OCR Text |
Show ims SOCCER Darts stay alive with win over Bountiful. 2-- 1 BASEBALL 0X0) Lancers, Darts, and Falcons still in the thick of it. nc TRACK Teams converge on Wednesday May 2, 1984 Invitational BYU Friday. ,, o $ , 400 Meter Ace Finally Breaks Mark jC 14. fi. i Tift (I U,i Clearfields Smith J : I Ml .AM ir s. A ( j V 'WTO gyP vvWWMW v rMWft JJ By KEITH DUNCAN THE STRESS, which finally Journal Sports - .f It has been CLEARFIELD said that there is no blessing without sacrifice, but it isn't a sacrifice unless it hurts. CLEARFIELDS Ricky Smith, the Falcons star quarter-mil- e ace, perhaps fits the above phrase more than most. Smith has been through plenty of hurt in three years and only now are the real blessings beginning to shine forth. en- ded up putting Ricky in the hospital for a time, is something he cant quite put his finger on. Itd never happened to me before. Ill admit I was looking forward to this spring S3 which may have been some reason why, said Smith. But Smith has always been looking forward to his senior year. As a sophomore he contributed by running in the medley relay and his junior year was quite impressive as he made the finals several times in the 400 and 200 meters. V'ST I c and get and last Saturday afternoon at the 28th annual Davis High Invitational when he sped down the straightway, challenged seriously by Altas Todd Larsen and West Jordans Ken Wamsley, only to come out ahead and win the 400 meters in a clocking of 49.33. Down comes the 1980 mark set by JSJ,ik?. Matheson of East (49.45) and in goes the new mark created by a guy who loves this race as much as he loves the coach who he thinks is responsible for everything that has happened thus far. COACH (John) Flint has made me, said Smith who reflected back to his sophomore year when Flint asked Ricky to work out and blend in with relay teams. He just has a way of motivating a person and making you feel special. But Flint countered, I can make out the workout sheet, but I cant run it. Ricky has been one of those few kids who has come along and has been willing to do just about anything that I have asked of him. WEVE HAD some kids that have sacrificed to become the best they can be, but Ricky ranks up in t, in the same class the as kids like Mark Carter. People will always associate the name one-percen- Ricky Smith with Clearfield Track. Hes earned that, I havent given it to him. Breaking the state record didnt happen all at once, its been in the making actually since Smith's sophomore year, but more specialseason last ly since the winter. From indoor he jumped into the Icebreaker and won that with a time of 50.40 over Box Elders Trevor Hodson who was second. mini-indo- or THE NEXT week he dashed to another victory in the Weber State Invitational with a time of beating out Ron Wamsley of West 49., Jordan. So finally, at another major invitational, the stage was set for Smith to do his thing again and he did, getting the record in the process. I FELT good last Saturday," said Smith, There have been warmer days, but overall it was just about perfect. Jeff Brown of Olympus has the best qualifying time the day before had earned Lane 3 and in Lane 2 was Smith. "Brown takes off hard everytime and has convinced me that the race is won in the takeoff, said Smith who nipped Altas Larson at the finish line. ITS ALL mental, said Ricky, If there is someone there to beat ya, you'll always run harder and faster. Another one of Smiths blessings has been his health this senior year. During cross country he became quite sick and after seeing several physicians it was determined he was suffering from a spastic colon, which was caused by stress and which still gives him fits from time to time. J . ' t W- -4 J v;, f "& i &V fAA s? 4 V? Us v- - ,?yt ' Jyf h . w X factor in building experience as Smith ran in races from Provo to Duke University and finally at Ohio State. He qualified shortly after the prep season was over last spring to compete in the regional TAC (Athletic Congress) meet at Provo. At BYU he ran a 50,60 which placed him second and qualified him for a trip to the national TAC meet in North Carolina. Also qualifying were Stephanie Clements, Rickys high school sweetheart who is presently the states elite in and the womens quarter-mil- e Laura Zaugg who is the best of the women in the hepthalon. - "t him as a coach more than a runner. Thats because of his leadership and the way he handles himself with the other kids. But as far as potential, I knew as the sophomore year shaped up that Ricky was going to be a winner. I was really impressed with his attitude and maturity. He never, never second guessed me, just went out and did it. IVE MORE or less looked to An example of his sacrifice was exhibited at the Weber State meet w hen I approached him after a race and told h:m to get a little Coke or By KEITH DUNCAN Journal Sports Before entering play this week, Layton High had their work cut out for themselves if they hoped to have any chance of getting into the 1984 state baseball playoffs. LAYTON WAS scheduled to play three games in three days. Box Elder on Monday, Weber on Wednesday. Entering this week' the team was 5 and a 5 record would have been good enough to get this team into a possible playoff 2-- Flint told me that I would be running 48 s before the end of the year and that Stephanie would be doing 56s. We kinda laughed it off, but in the after running the Davis District mile relay it pretty well convinced me that I could do it, said Smith. Of course Clements should be a believer too after in the being clocked in a 48-sp- lit 56-sp- lit mile relay at Davis High last weekend. SMITH CLAIMS it has helped his workouts to have Stephanie running with him. Together theyve made a pretty good pair, if not a little unique that the men and womens top 400 meter aces come from the same high school. Smith is hopeful for a college scholarship, which should come as the season winds down. Many track coaches will be looking at his continual improvement which has been somewhat aided in his good speed work. Smith consistently finishes within the Top Six week in and week out at major invitationals in the 200 meters. FLINT WILL always hold memories of what Smith has done for his program and in reflection from the first time they met, he stated, Maybe Ricky was in the shadow of Jared Martin when he came out of junior high, at least he didn't have identity that Jared had. 1 rf. r A in the 400 meters. Alta's Todd Larsen and Laytons carbonation dowi because he stated he was tired. But after the suggestion, Ricky just looked up at me really funny. Later I was telling his mother about the incident and she commented that Ricky hadnt drank carbonated drinks for three years. Hes made so many sacri fices so many people dont realize. IVE GOT extreme confidence, in him. When he lines up for a race every meet hes one guy 1 just don't worry about. Hes just one guy that will never depart from his memory, he is what coaching is all about. State Tourney Time For Lovers Of Prep Baseball Tuesday and Bonneville on A FEW weeks later Smith added to his experience by competing in the Explorer Olympics at Ohio State. About a month ago, Coach x 9 This was the final bend in Ricky Smith's trek to glory and a state record Chuck Hanor give Smith all he wants. good. Coach John Flint ,Z' w s 4 49-spl- it never second guessed me v s THATS WHERE the experience came, said Ricky, Those kids were my same age but they were running 46s and 47's. A 46.8 time won it, which is cooking. in a relay I did run a which opened my eyes to what I could do. It seems like breaking 49 is the difference between great and wHe never, : r, Jjj AND LAST summer was a main THE DREAM of any track field enthusiast is to someday his name in the record books for Smith it finally happened -r jrnnr.lfl 5-- berth. In playing three games in three days, Coach Brad Hawkins was faced with coming up with a ton of pitching. He was scheduled to pitch James Kortwright on Monday and possibly go with people like Brian Bailey, Andy Cowder, Bobby Fresques and others through the rest of the week. AT THE plate, Bailey continues to be the most consistent Layton hitter. But Robert Ferneau and Bart Vernon are continually com- of w'hen to be played. If Clearfield does hold on and win the league title, it would be the first time in a few seasons that the Falcons have been represented in the tournament. WEVE MISSED it just barely in the past couple of years, so a trip this year would be kinda special, said Coach Ken Hicks, I would really feel good for the seniors w ho havent been there yet. In the big win over Weber last week, Clearfield collected 22 hits in getting one of the biggest, lopsided baseball w'ins in this area in years. Lancers, Darts Pick Up Key Baseball Wins On Monday 4-- A In Monday afternoons prep baseball action, both Layton and Davis kept their playoff hopes alive with key victories in their respective regions. THE DARTS handed Bountiful a 4 loss in Kaysville to grab a share of second place in Region Four. Highland led the league as of Monday night with a 3 record while both the Darts and the Braves stood in second w ith 4 record. In Region One action, Layton kept their playoff hopes ticking with an impressive 5 victory over the Box Elder Bi es. The game was played at Clearfield High because of the wet ground conditions at Layton High. 5-- 6-- 5-- DAVIS HIGH SCHOOL Wiley Carlson will be counted on heavily this week to lead the Davis Darts into the playoffs. And why not count on him? Wiley was batting over .700 going into the final week of play and continues to be Continued on next pg. 11-- IF THE Davis High team could deal a defeat on Woods Cross this week and Bountiful could get by Highland, there would be a three-w'atie for first place in Region Four. The Dai ts used a superb pitching performance from senior David Cole to get by the Braves. Cole allowed only four hits, struckout eight baiters and allowed only two walks. Three of Bountifuls runs were unearned. THE DARTS had plenty of firepower as Wiley Carlson went 3 for 3 and continued to up his .700 batting average. Mike Woodward had a lead-of- f triple in the first inning and scored Davis' first run moy ments later on a single. Greg McNabb went 2 for 3 with a single and a double and Darrin Sandstrom aided Davis cause with a two-ru- n double. ing along and Hawkins hopes that his younger players w ill stick with it and get all the experience they can for next season. If Layton were to win their remaining three games, they would as mentioned have a chance for n playoffs. The interregion playoffs wall take place this post-seaso- weekend while the actual state tournament gets underway next week in Salt Lake 'City. CLEARFIELD HIGH SCHOOL The Falcons were hopeful that they could come up with a win in Brigham City on Tuesday, which in turn would at least give them a share of the league championship. The last time Clearfield played Box Elder they won by runs. THE FALCONS presently arc 2 after their 28-- 4 bombing of Weber last Friday in Pleasant View. After the Box Elder game, only one game 1 1 6-- remains with Roy. The game is still undecided ld Laytons Bart Vernon attempt tag on Weber player Tuesday afternoon 4 |