By Mitch Abramson
Tendonitis in his left knee excluded him from competing in the long-jump, and he watched uncomfortably as his good friend, Anthony Soares of Martin Van Buren, won the borough championship.This year, with his knee fully healed, Blocker, a senior at August Martin outdueled Soares in a match that was more amusing than competitive. Blocker easily cleared six feet, eight inches on his first attempt to win the title Friday while Soares, who was competing in two other events, clipped the bar on all three of his tries.In between jumps, the pair bantered back and forth, with Blocker at one point running around imitating Soares after Soares had celebrated making a jump.Blocker has now captured every major jumping event in PSAL track and field. In March, he won the indoor state championships in Syracuse, NY with a jump of six feet ten inches. On Friday, he qualified to compete in the outdoor New York State Championships, which begin on June 2 in Syracuse. He is currently the third best school boy jumper in the country.What made the day extra painful for Soares is that Francis Lewis ended Van Buren's run of five straight borough championships.”It was heartbreaking watching last year's borough championships,” said Blocker, who plans to attend Essex Community College and then transfer to Morgan State University. “I was glad Anthony won last year. Whenever we compete against each other, we always give each other a boost. We're the top two high jumpers in Queens, so it feels good right now.”He dedicated the victory to his grandfather, Henry Boyd Platt, who died three years ago and whose birthday was May 12, a day before the competition. Blocker said that Platt inspired him to begin participating in the long-jump.”We were unbelievably close,” said Blocker, who turned 18 Saturday. “He told me to find something that I was good and to keep pressing on, no matter what. Once he passed away, I always try to do well for him.”In just his first season running for John Adams, Sam Hill triumphed in the 100-meter dash to establish himself as the fasted boy in Queens. Hill, a junior linebacker on John Adams' football team, never competed in track before the outdoor season. But at the request of a friend, Hill decided to give the sport a chance.”I never really liked running,” said Hill, who finished in 10.70 ahead of Kiran Lorick of Townsend Harris' 10.90. “Carl (Patterson, his teammate on the track and field team) kept telling me about track, but I wasn't interested. I really didn't know what I was doing in the beginning, but Carl taught me about technique and how to get out of the blocks well and I improved. I'm surprised that I won this race. I didn't expect to do this well.”During the first practice, Hill almost passed out from exhaustion. Powerfully built at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, Hill, who also plays basketball for John Adams, had to be convinced by his grandfather to try out for football. He quickly excelled to become one of the top defensive players in Queens.Francis Lewis won the triple crown of track and field this year, capturing championships in cross-country and the indoor and outdoor seasons. With a total of 133 points, the Patriots defeated Martin Van Buren Friday to keep Van Buren from winning its sixth consecutive outdoor championship.Despite trailing Van Buren 34-2 after the Discus and Pentathlon opened the competition, Francis Lewis, on the strength of its long-distance runners, surged ahead after coming in second last season. Junior Sushank Chibber won the MVP award for winning the steeplechase and taking second in the 3200 and 1600. All told, he amassed 26 points.After watching his streak end Friday, Van Buren coach Marty Laskin hinted that he may not return next season. He cited the new scheduling statutes at Van Buren that keep juniors and sophomores in school until 5 p.m. as the reason.”Like my old friend Wilt Chamberlain used to say, nobody loves goliath,” Laskin said. “Most people are happy that we lost. Nobody likes a dynasty.”Reach reporter Mitch Abramson by E-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300 Ext. 130.
