A knee injury kept West Potomac runner Peter Coffey off the indoor track race course for the entirety of the winter season, but the time off didn't slow him down in his return race on April 1 at the Leslie Sherman Memorial Invitational at West Springfield.
"I've had tendentious in my knee for the past fourth months and this is my first mile since December," Coffey said. "I just wanted to come out here and give it all I had."
Coffey said his last mile run took place on Dec. 5, 2009 but since then he's been recovering from his knee injury.
The Leslie Sherman Memorial Invitational was the senior's first individual track meet of the season and Coffey said he tempered his expectations for the boys' 1600-meter run.
"I didn't except to win," he said. "I just wanted to see what I could do after being hurt."
But winning is exactly what Coffey did.
The Wolverine runner developed a commanding lead early in the race and held on to the lead in the final laps creating enough distance to hold off any passing attempts.
Coffey finished with a time of 4:28.52, five seconds ahead of Centreville's Robert Kelly.
After spending months struggling to return get his knee race fit, Coffey said the injury didn't play a factor in his race.
"I guess I was in the zone," he said. "I was feeling pain, but not in my knee."
— Reed S. Albers
<b>Major Cameron Ekes Out Win in 400-Meter Dash</b>
On April 1 at the Leslie Sherman Memorial Invitational at West Springfield, Mount Vernon senior Clive Cameron earned a victory in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.10 seconds.
Cameron ran a tight race with South Lakes' Adrian Vaughn, but managed to create just enough space to defeat the Seahawk runner at the finish line. The two runners are expected to be district and regional contenders this season.
Huffing and puffing after his victory, Cameron said he felt his
conditioning coming into the race played a role in the win.
"I felt great," he said. "But these races just take a lot out of you."
Clive also won the 100-meter dash at the event with a time of 11.33 seconds.
<b>Awards Banquet</b>
The Alexandria Sportsman’s Club will hold its 55th annual awards banquet May 18 at the Westin Hotel at 400 Courthouse Square. The silent auction and cocktail hour will begin at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7 p.m. The awards program will begin at 8 p.m. Sal Sunseri, assistant head coach of the national champion University of Alabama football team, will be the guest speaker.
Tickets are $60 per person. To purchase tickets or for more information call Richard Downs at 703-647-1205 or 703-677-1266 or e-mail him at RDowns@lindsaycollision.com.