South River track teams are a work in progress
BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA Staff Writer
The South River High School spring boys and girls track teams feature plenty of young athletes, so both squads are looking toward bright futures.

Coach Sara Stout noted that nearly half of the program is composed of underclassmen who are showing steady improvement thanks to a strong work ethic.

"We have some very talented seniors who lead the way, but I've been very impressed with the dedication of our younger competitors," the coach said. "They want to get better, and they put in the time."

Stout's boys team is off to a 2- 2 start with wins over Highland Park and Timothy Christian. Captain Mike Tarantino has been outstanding. Against Timothy Christian, the junior won at 1,600 and 3,200 meters, finished second at 800, and was on the winning 4x400 relay team

Stevie Moore has been solid as well. Though in just his first year on the team, the versatile sophomore has clearly made an impact in the high, long, and triple jumps.Moore won both the long and triple jumps in both of the team's victories as well as in a loss to St. Peter's.

Another sophomore, Fred Thompson, has emerged as the team's top hurdler. He also runs spring events. Freshman Mike Parillo excels at the middle distances and anchors the 4x400 relay team. He has recorded a time of 56 seconds at 400meters.

Other members of the boys team include shot-putters Matt DeZarlo, Leon Schermerhorn and Anthony O'Connor. Schermerhorn and O'Connor also throw the disc. John Perreira handles the javelin events for the Rams.

The girls, meanwhile, have struggled to an 0-4 start, but the performances of junior Cheyenne Howard and freshman Raquel Corticeiro have been superb.

Howard, in her third varsity season, runs the high hurdles and also competes in the long and triple jumps, as well as the discus. She has won the high hurdles in each of the Rams' four meets and has reached 14 feet in the long jump.

The speedy Corticeiro handles sprint events as well as the 400-meter hurdles. She also has a long jump of 14 feet to her credit. Another freshman, Laqeritia Hodges, has shown promise in the long jump and sprint events.

Other members of the girls contingent include Alex Dey, who has reached 70 feet in the discus; and Michelle Mason and Kellie Groves, both sprinters.

"Right now we're working on improving our times and distances," Stout said. "As a team, they're young, so they're still learning, but they're also making progress and having fun. That's what it's all about."