholarship, has been burdened by a bad cold and settled for a winning time of 1:51.27. "Everyone was asking me if I was going to do something special today but I just didn’t have it in me," said McGrath, who spent five days in bed last week. "I’m just happy that I could lead wire-to-wire and run a good race." Joaquin Chapa, the son of former Oregon star Rudy Chapa, beat a fine field of runners in the 1,500 by clocking 3:51.39. Chapa also finished second to McGrath in the 800 in a time of 1:52.25. Churchill’s Sol Rexius won both hurdle races, speeding to times of 14.37 in the 110 highs and 38.16 in the 300 intermediates. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times