By Bret Strelow
Salisbury Post
CHAPEL HILL ó North Rowan senior John Bostick survived a close call, then placed one to former teammate Phillip Bush.
Bostick pulled away from Eastern Alamance’s Chris Felmet and repeated as the 1A/2A/3A state indoor champion in the 55-meter hurdles on Saturday at UNC’s Eddie Smith Field House. North teammate Daishion Barger, a 15-year-old eighth-grader who is eligible to compete at the high school level, took third.
Bostick finished with a time of 7.60 seconds, and Felmet crossed next with a 7.85.
“That was scary,” Bostick said. “It was neck-and-neck, and I’m a little shocked. It was all so close, and it was hands-down just an awesome race.
“We were going over hurdles at the same time; it was like clockwork.”
Bostick entered as the favorite, a role Bush held last year.
Bush’s blocks slipped at the start of his preliminary race, and he failed to advance. Bostick ran a 7.62 in the final and edged Parkland’s Charles Lindsay by 0.04 seconds.
“I felt a lot of pressure that people were going to be out to get me this year,” Bostick said. “I just wanted to come out on top.”
Bostick did so despite a distraction midway through the final.
Owen’s Michael Simmerson, who had the second-fastest time in the preliminaries, ran in a lane adjacent to Bostick’s and fell while attempting to clear a hurdle.
“I thought I was going to fall with him; it’s almost like you’re breathing on each other’s necks,” Bostick said. “It throws off your entire focus, but you just have to keep running the race.”
Bostick maintained his pace and received congratulatory comments afterward from Felmet and Barger.
Barger had a time of 7.99 seconds in the final.
“To be so young, he’s going to be a great hurdler in his high school career, like me and Phil,” Bostick said. “I guess it just trickles down.”
Barger, who attends North Middle, has plenty of AAU experience.
He said Bostick has helped him become a better hurdler and adjust to new surroundings.
“I just wanted to do my best,” Barger said. “I thought it’d be much harder, but it really wasn’t.”
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Mooresville’s boys won the team competition, and North Rowan finished eighth. North’s Daniel Overcash was 13th in the shot put with a throw of 42 feet, 21/2 inches.
Top-eight showings came from East Rowan’s Wayne Parker in the pole vault (tie for second, 14-0), South Rowan’s Maverick Miles in the same event (fourth, 13-6), West Rowan’s Justin Avery in the 500 meters (fifth, 1:08.36), Carson’s Zach Wright in the high jump (seventh, 6-0) and South’s Olivia Jacobs in the mile (eighth, 5:40.67).
Miles missed almost the entire indoor season with a separated growth plate in his left hip and was released to start jogging lightly only 10 days ago.
Mount Pleasant’s Landon Patterson cleared 15-0 and won the event. Parker tied Southern Lee’s Logan Shearer.
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Contact Bret Strelow at 704-797-4258 or bstrelow@salisburypost.com.