CHERRY VALLEY-Perhaps no program in the area has been more adversely affected, or disappointed, by the late onset of spring than the Cherry Valley-Springfield track teams.

After competing, quite successfully, since 1995 without a track at the school, the program finally had a track facility built at the school and completed in time for this year's season, which was supposed to begin last week but now won't start until after spring break. Worse, the team has not been able to practice one time on the new track because of the large amount of snow.

"It's been disappointing to say the least," said CV-S track coach Jordan Jaquay. "We were hoping to send three or four kids to the state meet this year, and we were anxious to host a meet. We still have the talent to have a very good season, but we're way behind where we were hoping we would be."

When the season does get underway, Jaquay is confident both the boys and girls teams at CV-S can challenge for the Tri-Valley Championship.

"We have arguably the top two girls performers in the area in Holly Meehan and Kristen Karhio," Jaquay said. "Kristen was a state champion in the pentathlon last year, and Holly (a senior) has not been beaten in a league meet since the eighth grade."

Meehan also qualified for the state meet last year in the 400 hurdles, breaking her own Tri-Valley record in the process with a time of 1:07.5.

Karhio won a gold medal in the Section Four pentathlon event last year with a whopping 2,804 points, a Tri-Valley record by over 300 points and better than the previous school record by over 800 points. Karhio then followed with another strong performance in the state meet to win the gold medal.

"Kristen can pretty much do any event I ask of her and do well," Jaquay said. "She took third place at the Cooperstown Invitational in the 100 last year, and then won the Tri-Valley Championship in the 200."

The CV-S girls also have a talented performer in senior Lisa Kiesow, who Jaquay described as one of the top long jumpers in the area, and junior Kyle Daley, a versatile athlete who competes in the 200, 400, 800, high jump and relays.

"We also have a talented group of sophomores, including Chelsea strange and Vanessa Bley, both probable point scorers in the middle distance, triple jump and hurdles," Jaquay said.

Jaquay's talented girls team will try and unseat Tri-Valley powerhouse Stamford at the Tri-Valley Championship meet on May 17 in Davenport. The Stamford girls have dominated the league in recent years.

"I think we'll be competitive, and I don't see anyone dominating this year," Jaquay said. "The weather should make for a wild year, and May will be a key month. If it's a rainy month, we may never really get the program in full gear."

The Patriots will have two dual meets the week of April 23, and host the first ever Tri-Valley Invitational April 28.

CV-S boys also look strong

When Jaquay said the upcoming Tri-Valley track season was going to be strange, he was referring to the weather, not senior Clayton Strange, but much of the CV-S boys hopes for a league title rest on the shoulders, and legs, of one of the Patriots' top performers.

Strange competes in the 040, 800, 1600, 3200 and hurdling events, and is probably the most versatile performer on the team. Strange is one of a number of seniors among the 27 members on the CV-S boys team this year.

Other seniors include Hisham Abdallah, a sprinter, and triple and long jumper; Charlie Gaughan, who will compete in the sprints and pole vault; middle distance runner Greg Ganio and long jumper Ryan Williams.

"We are very deep in the distance and middle distance events," Jaquay said. "We have quite a few veteran seniors who were on the sectional championship teams in 1997-98 so they know what it takes to be successful."

Underclassmen Chris Lusk, tom Miller and Ryan Sheldon should also be point scorers in a variety of events for the Patriots.

"I think the boys side of the league will be wide open," Jaquay said.