Gaffney track team finishes fourth at Trojan Relays

JAMES DAVIS The jokes have stopped. The Gaffney High boys track team, which has no home track, has become a serious contender.

Just ask the other teams at Saturday's Trojan Relays.

The Indians finished second out of a 30-team field.

"We did really well," Gaffney coach James Davis said. "I was proud of the effort."

Gaffney's Denard Smith, Cameron Smith and Eddie Jefferies took first in the long jump. The winner of each event was determined by the combined scores of each school's participants.

Denard Smith had a jump of 21-6, a foot better than teammate's Cameron Smith. Jefferies had a leap of 19-8.

The Indians 4x100 relay team of Joe Craig, Darius Dawkins, Timmy Foster and Cam Smith finished tied for second with a time of 10.43.

Some other bright spots for the Indians include Jordan Manning, who finished second in the high jump and Darius Dawkins, who performed well in the shot put.

In girls competition, the Lady Indians finished 15th.

The Indians also had a strong showing against Spartanburg High on Tuesday. The Indians beat Boiling Springs and Hillcrest but fell to Spartanburg.

Craig won both the 100 and 200 meter races. Denzell Good placed first in the shot put for Gaffney.

"We showed that we are a much improved team but I hoped we'd have a much better showing against Spartanburg," Davis said.

In girls competition, the Lady Indians topped Hillcrest and Boiling Springs but lost to Spartanburg. "The girls are also showing that they are a team on the rise as the entire team showed a dedication to the team to pick up their first two wins of the season," Gaffney girls track coach Kevin Hammett said. "We have a talented group of young women with winning attitudes. They are not afraid of hard work and it is starting to pay off."