Bulldog Relays

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NEW CHAPEL HILL - The Chapel Hill Lady Bulldogs, paced by relay wins in the 400 and 800 meters, won the Bulldog Relays Friday at Bulldog Stadium.


Chapel Hill won with 144 points, followed by Gilmer (127), Wills Point (103) and Lindale (100). Nine teams were in the meet.

Palestine won the boys meet with 152 points. Lindale followed with 109 points, while Chapel Hill placed third (81 points). Brownsboro placed fourth.

The Wildcats won the 1600 and 400 meter relays.

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3-10-05
By SCOTT TYLER
Sports Editor


The Palestine Wildcats captured the Westwood Relay title Thursday night, giving Palestine its second straight win to open the season.

"It is real important for us to get team wins because we are young and it gives us motivation," Palestine head track coach Booker Bowie said. "We improved in certain areas and hopefully next week we will see more improvements."

Palestine, who finished with 142 points, 55 points more than second-place Madisonville, will be hosting the Dogwood Trails next Friday.

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3-19-05
By Scott Tyler
H-P Sports Editor


The Palestine Wildcats have made it three for three.

Palestine won its third straight track meet of the season, taking the Dogwood Relays, Friday night despite winning only one event - the 1600 relay, the final event of the night.

"I am excited about this win," Palestine head coach Booker Bowie said. "It shows we got a lot of depth and the kids competed and scored points for us."

Bowie was not distraught about winning only one event in the meet.

"Right now we are working on improving our times," Bowie said. "Places are only important starting in the district meet."


Palestine finished with 157 points while Westwood took second in the meet with 121 points.

Palestine's Rodrick Johnson was the top-point getter for the varsity boys with 24 points. He took second place in the triple jump with a leap of 41 feet, 10 1/2 inches and second in the 800-meter run with a time of 3:27.51 seconds. He also was part of the 800 relay which took second place.

Palestine's only event won was the 1600 relay, which the Wildcats won by nearly 10 seconds over Chapel Hill. The combination of Mario Terry, Justin Mosley, Patrick Turner and Roy Stubblefield finished in a time of 3:29.99.

"Most times the team who wins the mile relay wins the meet," Bowie said. "It is the most important relay because it takes four kids with heart, guts and speed."

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Palestine track looking for fourth straight title

4-10-05
By Scott Tyler
H-P Sports Editor


It may be a new district and new classification but the Palestine Wildcat track team is looking for the same results.

In their first year in District 21-3A, the Wildcats are looking for their fourth straight district title this week when the district track meet will be held at Wildcat Stadium.

"Our kids have worked hard this year and so far we have won all five meets we have been in," Palestine track coach Booker Bowie said. "It is a motivational factor for these kids to win every meet this year."

The District 21-3A track meet will be held Wednesday and Thursday at Wildcat Stadium. Wednesday, the field events and the 3200-meter run will be held starting at 10 a.m. The running finals will start at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The advantage Palestine has over its district opponents is the Wildcats' numbers. Palestine has the ability to put two or three athletes in each event giving the Wildcats more chances to earn points.


Earlier in the season, at the Dogwood Relays, Palestine only won one event but still won the meet over Westwood by 36 points.

"Anytime you have numbers it is a plus," Bowie said. "Some people think track is dwindling but here at Palestine High School, track is growing." Palestine has a strong relay group which is an important factor in a search for a district title since first place for a relay win is 20 points, twice as much as a win in any other event.

The Wildcats' 1600-meter relay team will be the favorite to win and Bowie believes who ever wins the 1600 relay has the best chance of winning the meet. Palestine's 1600 relay team consists of Mario Terry, Justin Mosley, Partrick Turner and Roy Stubblefield.

"We came into the season knowing we had a good mile relay," Bowie said. "We have won every mile relay we have run which is a big plus."

Palestine's two other relays, the 400 and 800, are young with three sophomores - Montrell Johnson, Kevin Swanson and Turner, who is the anchor.

"We have a lot of younger kids who have really stepped up," Bowie said.

The biggest difference for the Palestine track squad is times are no longer the concern but instead the focus is on placement because the top three finishers in each event advance to the regional meet.

"During the season we have been working on improving our times but now that is not as important as places," Bowie said.

Bowie believes it is important to get as many of his athletes into the regional meet because he has a young squad and he wants to get them to experience a regional meet.

Palestine only has three senior sprinters on the team, Stubblefield, who will run in the 400 as well as the 1600 relay; Rege Harrison, who runs in the 100 and 200; and Rodrick Johnson, who competes in the 800, long jump and triple jump.

Bowie said a couple of athletes who could be a surprise and get into the top three include sophomores Adorian Arthur in the high jump and Cory Whitfield in the hurdles.

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4-15-05
By Scott Tyler
H-P Sports Editor


The Palestine Wildcats won their fourth straight district track title Thursday night at Wildcat Stadium but it was anything but easy.

Westwood put the pressure on Palestine the entire evening and the meet came down to the final event - the 1600-meter relay - which Palestine won to take the District 21-3A title.

"Whenever you have a good track meet it always comes down to the mile relay," Palestine track coach Booker Bowie said. "I am real proud of the way the kids ran all night."

Palestine finished with 180 points while Westwood, who was looking for the upset, finished with 171 points."We came here to win but I am not disappointed at all with the way our kids competed," Westwood track coach Steven Skinner said. "We had a couple of bad breaks and the Palestine kids knew what they had to do and they did it."

Along with winning the district track meet, Palestine qualified eight different individuals and three relay teams to the Class 3A, Region III meet on April 29-30 in Humble.