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Sports

Track: Phantoms 4 x 400 Run Away Ninth in the State

The PIAA State Track and Field Championship was held at Seth Grove Stadium at Shippensburg.

SHIPPENSBURG- Freshman Trishia Johnson likes to start the Phantoms' 4 x 400 fast and has ever since the team was put together prior to the Penn Relays.

After all she’s a freshman. She has to learn that you have to pace yourself, even in a 400-meter lap. Or do you?

The fact is that Johnson is not used to having anyone challenging her as she hits the afterburners 200 meters into her run.

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In Friday’s preliminary, Johsnon and teammates Jacine Durrell, Lisa Payton and Rachel Carr drew Abington, the District One top seed coming into the championships, in their heat.

Johnson battled but could not hold off the charge of Abington’s speed. She found herself giving the baton to Durrell in the unusual position of trailing.

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Phoenixville, who came into the championship qualifying with a time of 3:57.94, shaved almost a full second off of that run, posting a time of 3:57.23 in the prelims, which was second place in their heat.

“We came in here and ran with Abington for the whole race,” said Durrell. “I am so disappointed we didn’t make the final, but we did what we could and ran our butts off.”

“This has been a great team,” said Payton. “We have really built a great relay team here. These girls are amazing. It has been fun to run. Of course, we always want to win.”

“I have been proud of them all year,” said head coach Jay Carlin. “We were ninth before and we finished ninth today. Ninth in the state isn’t bad."

Girls 4 x 400 Meter Relay AAA 8 Advance:  Top 1 Each Heat plus Next 4 Best Times NFHS Record: ! 3:35.49  2004, Long Beach Poly, CA                                               Woods, Harris, Lee, Solomon                        PIAA Record: R 3:46.31  2010, Penn Hills HS 7                                                  Lee, Wilkerson, Squires, Roberson                 NFHS Hnr Rol: # 3:48.50                                                          

 School                                               Seed    Prelims

Heat  1 Preliminaries  1 Penn Hills 07                                     3:56.21    3:52.08Q

  2 Coatesville Area 01                               3:56.94    3:53.06q   

3 Unionville 01                                     4:00.78    3:54.00q   

4 State College Area 06                             4:01.93    3:56.86q  

 5 Pocono Mountain East 11                           4:05.13    4:03.29    

6 Knoch 07                                          4:04.90    4:05.86 

Heat  2 Preliminaries  1 Upper Darby

01                                    3:55.29    3:52.70Q   

2 Milton Hershey 03                                 3:56.97    3:55.10q  

 3 Archbishop Prendergast 12                         4:02.14    3:59.59    

4 Lampeter Strasburg 03                             4:00.73    4:02.39    

5 Ephrata 03                                        4:03.88    4:03.71    

6 North Allegheny 07                                4:05.32    4:11.74 

Heat  3 Preliminaries 

1 Central Bucks West 01                             3:49.97    3:52.80Q   

2 Strath Haven 01                                   3:59.19    3:58.92    

3 Greater Latrobe 07                                3:57.76    4:00.54    

4 Central York 03                                   4:03.63    4:05.83    

5 Bradford Area 09                                  4:07.84    4:06.46    

6 Cardinal O'Hara 12                                4:02.32    4:10.20 

Heat  4 Preliminaries 

1 Abington 01                                       3:48.85  # 3:47.41Q   

2 Phoenixville Area 01                              3:57.94    3:57.23    

3 Easton Area 11                                    4:03.03    4:00.46    

4 Honesdale 02                                      4:02.61    4:03.13    

5 Selinsgrove Area 04                               4:14.48    4:13.08   

 6 Grove City Area 10                                4:10.59    4:15.66 

 -- Hempfield 03                                      3:58.01         FS

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