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Parish, Myers fuel North at state By DON HUNT It's been said that a person needs to be slightly deranged to be a 400-meter runner. Running full-speed for that distance can rob the body of its oxygen, its energy and its last meal. Pain is a constant companion. And yet there is a certain ecstasy amidst the agony in track and field's toughest race, particularly when a runner wins a big race and breaks a record. Such was the case for North Medford's Matt Parish at the Southern Oregon Conference district meet last Saturday in Klamath Falls. Parish blitzed the field in 48.59 seconds, a time that broke the North Medford school record, moved him within 1/10th of a second of the Medford High record and ranked him No. 2 in the state behind Churchill's Jordan Kent, who has run 48.37. The two are expected to fight it out for the state championship Saturday at the Class 4A state meet at Hayward Field in Eugene. Parish and Scott Myers, the state leader in the shot put (62-11) and discus (180-1), give North Medford a solid 1-2 punch that could fuel the Black Tornado to a top-four finish and the team trophy that goes with it. "My friends tell me I'm crazy to run the 400, but I actually like it," Parish says. "I'm in such good shape that within two or three minutes after a race I'm recovered and ready to go again." Just in case anyone thought Parish was coming to his senses, he dyed his hair a bright red - it has since turned reddish orange - just in time for North Medford's senior prom two weeks ago. "My date liked it, but her parents gave me some weird looks," Parish says. Tornado coach Mark Hodges wasn't thrilled about the new hues, either, but hasn't said much since the district meet when Parish added a lifetime best of 22.08 in the 200 meters and ran a 48.8 split in the 4x400 relay. Parish will compete in four events at the state meet - the 200, 400 and both relays. Counting qualifying heats Friday, that means he could run eight races in two days. "It's a busy schedule but Matt's in great shape and he's not afraid to take on the challenge," Hodges says. "He's done everything we've asked him to do in practice. The kid's a workhorse and now he's reaping the rewards." Parish missed most of last season with a pulled calf muscle. But he came back in time for the district meet and was part of a 4x400 relay team that took third at the state meet. This season, the 6-foot-2, 162-pound Parish has been healthy throughout. With any luck, he'll break the old Medford High record of 48.5 - set by Ray Johnson in 1941 and tied by Pete Werner in 1974 - this weekend. "That's a record I'd love to have, because you're going back a long, long time," Parish says. "And I know I can get it. I know I can get into the 47s." Parish runs so smoothly and efficiently that he resembles a thoroughbred. It wasn't always that way. When Hodges took over the program last year, one of his first orders of business was to correct the many flaws in Parish's form. "He leaned too far forward and his arms were out way too wide," Hodges says. "Matt was a mess." But Hodges knew Parish possessed some raw talent, and his suspicions were confirmed when Parish ran the 200 in 23.8 during North Medford's first dual meet a year ago. Unfortunately, Parish injured his calf the following week and was never the same the rest of the season. Parish feels fortunate to be competing for Hodges, an expert in the sprints and relays. "He's improved my technique 100 percent and he's pushed me to do my best," Parish says. "He puts the sprinters through some tough intervals but that's how we've gotten better." Myers, meanwhile, enters the state meet with the top marks in the shot put (62-11) and discus (180-1). He's been in a slight slump in the shot put with three straight meets under 60 feet - he went 57-93/4 at district - following five meets in a row over 60. But the 6-foot-1, 240-pound senior hasn't lost either event all season. "I'm not worried about him," Hodges says of Myers. "He knows how to compete." Dustin Brooks also qualified for state following season-best marks of 20-10 in the long jump and 43-101/2 in the triple jump at district. North Medford's 4x100 relay team also advanced to the big dance, but will be without anchor runner Thomas O'Brien, who pulled both hamstring muscles while running the 100 meters at district. Curt Stout will replace O'Brien. South Medford, meanwhile, qualified six boys in five events. The Panthers' best chance to score might come in the 4x100 relay, where Kelly King, Andres Reed, Jonathan Klenke and Justin Baldoni zipped to a school-record time of 42.7 at the district meet. South Medford could also pick up big points from 800-meter runner Shaun Olson, who sped to a lifetime best of 1:55.74 at district. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.