The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunmedia.net

THE Queen’s College Comets were hoping to renew their rivalry with the St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine and get some challenge from Grand Bahama at the Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ National High School Relays at Thomas A Robinson Track and Field Stadium on Saturday.

But that never materialised as the Big Red Machine didn’t show up and the Grand Bahama schools didn’t make the trek to Nassau due to the inclement weather.

In their absence, the Comets got the early bragging rights as they captured six of the nine categories at the one-day meet. The other divisions they didn’t win were the female under-18 that was won by the St Anne’s Bluewaves with 24 points, the under-18 boys that went to the CV Bethel Stingrays with 19 and the open men that was secured by the CI Gibson Rattlers with six.

Queen’s College clinched the under-14 girls with 30, under-16 girls with 22, under-20 girls with 24, under-14 boys with 12, under-16 with 30 and under-20 with 22. Not a bad bay at the office, according to Comets’ head coach Everette Fraser, despite the absence of their arch-rivals.

“It was great. No one got hurt, which was our objective,” Fraser said. “We just wanted everybody to get a race or two in, no more than that. We know what our kids are capable of doing, but for those that we didn’t know, we wanted to see where they are in a competition like this.”

Fraser, however, said it would have been good if they were tested by the presence of the Big Red Machine or even one or two schools from Grand Bahama.

“SAC is always good. They have been the team to beat for a while until we beat them,” said Fraser of his Comets, who are the reigning Bahamas Association of Independent Secondary Schools champions. “We them not being here, it was good for us because we didn’t have to put our best team out there. I know if they were here, it would have been more competitive. So it was more fun for us today.”

Fraser said they will patiently wait for the big showdown next month when they come out to defend their title against the Big Red Machine, who he know will be back with vengeance in their eyes.

As the curtains came down on the meet, the under-20 boys 4 x 400m relay went right down to the wire with the Nassau Christian Academy Crusaders pulling off a stunning victory in three minutes and 41.60 seconds. Queen’s College had to settle for second in 3:42.55. The RM Bailey Pacers got third in 3:52.76.

“It was stressful, but I just went out and did what I had to do,” said Devon Curtis of his anchor leg on the Crusaders’ team comprising of ,Marcellus Ferguson, Edwin Gill and Goran Bethel. “I trusted in God and I pushed until I had nothing left. So I want to thank God for the victory. It was good to pull this one off.”

NCA took a slight lead going into the final leg before Comets’ Mookie Rolle surged out front coming of the first curve. Curtis trailed Rolle until he got onto the home stretch and as they powered down to the finish line, it was a battle of who wanted it the most. In the end, it was Curtis, who was one or two steps ahead of Rolle to seal the deal, leaving the stadium in a frenzy.

“The race was very challenging, but I just had to push because when I went on the back stretch, I decided to push it more,” Rolle said. “I didn’t see him coming back. I really thought I had it.”

While his Comets lost the battle, Rolle said they secured the war. Now They just have to prepare for the ultimate showdown with SAC in the BAISS championship.