Record run helps Jeff boys retain City/County track title

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Lafayette Jeff's Lucas Wallace wasn't sure his surgically repaired knee would allow him to be one of the area's top sprinters this season.

The junior likely dismissed any lingering doubts Tuesday night.

Wallace broke a 42-year-old record in the 200-meter dash and ran on Jeff's record-setting 400 relay squad as well, helping the Bronchos win their eighth straight City/County Track Meet at Scheumann Stadium.

"It's a big thing to come off an injury like I had and even come in in the top five," said Wallace, who tore an anterior cruciate ligament in a football game on Sept. 23.

"... I thought I would at least try to score points at sectional to help the team get another sectional title, but not get past sectional or anything like that. So this is a big heads up to myself."

Randy McKinsey, Carl McQuay, Demarques Jones and Logan Moore were all part of multiple victories for the Bronchos, who totaled 137 points. West Lafayette, with double victories from David Afolabi and Andrew Cartwright, finished second with 111 points.

McCutcheon (52), Harrison (39) and Central Catholic (30) rounded out the field.

"Now we have a little bit more experience -- the experience we were looking for last year," said McQuay, who won the long jump, anchored the winning 400 relay and finished three-hundredths of a second shy of two other titles. "We're getting a lot more competitive. We're all out here trying to get a title."

Wallace set a new 100 record of 10.94 at last year's meet. He was only third in that event Tuesday, with Central Catholic's Danny Anthrop holding off McQuay's lean to win by .01 seconds in 10.99.

As the same trio prepared to battle for the 200, a lightning flash forced a mandatory 30-minute delay. When they lined up again, a drizzle turned into a downpour just after the crack of the starter's pistol.

Wallace bolted past McQuay and Anthrop in the final 50 meters, edging his teammate by two-hundredths of a second in :22.02. That broke the record of :22.14 set by West Lafayette's Bob Adams in 1970.

"When he hit the gun, I felt like I was in the shower," Wallace said. "It was slippery at first, and with my knee I didn't trust it as much. But once I got around the curve, I did a lot better, and it felt really good."

Just after his near-miss in the 100, McQuay headed over to the long jump, which he easily won with a leap of 22-feet, 4 3/4-inches. Then he came back to anchor the Bronchos' 400 relay team, where he, Matt Johnson, Wallace and Jones won in :42.85 to clip the record Jeff set last season by .05.

McKinsey was a double champion in the discus and shot put. Moore won the 800 and anchored the winning 1,600 relay with Toby Clark, Tim Wilson and Jones, who also won the 400