Greatest high school race ever?

wineturtle wrote:

Marc Bloom was running then also I've never read Julio piece is it an the web?

Whites. Definitely the whites.

Not the greatest, but pretty darn good: The Chaminade(Mineola, NY)/Bishop Ford (Brooklyn, NY) 4x8 battles of the early 1990's, especially the indoor race at the Milrose Games in Madison Square Garden.

Only 1 team HS team had gone sub 8:00 for the 4x8 on the Garden track, that was Bishop Loughlin in the 1980's @7:58. Chaminade and Bishop Ford battled in 1992 back and forth, with Ford winning out by .5. Both team ran 7:53. No team has gone sub 8:00 since. Only 3 teams ever. Cool thing, Ford's anchor was 6' 6" and Chaminade's anchor was 6' 7" and those turns are tight.

These 2 teams were both in the same section, so although they were 1-2 in the country only one of them got to go to States. Ford winning easy indoors, and Chaminade winning outdoors in 7:47.

Teams did meet again at the Indoor nationals on the slow Syracuse track. Ford won in another thriller, 7:48.89-7:49.09. Chamiande did run 7:45 against Ford's 7:47 outdoors at a invitational. Chaminade had 10 kids at 2:00 or better in 1992. Also, had 2 teams that went 1-4 at indoor nat's in 1990, 4-8 in 1991. 2nd in 92, and 1st in 93. Fastest US time in 90,92,93.

A classic rivalry.

Not the greatest, but pretty darn good: The Chaminade(Mineola, NY)/Bishop Ford (Brooklyn, NY) 4x8 battles of the early 1990's, especially the indoor race at the Milrose Games in Madison Square Garden.

Only 1 team HS team had gone sub 8:00 for the 4x8 on the Garden track, that was Bishop Loughlin in the 1980's @7:58. Chaminade and Bishop Ford battled in 1992 back and forth, with Ford winning out by .5. Both teams ran 7:53. No team has gone sub 8:00 since. Only 3 teams ever. Cool thing, Ford's anchor was 6' 6" and Chaminade's anchor was 6' 7" and those turns are tight.

These 2 teams were both in the same section, so although they were 1-2 in the country only one of them got to go to States. Ford winning easy indoors, and Chaminade winning outdoors in 7:47.

Teams did meet again at the Indoor nationals on the slow Syracuse track. Ford won in another thriller, 7:48.89-7:49.09. Chamiande did run 7:45 against Ford's 7:47 outdoors at a invitational. Chaminade had 10 kids at 2:00 or better in 1992. Also, had 2 teams that went 1-4 at indoor nat's in 1990, 4-8 in 1991. 2nd in 92, and 1st in 93. Fastest US time in 90,92,93.

A classic rivalry.

[quote]gorney wrote:

For what it's worth, I'd say the best track race I ever saw in HS was Virgin's 8:40.9 at Mt. Prospect. Sage vs. Keller at 2000 IL state was close. Nehemiah's 12.9 at Evanston was probably the most perfect race.

I'm unfamiliar with that 12.9, I KNOW his HSR was set at St Johns in NYC cause after he started I step into his lane and watched him go down the track-you could have put a glass

of water on his head and had a full glass at the line.

quote]coach wrote:

Marc Bloom's "Me and Julio down by the school track" dramatically captures the race. Jimmy Jackson, the anchor for Boys that day coaches the Boys anfd girls team, nowadays concentrating on the girls team which has had some memorable races of their own these last few years.[/quote]

Marc Bloom is the man...but GO SERAPHS![

wineturtle wrote:

I'm unfamiliar with that 12.9, I KNOW his HSR was set at St Johns in NYC cause after he started I step into his lane and watched him go down the track-you could have put a glass

of water on his head and had a full glass at the line.

12.9 at IPI his senior year, but no wind gauge.

[quote]spike grant wrote:

Not the greatest, but pretty darn good: The Chaminade(Mineola, NY)/Bishop Ford (Brooklyn, NY) 4x8 battles of the early 1990's, especially the indoor race at the Milrose Games in Madison Square Garden.

Only 1 team HS team had gone sub 8:00 for the 4x8 on the Garden track, that was Bishop Loughlin in the 1980's @7:58. Chaminade and Bishop Ford battled in 1992 back and forth, with Ford winning out by .5. Both team ran 7:53. No team has gone sub 8:00 since. Only 3 teams ever. Cool thing, Ford's anchor was 6' 6" and Chaminade's anchor was 6' 7" and those turns are tight.

Tight even for the regular sized guys. I watched Molloy go7:49.1 on The Garden Boards(not surface over wood like now)in '64 it was a 4x880 but if you convert it(_2.5) its better and is better on its face with out voodoo and they didn't have a huge lead. first two guys ran flat ant Zieminski and Pete Farrell ran 1:54s.

Thanks Gorney,

I'm kind of a NYC HS guy and not real great with records nationwide I do not know IPI thanks for the help.His 12.9 was the first record application I had to sign as an Official so it's been my record too.What a great bit of luck the guy I was kinda forced to follow for his life time was simply put the best HHer ever.

Bobby Beck over Brent Steiner, 1979 Junior Olympics 2mile, Lincoln, Nebraska....

8:46.87 - 8:46.99

Don't forget Zach Morris running the mile against Valley soon after his Native American mentor passed away and his spirit gave him the strength to compete.

Gorney, why do you think there was so much top times and depth in the early 70's? What is the cause of some slow times afterwards?

When I stated that only 3 teams had gone sub 8:00 on the boards, I was referring to the George Eastman 4 x 800 meters @ The Milrose Games. I think that might have only started in the mid 1980's?? I am sure teams like Molloy and Power Memorial had some good times posted on the boards as well for the 4 x 880y. My bad.

Spike,

I knew you were talking about the new garden and Millrose I just wanted to let the younger guys on the thread know how powerfull the (62thru Philippe may be)era was the Molloy time was from the Knights of Columbus Meet and we had starting around there the Olymic Invite. Glory days if you wanted to get great track. Some HBCU came to town with NYC kids on it and the Garden would rock Larry and Otis stayed closer so we got them alot.

Forgot a couple of other IL runners:

Marius Bakken- winning the 1600 and the 3200 and taking second in the 800 at the IL state meet, and then watching him break down in tears when he finished the 1600 (race order was 3200- 800- 1600, run over the course of about 3 hours).

Nick Setta- winning the high jump, 300m intermediate hurdles and 800 at the IL state meet.

But for sheer excitement, that Sage-Keller duel was something to see, since they were neck and neck with 400 to go, when Sage just blasted out of the stratosphere.

[quote]gorney wrote:

I'm from the Chicago area and competed against nearly all those teams in the first post. "Donald" White probably is Charlie White, unless Charlie had a little brother. Charlie was a national-class 880 guy his junior and senior years. A horse. [quote]

Donald had several brothers and all of them could fly. Charlie probably had the most success, but Roy and Don were right there as well. You can see 'em all at Wampum Lake every Thanksgiving morning. You can also see some of their kids on the hs scene.

The Bloom-Thornton-Thornridge match-ups from those days were something to behold.

mcgato wrote:

One I've always wanted a description of is the 1966 4x880 between Jackson and Boys (NY). They both got the same time and the high school record, which stood for 36 years.

luckily for you, mark bloom wrote a story about. something like "me and julio down by the track." great read.

Don't forget that these teams all had to run prelims on Friday at the 1976 State Meet. York's record setting relay was not in at the State Meet with Friday prelims. Thornton's 2 mile relay at the 1976 Illinois State Meet was for all the marbles, not a staged time trial like York's 4 x 800 on a Friday night with perfect weather.

"Nick Setta- winning the high jump, 300m intermediate hurdles and 800 at the IL state meet."

I know Setta won the 800m, but I though '99 was the year Jon Schweighardt won both hurdle events and set the state record in the 300 hurdles. And, I'm pretty sure Setta did not win the high jump. But he was pretty damn talented none the less.

Bakken was awesome in '96. I got to watch him from 50m back the whole 3200 race, and seeing him drop a 26 on the 3rd 200m in the 800m was pretty incredible, and then the mile was great too. It would have been something to see what Sage could have run if he tried the triple- I'm guessing maybe a little faster than Bakken, but I'm glad he "only" doubled, because wathing him put 15 sec on Keller in the last 400 of the 3200 was beyond amazing.