By Dave Ryan

SNOW HILL – One point.

They had heard all season about the value of training, effort and just plain heart. The boys and girls of Cambridge-South Dorchester High School’s track and field teams knew well that the difference between victory and defeat can come down to an inch, or a fraction of a second.

Or one point.

The Region 1A East Track and Field Championships were held Feb. 16 at the Worcester County Recreation Center in Snow Hill, where the C-SD Vikings boys pulled out a last-second victory, winning the last race of the event and defeating rival Snow Hill for the title, 115-114.

It was the first indoor, winter-season championship for C-SD, whose teams have seen their share of success, and championships, during the spring, outdoor seasons.

“You guys made history,” Coach Mike Dorrenbacher told the group during a meeting in his classroom on Thursday. “Now, the sky’s the limit.”

At the meet

“They were down 3 [points, 108-105] heading into the 4x400,” David Dodson said. “So they had to not only win but have someone finish ahead of Snow Hill.”

That meant high drama and rapid heartbeats for not only the runners, but also the rest of the team, cheering from the infield. The 4x400-meter relay featured the same runners for C-SD who had already raced in the 4x200 – a contest Snow Hill had won, with a strong kick by their anchor man.

But Vikings Evan Payne, Teshar Drummond, William Jackson and Jay’Den Smith didn’t let that earlier defeat intimidate them, as they headed out to claim the victory and put C-SD over the top – just barely – for the title.

While the heroics of the boys’ 4x400 squad were probably the most dramatic of the day, there were other award-winning performances among the men and women of C-SD. School records were set by Enazajah Young in the 55-meter dash (7.4 seconds) and the 55-meter hurdles (9.01); Jay’Den Smith in the high jump (5’ 6”); and the boys’ 4x200-meter relay, with a time of 1:43.80.

The girls put together a strong effort, with the athletes running multiple events, sometimes back to back. “79 points is a lot to be proud of,” Coach Dorrenbacher said.

Events were scored to eighth place, earning, from first to eighth, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 points.

Vikings’ girls’ places

55 – 2^nd, Enazajah Young

55 Hurdles – 2^nd Enazajah Young, 3^rd Sa’Mara Spriggs

300 – 5^th Jyrah Curry

500 – 5^th Jyrah Curry

1,600 – 6^th Luci Thomas, 7^th, Isabelle Hughes

3,200 – 1^st Luci Thomas, 3^rd Sadie Carels, 4^th Isabelle Hughes

4x200 – 2^nd Enazajah Young, Sa’Mara Spriggs, Jyrah Curry and Camryn Russum

4x800 – 4^th Luci Thomas, Sadie Carels, Laila Insley and Camryn Russum

Vikings’ boys’ places

Pole vault – 1^st John Condon, 2^nd William Jackson

High jump – 1^st Jay’Den Smith, 3^rd William Jackson

Shot put – 7^th William Linthicum

55 Hurdles – 3^rd Jay’Den Smith

300 – 1^st Evan Payne

500 – 3^rd Evan Payne

800 – 1^st John Condon

1,600 – 1^st John Condon, 7^th Arlandis Martinez

3,200 – 2^nd Arlandis Martinez, 6^th Christian Sanders

4x200 – 2^nd Evan Payne, Teshar Drummond, William Jackson, Jay’Den Smith

4x400 – 1^st Evan Payne, Teshar Drummond, William Jackson, Jay’Den Smith

4x800 – 3^rd Christian Sanders, Arlandis Martinez, Tyler Sears, Josh Suggs

Final results

Boys – Cambridge-South Dorchester 115, Snow Hill 114, Washington 66, Largo 58, Crossland 47, Mardela 40, Surrattsville 12 and Central-PG 7.

Girls – Largo 126, Cambridge-South Dorchester 79, Snow Hill 51, Washington 45, Crossland 43, Mardela 33, Surrattsville 29, Central-PG 17, and Crisfield 6.

For the first time, Most Valuable Players were named. John Condon was overall Regional Championship MVP for the boys, while the field event MVPs were: 1^st William Jackson, 2^nd John Condon and 3^rd Jay’Den Smith.

The girls’ 3^rd place track event MVP was Enazajah Young.