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| Hubert O. Dabney Stadium, Home of Leesburg Lady Jackets Track and Field. |
Demps and Ward dominant on the track
ALL-LAKE COUNTY TRACK & FIELD
May 20, 2007|By Bryan App, Special to the Sentinel
Track wasn't their first love, but South Lake's Jeff Demps and Leesburg's Shericka Ward have made their mark in the sport with record-setting seasons.
Demps, who was the area's second-leading rusher in football last season, took first in the 100 meters finishing at the Class 2A state meet with a time of 10.77 seconds.
And in her second year running track, Ward, who played on Leesburg's state final four girls basketball team, broke four school records, three of which came at the state meet.
As juniors, both will return next season and, after a summer's worth of national competitions, should have a chance to add to their record collections.
"He's a humble person," South Lake Coach Chad Grabowski said of Demps. "He achieves these things and he doesn't show off. He just continues to strive to be the best. I definitely see him decreasing his time next year. With a little bit of work, he can be in the 10.2 range [in the 100]."
Demps' accomplishments on the track and the football field have earned offers from programs such as Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky and Virginia Tech, Grabowksi said.
"All the big schools have already offered him," Grabowski said. "[Scouts] have been here all week and went to the spring game [Thursday]. And almost all have told him that if wants to run track [in college], he can do that also."
Ward hasn't received a scholarship offer yet, but Leesburg Coach Marshall Jungreis said considering the form and moxie she showed during her second year in the sport, he's confident one will come nextyear for his star hurdler.
"Last year when we went to a big meet, she was scared," Jungreis said. "Now she knows she belongs. With the culmination of her confidence and natural athletic ability, she still hasn't reached her full potential."
Last season, the hurdles on the track were as daunting as the bodies in the stands, Ward said.
"I walk awkward and I am very clumsy," she said. "So I didn't know about the hurdles."
The hurdles are now her favorite event, Ward said. She showed as much at the state meet, finishing in 44.88 for second in the 300 hurdles and claiming a time of 14.42 in the 100 hurdles prelims, both of which are school records.
Ward took fifth in the 100 hurdles final and placed sixth in the 100 meters after setting another school record with a 12.18 in the prelims. She also finished eighth in the triple jump at the state meet with a jump of 36 feet -- 5 inches short of the school mark -- and broke the school record in the 200 meters at the Bob Hayes Invitational in March.
Both Demps and Ward will continue to race during the summer first at the Golden South Meet at First Academy in June and then at the Nike Outdoor Championships at North Carolina A&T later that month.
There, Demps will face the nation's top runner in the 100 meters, Rynell Parson.
"I think that will help push him and show him where he stands because he hasn't had much competition all year," Grabowski said. "It will be good for him to see what he needs to work on."
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