No track? No problem for Aliquippa sprinters who extend WPIAL relay streak to 5

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, May 19, 2018 | 6:12 PM

There’s a straight stretch of pavement beyond the end zone of Aliquippa’s football stadium that the Quips track team uses for practice.

The school doesn’t have an oval at Ashman Stadium, so the little-used road is their best option. But the team also has a saying: “No track. No problem.”

And for the fifth year in a row and the 12th time in 15 years, their motto proved true.

Aliquippa’s sprinters defended their boys 400-meter relay title at the WPIAL Class championship Thursday, winning an event they’ve won each year since 2014.

The tricky parts of relays are the exchange zones.

No track? No problem.

“We mark things off just like we would at a track,” coach Sherm McBride said of their concrete track. “Count out 13 steps or whatever it might be, and we go from there. We try to simulate it as much as possible. We don’t have bends, so run around that car or run around that tree.”

They also train by running on the hill near the school, the grassy practice field or the steps at the stadium. Once the regular season ends, nearby Hopewell lets them practice on their track.

This year’s 400-meter foursome of Avante McKenzie, MJ Devonshire, Daevon Harris and Quantavious Smith ran around Baldwin’s track in 43.13 seconds, earning four gold medals and a trip to Shippensburg for the state meet May 25-26. The names change, with McBride replacing a senior or two after each season, but the results have not.

McKenzie is now a three-time WPIAL relay champion and Devonshire has won the event twice.

“Pride wills you to win,” said Devonshire, who also won the WPIAL 100- and 200-meter titles Thursday, a feat McBride called the Triple Crown. “We’ve got pride that nobody out here is faster.”

McBride and assistant coach Vashawn Patrick wore T-shirts to Baldwin that listed the previous years their 400-meter relay teams won WPIAL gold: 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Add 2018 to that T-shirt. Aliquippa’s 4×100 boys relay wins #WPIAL AA title for the fifth year in a row. This was coach Sherm McBride’s shirt. #TribHSSN pic.twitter.com/Sk6BgKlXgk

— Chris Harlan (@CHarlan_Trib) May 17, 2018

The Quips set the WPIAL Class AA championship record in 2012 at 42.28 seconds. The quartet that year included Kaylan Kenney, Hassahn Thompson, Malik Shegog and Shaquere McBride.

Football has a championship tradition at Aliquippa, but so too does track.

The Quips boys won six individual medals Thursday. Devonshire ran a personal-best 10.83 seconds in the 100 meters, and won the 200 in 22.42. McKenzie finished second in the triple jump and third in the long jump.

Smith placed sixth in the 200 meters and Harris was seventh.

With so many sprinters in one school, there’s always competition, Devonshire said, even among alumni.

Former Quips star Tommie Campbell holds the WPIAL 100-meters record (10.69 seconds in 2005). When Campbell returns home to Aliquippa, he’s known to race the fastest kid on the team.

Campbell raced Antwan Brooks last year after Brooks won the 100 and 200 meters as a senior. Now Devonshire is eager to race him.

“We’re always competing with one another and no one wants to lose,” Devonshire said. “It’s always about beat the fastest man and be the fastest man. That’s the reason the relay team is what it is. We all know, if we can beat each other, we should easily beat whoever’s in our way.”

Me vs Tommie Campbell ? pic.twitter.com/2509nuaeJA

— ⚡️ ANTWAN BROOKS ⚡️ (@AntwanB__) June 2, 2017

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Aliquippa