Uniondale’s Derrick Ingram just edged teammate Devon Henry in the State Qualifier or Section VIII Individual championships to help set the roster for the New York State Championships to be held in upstate New York in early March.
On the negative side of the meet at St. Anthony’s High School in Huntington, disappointment came when in the 600-meter run, officials ruled that Great Neck South’s winner Aron Brown ran out of his lane and pushed another runner in the race and disqualified him for first place and a chance of making the state meet.
Brown’s father, Trevor Brown, originally came from Guyana, where he played all sports, according to Aron.
“It was a messed up call by the officials,” said the student athlete. “I was very disappointed (at the eventual outcome).
Henry is in his first year attending Uniondale High School, for he was a member of the football team at Wesley Chapel High in Tampa, Florida. Now the two-sports athlete is a corner back and running back on the gridiron squad, in this his senior year at Uniondale.
“Football helps me a lot with running,” Henry said, “It keeps me in shape and I can have top speed.
Unlike Henry, Ingram went to the state meet last year.
“It feels good as I accomplished everything I worked for,” Ingram, who doubles, as a three-year football player at Uniondale, said. “And it felt good to win the 55-meter dash. My mind was focused mainly on getting out of the blocks as quickly as I can (last week).”
They are coached by Denis Kornfield and his assistant Elijah Blue, a former runner, himself.
Some other qualifiers who placed first or second in the Nassau County meet or in the State Qualifier include Chris Gaczia of East Meadow and Uniondale’s two-sport performer Nyder Chardonette in the 55-meter high hurdles, Tresan Goodwin of Uniondale and Erik Chevez of MacArthur in the 300 meters, and Rocky White of Westbury in the high jump.
Uniondale’s 4 x 200-meter relay team of Ingram, Chardonette, Goodwin, and Henry, and Elmont’s 1600-meter relay squad also advanced upstate.
In the State Qualifier, Chardonette defended his title.
“I had to work out hard (in practice and in competition),” Chardonette said. “In my races if I slow down somebody will pass me. I have to keep pushing myself, (which he did). I gave ‘it’ my all to win. Should I go on to Hofstra University, I’ll go for soccer.”
Chardonette is a high school soccer All-American, a honor that he recently received for his outstanding performance that he turned in last fall.
In the 600 meters, Gabriel DaSilva of Herricks came in first place, one spot ahead of Freeport’s Jonathan Greenwood, the son of Murhon Grenwood, who hails from Jamaica, and nephew of Marlon Greenwood, who played football in the National Football League. The Greenwoods are a true athletic family.
“It’s a great feeling and experience to go upstate to the State Meet,” the athletes agreed. “We get a thrill out of it (going against the best in the state).
Take for example, Valley Stream North’s Tom Bardabelias falls into this category.
“I went last year and didn’t do well,” the State Qualifier winner of the 1000-meter run said last week. “It’s a great experience. Hoping that this year I’ll be more ready and everything will be better for me. My strategy is to kick toward the end of the race.”
For those athletes who don’t advance upstate, they’ll start to get ready for the outdoor season, which is just around the corner.
