Bethesda-Chevy Chase junior David Williams took first in the high jump and second in the long jump.
Georgetown Prep junior Brandon Tisdale won the 100 and 200-meter dash.
By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.comEach of the past two Springs, Bethesda-Chevy Chase junior David Williams told track coach Chad Young that he would come out for the team. And come each Spring, Williams was too busy with offseason soccer and basketball to come through.
So when Young approached Williams again this year and got the same answer, he at first treated it just as lip service.
“I said ‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to punk out this year,’” Williams said.
And now that Williams is on the track team he keeps adding more and more events. Tuesday during a tri-meet with Sherwood and Georgetown, Williams participated in the high jump, long jump and 800-meter run.
He has about a couple weeks of experience in all three and it shows – in his form, not the results. Williams out-leaped Georgetown Prep’s Garvey Young, who is going to play basketball at Vermont next year, took second in the long jump behind Sherwood’s Kyle Hopkins and sixth in the 800. His high jump was 5-feet-6 inches, two inches off his season-high.
“I just jump as high as I can and jump over it,” Williams said. “It’s fun because a lot of people have been doing it for a long time and they’re like, ‘Woah, this kid’s good.’”
Williams also is a forward on the Barons’ Maryland 3A state champion soccer team and played guard for Bethesda-Chevy Chase’s state semifinal basketball team. He says he has at least one sporting event to go to every day, whether it’s a practice or game. He had soccer practice after Tuesday’s meet.
“He’s probably the best athlete at our school,” Young said. “He’s fun to watch.”
While Bethesda-Chevy Chase lost to Georgetown Prep, 90-47, the Barons defeated Sherwood’s boy’s team, 82-55. Georgetown Prep beat Sherwood’s boys, 93-44. Sherwood’s girls defeated Bethesda Chevy-Chase, 87-61.
Georgetown Prep was paced by the sprinting of Brandan Tisdale, the distance running of Ramsey Chapin and the discuss and shot put tossing of Derrick Pharr and Tyler Matuella.
Tisdale took first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.9 seconds and first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.8 seconds. Like Williams, Tisdale is fairly new to the sport. He started just last season, adding track to his football resume. Likely, he was the only defensive lineman who can bench 350 pounds and also be a sprinter.
Tisdale took home three first-place finishes and a third-place finish during Georgetown Prep’s IAC title run last season.
“He’s a real competitor,” Georgetown Prep coach Greg Dunston said. “He doesn’t like to lose. Brandon has even run a couple indoor races where his back was acting up and still made the finals.”
Chapin, who came to Dunston before his race and told him to expect a sub-par race because he wasn’t feeling well, continued to build his self-confidence since developing tendonitis in his right knee at the start of the cross country season. He won the 800 and 1600-meter races.
“He just ignores me,” Dunston said of his coach’s reaction to his sickness. “I do that every time before a race. It’s kind of like a pre-race ritual.”
Among Sherwood’s top girl’s finishers, junior Katie Salke won the 100-meter hurdles by more than a second. After placing ninth at the state tournament last year, Salke is looking to improve this season, although she said Tuesday’s win didn’t help much with that.
“I feel good,” Salke said. “But I feel like I need to do a lot better.”
Bethesda-Chevy Chase’s girls will need to drop their times come next week when they head to the Penn Relays. The girls were lead by Hannah Richardson, who notched first-place finishes in the long jump, 200-meter dash and 400-meter dash.
“The team is awesome and everyone is getting really fast trying to be the real deal,” Richardson said. “I think it’s a big step to finally run as fast as we can and show what we’ve been working at. This year is definitely our year to bring it out and really go strong.”