Parks makes surprise return to reach state track meet for Rams

Boosted by the unexpected return of star Brittany Parks, the Maricopa High School track team is sending eight of its top performers to this weekend’s 3A state tournament.

Parks, a two-time defending state champion in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, injured her knee near the end of basketball season and appeared as if she would miss all of the 2009 season. However, the junior received clearance from her doctor to run and returned just three days before last weekend’s 3A South Region tournament, where she qualified in both sprint events.

“It wasn’t a situation where we thought she was going to be back, but it was something she wanted to do,” said boys track coach Rick Milot.

Still hindered by soreness in her knee, Parks isn’t quite up to the blazing speed she’s shown the past two years for the Rams. At the region meet, she was third in the 100 and fourth in the 200. Milot said despite Parks’ eagerness to compete in the state meet, the Rams’ coaching staff will hold her out of one or both events if they don’t think she’s ready to go.

“I don’t want to get her hurt. I want her to be happy and successful, but I don’t want to her career to be put in jeopardy,” he said.

Besides Parks, the Maricopa girls team has four other athletes competing in the 3A state meet, which starts today at Mesa High School.

Shayla Flores qualified for the 400. Both the 4×100 relay squad – consisting of Flores, Parks, Opal Vaughn and Jalissa Bell – and the 4×400 relay team (Bell, Flores, Vaughn and Ebony Horace) also made the state tourney.

On the boys side, senior J.J. Pearson qualified in the 300 intermediate hurdles and the high jump. The Rams also have entries in two distance events: senior Chris Collett is running in the 3,200 and sophomore Travis Moore made the 1,600.

Milot said Moore is just wrapping up his first season of competing in track and Pearson is in his second year. Given the team’s youthful composition and the tough competition in the region, Milot said he was happy with the number of Rams who reached the state finals.

The two-day 3A state meet will be at Mesa High School, with the first event starting at 5 p.m. today.

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