GEARED FOR STATE: CENTRAL'S WEBB GETS JUMP ON COMPETITION

In the Class 4A, District 1 Track and Field meet two Saturdays ago, Cape Central's Dionna Webb ran a splendid 200-meter dash.

With the smoothness of a sleek sports car, she hugged the first turn with a modest lead. Then she hit the straight away, shifted into another gear and deserted her competitors like they were old, rusted-out Vettes ... Che-vettes, not Cor-vettes.

That's how Webb likes to run the 200. And that's the way her junior track season has played out to this point.

Webb entered every track meet this past year as the favorite to win the long jump -- and she did. She's only been beaten twice in both the 100 and 200. She qualified for state in each of those three events.

But being in front isn't good enough for Webb, a three-time state qualifier.

To Webb, success is not about being in first place. It's about being her best, no matter how far the competition lags behind her or how narrowly she misses a state championship.

That's the approach that Webb will take into the state meet this weekend in Columbia.

A runner-up at state in the long jump last year and an eighth-place finisher in the 100, Webb isn't looking for redemption, though a state championship in the long jump would be nice. She's just looking for the best performances of her life.

"My goal is to go up there and just jump the best that I can," said Webb Tuesday before a workout. "Hopefully, if I jump the best that I can, it will be the top jump. But I'm not really going to get my hopes up high. I'm just going to do the best that I can do."

"You almost take her for granted," said Central girls coach Lawrence Brookins. "You get involved in some of the bigger relays and some kids come out of the woodwork that maybe you didn't count on and do something great and they'll get a lot of glory. But there's Dionna plugging away, scoring points.

"She's just been blessed with natural speed, flexibility and agility. But on top of that, she's been willing to work to better herself. Everybody knows of athletes who (didn't meet their potential). They didn't work on what they were blessed with. They look around and everybody is passing them up and they get frustrated and quit. She's just willing to work and get better."

Webb, obviously, is not a long shot to win the long jump competition, which begins Friday morning. But if she is to win, she will have to outjump Abbie Ohnack of Columbia-Rock Bridge, last year's state champion.

Earlier this year, Webb broke her own school record in the long jump at 18-6. Ohnack has already recorded a jump of 19 feet.

"I'm going to have to jump my best to beat her," Webb said.

Brookins likes Webb's odds.

"I think her chances are good to win it," he said. "I'm sure she's just thinking about getting in the finals first. But it sure wouldn't hurt for her to deliver a knockout punch early and both of those girls are capable of doing that."

In addition to her leaping abilities, Webb will probably crack the top eight -- the standard to be named all-state -- in both her sprinting events.

Webb, until recent weeks, thought her best running event was the 100. But she has made strides, literally, in the 200 this year, taking a full second off of her best time.

Just last week in a second-place finish at sectionals, Webb established a new Cape Central record in the 200 with a time of 25.2 seconds.

"Maybe the 200 is my race and not the 100 anymore," said Webb. "I never know how hard to run the curve, but I know that once I hit the straight away, I can just sprint with all that I have left. But hopefully I can do well in both of my running events. If I get a good start, I should be up there."

"I wish her the best of luck," said Brookins. "She has earned the right to win."