Craig Morgan had just enough energy left to raise his arm into the air one last time.

Over the course of four races, a combined 6,400 meters, his legs had done all the work. Yet as he crossed the finish line in the 800, his final race of the state championships at Morgan State University, in Baltimore, he let the index finger on his right hand do the talking.

On this day, the River Hill junior was No. 1.

"Some people really come out at the state meet, other guys don't, and this whole week I've been thinking that I want to be one of those guys that puts it all together; does something people remember," Morgan said. "I felt like this was my chance to make my mark."

Morgan not only made his mark, but he did it in thrilling fashion. He captured individual titles in the 800 and 1,600, while helping the Hawks' 4x800 relay squad to first. And in each race May 24, he had to execute a comeback in the final 300 meters.

Twice, in the 1,600 and 4x800 relay, he pulled ahead merely seconds before crossing the finish line.

Between the three classifications, 1A, 2A and 3A, Morgan was the only athlete from the county to win more than one event. No county team managed to capture a state title, breaking a string of four straight years with at least one champion between the boys and girls, but the River Hill girls did come awfully close. The Hawks ended up finishing second in 2A with 55 points, just 10 behind Middletown.

For complete results see High School Wrap-Up.

Class 2A

To put Morgan's efforts at the state championship in perspective, it's important to note that he didn't finish better than third in any individual event at the county championships and only won the 800 at the 2A South regional. However at the state meet, where he also finished third in the 3,200, he produced his fastest times of the postseason every time he stepped on the track.

Of the triumphs, none was more exciting than the 4x800. When Morgan was handed the baton by teammate Adam Davis for the final leg, he trailed Liberty's Matt Pierce by nearly 150 meters. However the Hawks' anchor slowly chipped away at the lead and, on the last straight away, caught and passed Pierce.

Morgan followed that up by taking third in the 3,200 and then completed another comeback effort to win the 1,600 in 4:24.35. He closed his meet by winning the 800 in 1:59.21.

On the girls' side, River Hill didn't win a single individual championship during its run to second place, but racked up points behind four second-place finishes and a pair of thirds. Anna Demaree set personal best times in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, and finished second, second and third, respectively. Katie Harman, meanwhile, was second in the 3,200 and third in the 1,600.

It was the best-ever finish as a team during outdoor for the River Hill girls.

"To have one athlete come to states last year between the two teams, to now this year having a busload come and perform like they did is a huge step for us," River Hill coach Earl Lauer said.

Class 3A

Long Reach junior Funmi Alabi once again showcased herself as one of the state's elite sprinters, winning the 100-meter dash in 11.81 seconds. It was the second fastest time in the 100 at the meet between all the classifications. In the winter, Alabi won the 55 at the indoor state meet.

Alabi also took third in the 200, an event that she says will be her focus in the offseason.

"I don't want to be known as just a 100-meter runner, so I'm going to be concentrating a lot more on my endurance," she said. "This year was much better than last year, so I can't complain about that, but I'm expecting much bigger things as a senior."

In the pole vault, Wilde Lake's Laura Shoemaker cleared 9-feet-6 to finish second.

Atholton's Graham Bazell and Howard's Joey Thompson continued their postseason trend of trading first and second place in the distance events, going down to the wire in both the 3,200 and 1,600.

Bazell, who had beaten Thompson in the 3,200 by 13 seconds at counties and 19 seconds at regionals, again won the two-mile race, although this time by only a second. Bazell's time of 9:18.69 was three seconds off his regional pace.

Thompson then rebounded to lead wire-to-wire and win the 1,600 with a time of 4:20.74, less than a second ahead of Bazell.

"I knew after losing (the 3,200), I wasn't losing the 1,600. There was no way," Thompson said. "It wasn't my best race in the mile this spring, but I made sure I was always in control. To hold the lead from start to finish, something I'm usually not very good at, felt pretty good."

E-mail Brent Kennedy at bkennedy@patuxent.com.

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