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After thrilling debut, Pirate only improved

By BOB PUTNAM
Published May 29, 2005

DADE CITY - Long jumping can be a dangerous sport. After all, jumping nearly 18 feet through the air is the equivalent of leaping from the roof of a house.

It looks easy.

The ride is nice.

But fatigue can be costly.

Isaria Ranson knows. The event cost her a chance at her first state title.

The Pasco junior qualified for the Class 2A state meet in the long and triple jump. She had the top seed in the triple jump (35 feet, 51/2 inches). But she had to compete in the long jump first.

Right away, Ranson played catch-up after watching Kayla Parker of Tallahassee FSU uncork a gravity-defying leap of 19 feet in the long jump. Ranson used all of her attempts and went 17-83/4 to place fifth.

By then, Ranson's legs felt like Jell-O, especially after Jasmine Fields of West Florida jumped 36-53/4 on her first attempt. Ranson took third with a leap of 36-2.

"I was just exhausted by the time I got to the triple jump," Ranson said. "I usually don't have to take that many jumps at most meets, but I had to in order to stay with everyone at state."

Ranson still wonders if she could have jumped farther.

But she can take solace in knowing how far she has come.

As a sophomore last season, Ranson decided to come out for track. Her coaches turned her into a jumper, and she became a star, earning five ribbons at the Sunshine Athletic Conference meet and owning the county's top mark in the long and triple jump.

This year, she made her biggest leap, transferring from county power Wesley Chapel to Pasco.

Last May, Ranson's mother told her she would be transferring to Pasco High in order to be with her sister, Tanesha, an incoming freshman.

Ranson pleaded with her mom to allow her to remain at Wesley Chapel. Most of her teammates were returning, and they planned on big things this season.

Mom didn't budge.

"I cried that last day of school," Ranson said. "It was so hard to say goodbye."

The abrupt change of address was noticeable this summer. Downcast after spending two years with the Wildcats, Ranson didn't train hard and skipped many AAU meets.

Eventually, she accepted the move.

Her arrival at Pasco helped fill the leadership vacuum created by the departure of Le-Shawn Vaughns, who came back from knee surgery to win four SAC titles (100, 200, 400 and long jump) and medal at state with a sixth-place finish in the 200 and eighth-place finish in the 4x400.

"I've had to help out a lot more here," Ranson said.

Knowing her former school had more depth and would be favored at most meets, Ranson shifted her focus from winning team titles to individual ones.

The move had its benefits. Switching schools also meant a switch in classifications. Now competing in 2A with the Pirates, Ranson had a better shot at a state title. If she remained at Wesley Chapel in 3A, her mark in the triple jump would have barely cracked the top 10.

"Isaria has a lot of potential," Pasco coach Norman Graham said. "Normally, you don't see an athlete pick up something right away. But she had immediate success and was in contention for a state title her second year.

"Now the biggest thing we want to see is improvement. And I'm pretty sure that will happen given what she's already accomplished."

You think the Orange Bowl was a rout? That was a cliff-hanger compared with Wesley Chapel's margin of victory at most meets.

In April, the Wildcats won their third straight conference title with 219 points, 107 more than runnerup Ridgewood. Two weeks later, they won their second straight district title, scoring 2471/2 points to beat the Rams by 111/2.

But the Wildcats saved their best for last, winning their first region title and placing seventh in the 4x100 relay at the Class 3A state meet.

Much of the credit belongs to Frye, a second-year coach who put her superior depth to good use.

FIRST TEAM

TRIPLE JUMP: Isaria Ranson, Jr., Pasco

POLE VAULT: Lauryn Douglas, Sr., River Ridge

LONG JUMP: Isaria Ranson, Jr., Pasco

SHOT PUT: Jenny Schulze, Jr., Mitchell

DISCUS: Meghan Seltman, So., Ridgewood

HIGH JUMP: Ashley Stager, So., Mitchell

100 HURDLES: Jerrica Cabrera, Jr., Wesley Chapel

100: Jasmine Pleasant, Sr., Wesley Chapel

1,600: Stephanie Amerman, Sr., Wesley Chapel

4x100: Wesley Chapel (Jasmine Pleasant, Melissa Sams, Jerrica Cabrera, Jasmine Cabrera)

400: Janice Williams, Wesley Chapel

300 HURDLES: Jerrica Cabrera, Jr., Wesley Chapel

800: Kamill Correa, Jr., Wesley Chapel

200: Jasmine Cabrera, Sr., Wesley Chapel

3,200: Nichole Berkey, So., Gulf

4x400: Wesley Chapel (Aisha Afre, Melissa Sams, Jasmine Cabrera, Janice Williams)

4x800: Wesley Chapel (Kamill Correa, Brenda Padilla, Kirsten Fee, Stephanie Amerman)

SECOND TEAM

Triple jump - Melissa Sams, Wesley Chapel. Pole vault - Pamela Guertin, Wesley Chapel. Long jump - Molly Barthle, Pasco. Shot put - Nina Bonaparte, Ridgewood. Discus - Nina Bonaparte, Ridgewood. High jump - Molly Barthle, Pasco. 100 hurdles - Kristen Vollmer, Zephyrhills. 100 - Jasmine Cabrera, Wesley Chapel; 1,600 - Lindsey Martin, Land O'Lakes. 4x100 - Zephyrhills (Sloane Lennon, Kristen Vollmer, Naye-Naye Black, Allison Ramirez, Nelly Guzman, Rene Austin). 400 - Melissa Sams, Wesley Chapel. 300 hurdles - Heather Bradley, Wesley Chapel. 800 - Alexis Heymann, Ridgewood. 200 - Melissa Sams, Wesley Chapel. 3,200 - Stephanie Amerman, Wesley Chapel. 4x400 - Ridgewood (Amanda Perez, Dalia Madison, Alexis Heymann, Ashley Krupinski). 4x800 - Ridgewood (Stephanie Fleres, Ashley Krupinski, Amanda Perez, Alexis Heymann).

HONORABLE MENTION

Gulf - Nichole Berkey (4x800, 3,200, 4x400); Isabel Bochenski (4x800, 4x400); Carmen Figueroa (PV, DC, 4x100); Danielle Florey (4x800, 4x400); Elizabeth Hollingsworth (4x800); Jennifer Johnson (100H, 4x100); Colleen Mumaw (4x100); Jessica Peck (4x800, 4x100, 4x400); Kelly Sasker (PV, 4x800, 4x100, 4x400). Hudson - Cinnamon Arnold (4x100); Amber Bentley (4x100); Tanya McDougel (4x100); Bria Noto (4x100); Heather Paone (4x100); Amanda Schorel (4x100). Land O'Lakes - Meredith Keppel (4x800); Lindsay Martin (4x800, 800); Melanie Moyer (4x800); Leandra Nikos (4x800); Kaitlin Roberts (4x800); Melanie Wong (4x800, 800). Mitchell - Tenisha Dixon (LJ); Jessica Jimenez (4x400); Tara Meinson (300H, 4x400); Corie Rilley (100H, 400, 4x400); Jessica Rinehart (PV); Jenny Schulze (DC); Erin Sotiaux (TJ, 4x400); Rebekah Stockowski (4x400); Samantha Urgo (HJ); Leslie Wahrendorf (4x400). Pasco - Molly Barthle (400); Shalonda Clemons (SP, 200); Jessica Gentry (HJ), Jennifer Peters (DC). Ridgewood - Keari Brink (PV, 4x100); Stephanie Fleres (HJ); Jennifer Galizia (DC); Dalia Madison (LJ); Melissa Powell (100, 4x100). River Ridge - Kelly Bruce (4x400); Nicole Cashen (4x800, 3,200); Brittnay Castelamare (4x400); Michelle Donofrio (4x800); Lauryn Douglas (TJ, 4x100); Stephanie Konter (4x800); Julie Lewandowski (100, 4x100); Salyssa Locke (4x100); Shannon Mahoney (4x800), Kayla McDonald (4x400); Elise Miller (4x400); Lindsey Miller (4x100); Annette Porebaski (4x400); Emily Roland (4x800); Trisha Thomas (4x100). Wesley Chapel - Aishe Afre (400); Heather Bradley (100H); Shandra Brooks (SP); Jerrica Cabrera (TJ); Kamill Correa (1,600); Yasmeen Dean (100, 300H); Kirsten Fee (1,600, 3,200); Jasmine Pleasant (200); Melissa Sams (LJ); Patience Shackley (LJ); Janice Williams (200). Zephyrhills - Ashley Anderston (SP); Renee Austin (4x800, 4x100); Naye-Naye Black (100, 4x100, 200); Courtney Burgess (300H); Kristen Donahoe (4x800, 1,600, 3,200); Nelly Guzman (TJ, 4x800, 4x400); Marta Heidenreich (100H, 4x400); Sloane Lennon (HJ, LJ, TJ, 4x100, 4x400); Jennifer Mower (4x800, 4x400); Katy Neiswender (PV); Allison Ramirez (4x100, 400, 4x400); Cynthia Scott (SP); Kristen Vollmer (100H, 4x100, 300H); Britney Wilt (PV, 4x800, 4x100, 800, 4x400); Cassandra Wirth (4x800, 3,200).

HONOR ROLL

Triple jump - Ranson (Pas) 36-2, Sams (WC) 33-1/2, Lennon (Zep) 32-63/4; Pole vault - Douglas (RR) 10-0, Guertin (WC) 8-6, Gray (Rw) 8-0; Long jump - Ranson (Pas) 17-83/4, Barthle (Pas) 17-31/4, Sams (WC) 16-10; High jump - Stager (Mit) 5-2, Barthle (Pas) 5-0, Bruce (RR) 5-0, Fleres (Rw) 5-0; Discus - Seltman (Rw) 105-5, Bonaparte (Rw) 105-3, Schulze (Mit) 94-51/2; Shot put - Schulze (Mit) 33-91/2, Anderston (Zep) 33-2, Bonaparte (Rw) 32-11; 100 hurdles - Cabrera (WC) 16.26, Vollmer (Zep) 16.45, Bradley (WC) 17.91; 100 - Pleasant (WC) 12.83, Cabrera (WC) 12.80, Black (Zep) 13.15; 1,600 - Amerman (WC) 5:32.17, Martin (LOL) 5:42, Fee (WC) 5:45.50; 400 relay - Wesley Chapel 48.98, Zephyrhills 50.73, Pasco 53.44; 400 - Williams (WC) 1:01.90, Rilley (Mit) 1:02, Barthle (Pas) 1:02.13, Sams (WC) 1:02.58; 300 hurdles - Cabrera (WC) 48.15, Bradley (WC) 49.79, Vollmer (Zep) 50.03; 800 - Correa (WC) 2:31.60, Martin (LOL) 2:33.82, Heymann (Rw) 2:34.22; 200 - Cabrera (WC) 25.76, Sams (WC) 26.47, Black (Zep) 26.80; 3,200 - Berkey (Gulf) 12:12.56, Amerman (WC) 12:16.54, Fee (WC) 12:29.15; 1,600 relay - Wesley Chapel 4:07.02, Ridgewood 4:25.40, Mitchell 4:26.02; 3,200 relay - Wesley Chapel 10:27.13, Ridgewood 10:41.73, Land O'Lakes 10:45.42.

[Last modified May 29, 2005, 01:05:19]