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Wharton track, field team shows why it's the bestBy ROD GIPSON© St. Petersburg Times published March 2, 2003 If there were any lingering doubts about who has been the strongest track and field squad in the county in recent years, Wharton reaffirmed its claim of that title at the season-opening Manuel-Griffin-Fraundorfer Relays. The Wharton boys won by 41 points and the girls captured their crown by 36 points at the meet, held at Hillsborough High on Feb. 22. The Wildcat boys totaled 87 points while second-place Gaither had 46. The Chamberlain boys placed third while Leto and Sickles tied for eighth. The Wharton girls scored 78 points while second-place Hillsborough had 42. Gaither was fourth among the girls while Jefferson was 12th and Sickles was 13th. Wharton sprinter Jevon Mitchell captured boys track MVP honors after helping his team have strong showings in three relay races. Mitchell was part of the Wildcat's winning sprint medley team, its' second-place 4x220-meter relay team and its' 4x110 team that placed third. Mitchell also placed second in the high jump. Gaither's Chris Whitman was named the boys field MVP after placing first in the shot put and discus. Whitman's shot put distance was 48 feet, 3 inches and his discus toss measured 122 feet. On the girls' side, Wharton's Victoria Michelotti won the girls field MVP award after placing second in the triple jump, third in the long jump and second in the high jump. Gaither freshman Amanda Quick was the track MVP after helping the Cowboys win the 4x880-meter distance relay and 4x440-meter races. In upcoming competition, Sickles will host Blake on Wednesday, while Gaither hosts Freedom on Thursday . And all Hillsborough County squads will be at Leto on Saturday for the Nash Higgins Relays. BASEBALL: Gaither improved to 2-1 on the season after a standout performance from sophomore pitcher Caleb Graham Thursday. Graham pitched a complete game, giving up five hits in the Cowboys 6-2 win against Sarasota Riverview. In other action, Sickles stayed unbeaten in three games with its 7-2 win against Tampa Bay Tech, Alonso lost 4-2 to King, Freedom fell 11-1 to Tampa Catholic, and Chamberlain improved to 2-0 on the season after a 7-5 win against Wharton. In games on Tuesday, Alonso hosts Hillsborough, Chamberlain is at Middleton, Wharton plays at Durant, Freedom faces Osceola (Freedom plays its home games at Wharton), Jefferson hosts Brandon, Leto hosts King and Sickles is at Blake. BOYS BASKETBALL: Gaither and Chamberlain both lost Thursday night in the region quarterfinals and neither result was pretty. In the Class 6A playoffs, Gaither lost 73-49 at Palm Beach Lakes while Chamberlain was defeated 102-66 at Haines City in the Class 5A regionals. Chamberlain, which actually led in its game through most of the first period, simply ran out of gas and couldn't keep up with the Hornets. The Chiefs, who end the season 22-6, were led by Greg Lee's 27 points. Gaither got a combined 26 points from Antonio Russell and Brandon Harrison, but it wasn't nearly enough as Gaither (18-14) was trailing by 21 points at the half. COACHING: Wharton has found a replacement for Richard Wood, naming Melvin Cunningham as its new head football coach. The 29-year-old Cunningham takes over for Wood, who left the Wildcats in order to become the defensive line coach for the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe. Cunningham, who played defensive back at Marshall University and coached prep football for two years in West Virginia, most recently played two seasons with the Tampa Bay Storm in the Arena League. After injuring his knee last season, Cunningham decided to focus on coaching full time. BOYS GOLF: Standout Wharton golfer Patrick Gibson has accepted a scholarship with the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. Gibson, who recently won the Greater Tampa Junior Golf Association 16-18 age division boys tournament, helped lead the Wildcats to three consecutive trips to the state tournament. Wharton placed fourth in the state last fall while Gibson, who shot 77-73 for a total of 150, finished 27th in the state among individuals.
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