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Glenville

MANSFIELD -- It didn't take long for former Tyger star Jamario O'Neal to fit in at Cleveland Glenville -- and that's saying something when you consider the Tarblooders boast perhaps the greatest collection of sprinters in state history.

Most of last football season was a wash for O'Neal as issues regarding his transfer from Mansfield Senior were resolved. But the junior sprinter began to hit his stride during the indoor track season, becoming Glenville's No. 1 threat in the 100 meter dash and a key relay runner as the Tarblooders take aim at national records in the 4 x 200 and 4 x 400.

O'Neal doesn't mind that he's had to defer top billing at Glenville to national champion hurdler Ted Ginn Jr. after being the track equivalent of a "franchise player" the past two years for Senior High.

"It's fun being on a team with this much talent because we compete against each other," said O'Neal, who is returning to what used to be his home oval for the 72nd Mehock Relays on Friday and Saturday at Malabar Middle School. "We talk about it (the buzz surrounding this team) sometimes ... but, mainly, we just go out and run."

The question isn't whether Glenville will repeat as Mehock champion this weekend. The only question is whether the Tarblooders will eclipse the record 97 points scored by Detroit Mumford in 1999.

"I would say the two teams are comparable," Mehock publicity chairman and track historian Bill Rogers said. "What Mumford had was a good hurdler and good relay teams. They are going to be tremendous in all three speed relays and the hurdles and dashes because they have all kind of sprinters available.

"Jamario gives them depth because he can run four events."

Ginn Jr., the centerpiece of Ohio State's freshman football class, is expected to run the 110 high hurdles, two relays and either the 300 intermediate hurdles or 400 meter dash in an attempt to match his quadruple gold medal performance in last year's Mehock.

O'Neal, who last year became the first sophomore in memory to verbally commit to OSU in football, is looking to win Mehock and state titles in the 100 after running a hand-held 10.4 last weekend at a meet in Arcadia, Calif. He could be competing here in all three sprint relays as well.

"I haven't really thought about it," O'Neal said of his homecoming. "Last time I ran against my old friends was in middle school, but I'll be ready."

In that regard, he was probably speaking for all of the Tarblooders.

"I can say this with great certainty," coach Claude Holland of two-time Mehock champ Cleveland Heights told the Plain Dealer. "They are the greatest assembled group of sprinters from 400 meters down in the history of the state."

Appropriately, the hometown newspaper has dubbed Glenville as the "G-Force."

In addition to Ginn, the returnees from the squad that won Mehock and state championships last spring are Stephon Fuqua, Donte Cloud, Freddie Lenix, Raymond Small and Daven Jones.

O'Neal, who placed third in the 100 in last year's Mehock and state meet, isn't the only notable transfer. Myron Howard also came aboard after winning a Senate League title in the 100 for Collinwood and running on that school's third-place 4 x 100 team at state.

Randy Waggoner, who coached nine-time Mehock gold-medalist Chris Nelloms, said Glenville reminds him of his 1990 state champion Dayton Dunbar team. That team saw Nelloms set state meet records in the 200, the 400 and the high hurdles. He also anchored the title-winning 4 x 400 team.

"They're a lot alike in many ways," Waggoner told the PD. "You've got a big horse (Ginn) in the stable and lots of ponies with him."