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Athletics
Historic Carlisle Win Ends 20-Year Drought
By Dean Greenaway
Apr 26, 2008, 16:21

Carlisle's 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 Meter Relay Record seting teams, who ran 50.26 and 4:07.87 respectively: L-R: Ketia Maduro, Darnetia Robinson, Tarikah Warner and Britney Wattley. Photo>Dean "The Sportsman" Greenaway

TORTOLA—Carlisle or House 4 as it’s more commonly called, can lay claim to a piece of British Virgin Islands inter-house sporting history none of its opponents can.  Exactly 37 years after picking up their first title as the BVI High School in 1971, they ended a 20-year dry spell by holding off defending champions Fleming’s late surge for a 4.5 points victory and became the first Elmore Stoutt High School champions in the process, during the first competition held on the new eight lane Mondo track at the A. O. Shirley Recreation Grounds.

Defending champions Fleming—House 3—surged past all-time inter-house champions O’Neal, (formerly Lincoln) competing for the first time under their new name, with a strong second day challenge to reduce Carlisle’s hefty lead to single digits entering the relays, before falling short of their 11^th crown. Their chances for valuable points in the 4 x 100 meter relay evaporated, when Omar Jones false started.

Fleming's 4 x 400 Meter Record team. L-R: Omar Jones, Ramo Pemberton, Shaun Martin and Rayshaun "Chevo" Mercer who ran 3:32.33. Photo>Dean "The Sportsman" Greenaway

In the process of amassing 703.5 points to land their first title since 1988, Carlisle’s intermediate girls demolished five meet records while Fleming’s athletes shattered two, for their 699 points at the end of the competition. O’Neal, who entered the main event, tied with Carlisle at 123-123 after two days of pre sports day events, finished third with 652 points. Lettsome’s final score was 374.5.

“I’m new to this because I did not go to high school here and this is the first event since I’m teaching at the school and being on this track is very special,” house master Melissa Amey said. “House 4 hasn’t won in 20 years and I’ve been rallying the kids since the beginning of the school year, so it’s really special. The kids are determined and setting the records with the intermediate girls while winning overall, is really touching.”  

Fleming won three of the six division titles at stake with Carlisle taking two and O’Neal one. Fleming’s Shamori Dagou won the Intermediate Boys division with 34 points while Carlisle’s Britney Wattley scored 50. Fleming’s Jamori Blaze bagged the Jr. Boys Division with 44 points and O’Neal’s Natisha Claxton claimed the girls with 38. Seanna Jack gave Fleming the Senior Girls crown with 48 points with Carlisle’s Alliston Blyden taking the boy’s side with 46.

Britney Wattley stands by the sigh that bears her 200 meters meet record. Photo>Dean "The Sportsman" Greenaway

Blyden and Wattley were the Victor and Victrix Ludorums with 48 and 50 points respectively. Wattley almost had to share the Victrix Ludorum with Jack and O’Neal’s Kanishque Todman, both of whom amassed 48 points. Jack was second to Wattley in the Open Girls 3,000 meters while Todman—who competed in five field events and would have become the first Victrix without stepping on the track—lost her grip on the coveted title by finishing second in the Shot Put.

Wattley who will graduate in June, etched her name on four records, while Fleming’s Omar Jones walked off with two. Wattley who won the 100 meters in 12.39 seconds into a negative 3-5 mph headwind, demolished her aunt’s 31-year old 200 meters mark and bettered her sister DeAnna Wattley’s electronic standard as well. Wattley became the first to run under 25 seconds during inter-house competition when she flew past Rose Phillips’ 1977 mark of 25.4 seconds and DeAnna’s 26.32 electronic time, with a run of 24.70 seconds. The mark was .03 off the 24.67 career best she ran in Miami on April 12, and second to Ashley Kelly’s all time scholastic mark of 24.61.  She’s within striking distance of the IAAF World Jr. Championships qualifying mark of 24.64 seconds.

Kanishque Todman prepares to unleash the Shot Put where she finished second. It cost her a share of the Victrix Ludorum. Photo>Dean "The Sportsman" Greenaway

Wattley also broke Chantel Malone’s Intermediate Girls 400 meter record and Bianca Dougan’s electronic 59.02, with a personal best of 57.27 seconds, for the No. 2 time ever run by a high school athlete behind Malone’s 55.70 from 2005.

Teaming with Ketia Maduro, Darnetia Robinson and Tarikah Warner, Wattley and the gang demolished the 4 x 100 meter relay to become the fastest high school team ever with a 50.26 seconds time. She completed her inter-house sports day career by anchoring the 4 x 400 meter relay squad of Maduro, Robinson and Warner to a time of 4 minutes 07.87 seconds.   

 

Seanna Jack lone loss was to Britney Wattley in the Open Girls 3000 Meters, which caused her to miss a shire of the Victrix Ludorum. Photo>Dean "The Sportsman" Greenaway

Jones, who already holds the national Javelin record at 191 feet one inch, powered the spear out to 186’4”, which is a BVI Under 23 record and the best throw by a BVI athlete this season. He closed the meet by leading off Fleming’s Sr. Boys’ record setting 4 x 400 meters relay squad, by handing off to double sprint champion Ramo Pemberton—who ran the fastest electronic 100/200 meters times of 11.19/22.93. The team that also included Shawn Martin and Rayshaun “Chevo” Mercer ran 3 minutes 32.33 seconds.

“Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better championships,” said Phys Ed Teacher Angelita Bernard. “We did have some late starts but, it worked out well because parents got the time to come out and see their children perform. So all in all, it was a very good championship. We are so happy that track and field is back.”