Radford speedster getting noticed
By Wes Nakama
Advertiser Staff Writer
At Radford High School — where up to 70 percent of the student body can be military dependents — transfers come and go.
That means the Rams sometimes are suddenly blessed with a talented athlete who takes a team to new heights, but it also means an athlete like that can suddenly move away before their senior season.
The latest gift to Radford is senior Christopher Rainey, who transferred from St. Louis, Mo., in January just in time for track and field season. And by the end of Saturday's O'ahu Interscholastic Association Western Division championships, just about everybody in the West knew who he was.
Rainey won the 100 in a blistering 10.91 seconds, the 200 in an equally impressive 22.37 and the 400 in yet another eye-opening time, 50.28.
He also anchored the Rams' record-setting 4x100 relay team, which posted a time of 42.97 seconds to shatter the previous mark of 43.7 set by Kapolei in 2004.
"He's just now getting his legs back, so there's still a lot of upside," said Radford co-coach Sid Patton. "He can still get lower (times). He probably could go 10.7, but he's just now getting in the right kind of shape where he can do this, which is scary."
It is scary for the OIA championship record holders, because Rainey threatened all three sprint records in the West title meet.
His 10.91 in the 100 was a shade over the mark of 10.7 set by Campbell's Larry Khan-Smith in 1986. The 200 time of 22.37 was a blink slower than the record of 22.2 set by Leilehua's Koldene Walsh in 1983.
And Rainey's 400 time of 50.28 was just off the record of 50.1 set by Mark Brackenhoff in 1985.
The other three runners in the Rams' record-setting 4x100 relay team were Donniqtay Campbell, Jon Antagan and Ikaika Kamaka.
Radford finished second to Leilehua in the overall team standings.
Patton, who coaches the Rams along with wife, Liz, said the entire squad has worked hard to post impressive marks on meet day. During the two-week spring break, he said, everybody showed up to practice every day despite there being no school in session.
"(The performances) just shows how hard they work," Patton said. "They've totally bought into the philosophy of doing the work that's necessary, and this is the result."
Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.