By Gary Ayers (Special to the Maroon Devils Network)
Just like a walk-off home-run or a last-second basket, the Swain boys added pulsating drama to capture the boys title by literally winning their final event of the day to beat Mountain Island Charter 81-75.
"We need to finish no worse than fourth to win state," said Roper before the event took place in the boys 4x400 meter relay as Swain was behind Mtn. Island by four points. And did the relay team ever deliver. Josh Collins, Abhi Patel, Connor Brown and Josiah Glaspie not only finished in the top four but won the event out-right to grab the state title with a time of 3:28.16 led by a scorching run by Glaspie in the anchor leg.
"Josiah being healthy really helped us today. That was a gutsy performance with so much on the line in the final event by our men. Our boys team has gotten stronger in the sprint events and that really elevated our team this year," said a happy Roper following the relay win.
"I'm excited," said Nse Uffort before setting a personal record in the shot-put event of 61' 9.5" which was more than eleven feet better than second place to get the boys team off to a fast start in the first event of the day.
"I want to finish strong today and then get ready for football season." Uffort also had a third place finish in the discus event with a throw of 141' 9".
Other top finishers for Swain in the field events saw three Maroon Devils place in the pole vault with Owen Craig 3rd at 12' 6", Evan Hall 5th at 11'0" and Duncan Brown 6th at 11' 0".
Here are the boys track results from Greensboro: Zeke Glaspie, 200 meters, 8th, 22.51, Josiah Glaspie, 400 meters, 3rd, 50.17, Kane Jones, 800 meters, 6th, 2:02.47, Connor Brown, 1600 meters, 3rd, 4:23.79, Carl Baird, 1600 meters, 5th, 4:26.47, relay team in the 4x100 of Zeke Glaspie, Josiah Glaspie, Josh Collins and Keyanthae Graham, 3rd, 43:00. and the 4x800 meter relay team of Abhi Patel, Connor Lambert, Kane Jones, and Carl Baird, 2nd, 8:15.97.
**Besides congratulations to these champions, congratulations to Swain's Connor Lambert and Emmy Earnhardt being named scholarship winners at the 62nd WNC Sports Awards Banquet held by the Mountain Amateur
Athletic Club at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville Sunday night. Finalists and scholarship winners were selected from nominations from WNC coaches and athletic directors.