LONG AFTER the last intermittent showers Set A still felt the pain of a brief reign.
Led by victor ludorum Kadeem Brewster, Set C ensured Set A’s stay atop Deighton Griffith’s perch was a short one, ending the rule of the one-year wonders by taking their school’s Powerade inter-house title yesterday at the National Stadium.
It was the story of a day originally threatened by persistent early morning rains that set back the meet’s start by more than an hour. But the downpours only served to delay the inevitable, as Set A (Red) never stood a chance while facing a 272-point deficit at the start of the day without their departed CARIFTA star Shavonne Husbands.
They didn’t even finish in the runners-up spot either, accumulating 635 points to come behind second-placed Set D (Green), whose 978-point tally was a further 80 adrift of the eventual champs.
Set B (Blue) were a distant fourth with 440 points, having brought up the rear in both the girls’ (152) and boys’ (288) tables.
That was a certainly a far cry from Set C’s (Yellow) championship-winning boys’ (614) performance, headed by Brewster’s meet-high 84 points in the lop-sided Under-20 division.
About all the senior standout didn’t win on the day was the 400 metres, and this is only after Aschad Stuart nipped him at the line by .03 seconds following Brewster’s heroic comeback.
He surely didn’t trail anyone while cruising to the 100-200 sprint double, though, nor were his victories in the high and long jumps ever under threat.
This was in addition to Brewster’s previous silver medal efforts in the shot put and javelin along with a fourth-place showing in the 800.
His was just one of three boys’ division titles, and four in total for Yellow.
Middle distance specialist Dario Grandison became the Under-17 champion after sweeping the 400 metres, 800m and 1 500m, and coming fifth in the long jump on the way to 41 points.
The king even turned jester for the 400, pulling up next to Rashaun Davis to salute him and then passing him before “Jonesing” with teammate Shamar Francis on the other side of the finish line.
Yet his feats didn’t match those of Kentoine Browne, who won the 100, discus, javelin and shot put on the way to an Under-15 division-leading 72 points.
He even added a bronze medal via the 800 for good measure after coming fourth in the 400.
Rasheda Small rounded out Set C’s group winners without taking a single event, tallying 48 points in the Under-20 girls with a pair of second-place finishes in the 400m and long jump to go with bronze medals in the 100m, 200m and 1 500m.
Alyssa Elfise’s victrix ludorum performance wasn’t similarly wanting for dominance, not after the Under-15 queen restored some Set A pride with victories in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1 500m and long jump for 81 points.
2010 champs Set D, who settled for the girls’ crown, got further consolation victories when Florence Fields (52) and Dana Brathwaite (51) copped the Under-17 and Under-13 girls’ titles.
Set B got their lone measure of solace via Under-13 boys’ king Cherron Thompson, who accumulated 37 points with wins in the 1 500m and high jump to go along with a third-place finish in the 800m.
