Shaker drops from undefeated ranks after close league meet battle with Shen (League Meet #3) 4/22/08:
The stage was set for a big Shaker upset against a Shenendehowa team that in typical dominant fashion has been cruising along toward another undefeated season in Suburban Council dual meets. Despite strong efforts by Shaker athletes, Shen moved ahead early with close wins in the first three events. Yet Shaker was hanging on with important 2nd and 3rd places finishes that added valuable points to the team total. The momentum began to shift as R.J. Sniffen and Craig Weiss took the top 2 spots in the 1600M race in season best times for both. Consecutive wins in the 4x100Relay, the 400M (with Matt Conti winning in a Section 2 season best of 50.1), and Ebube Abara’s win in the 400 hurdles brought Shaker right back in contention. Shen knew they had an advantage and expected to gain points in several of the field events. While Shen was winning the Shot Put, Discus, Pole Vault and High Jump, Prince Abban was keeping Shaker close with wins in the Long Jump and Triple Jump. Shen moved further ahead with a win in the 800M. With only 3 running events remaining, the hopes for a Shaker upset were fading. Ebube Abara flew around the track to win the 200M in a time that tied a 37-year old school record. Next was the 3200M race in which Craig Weiss and R.J. Sniffen again finished 1-2 in a race that shrunk the Shen lead. As the field events were finishing, the only running event that remained was the 4x400. Calculating team points is not easy during a meet and most of those watching didn’t realize it at the time, but it turned out that Shaker needed a win over Shen in the 4x400 which would give Shaker a 90-89 victory. The Shaker relay team (Ebube Abara, Devon Sedgwick, Kevin & Matt Conti) gave it their best effort and ran to a NEW SCHOOL RECORD of 3:22.6 Unfortunately, Shen ran even faster and won the race and the meet (94-85). While disappointed in not getting the upset, the Shaker team made their coaches and their fans very proud.
Video of Shaker record breaking 4X400 Relay and Shaker record tying 200M
