Dash

Anthony Averett displayed the speed that makes him one of the nation's top high school football players, as the Woodbury senior finished first in the 55-meter dash at the NJSIAA Group 1 indoor track championships Saturday afternoon in Toms River. Averett finished in 6.50 seconds, edging Haddon Heights' Dominique Irons by four-hundredths of a second. Averett's mark was six-hundredths quicker than his preliminary entry. A star defensive back, Averett has signed to play football at Alabama.

It's the 100-meter dash on skates, a wild sprint to determine the fastest man on ice. The 500 meters is the race in which speedskater Dan Jansen took his memorable Olympic slips and spills, where Canadian Jeremy Wotherspoon wiped out 4 years ago after just four strides. His tumble cleared the way for American Casey FitzRandolph to capture the gold medal in an Olympic record time: 1 minute, 9.23 seconds. FitzRandolph is back to defend his title against a field that includes fellow American (and fellow 2002 medalist)

At the NCAA track and field outdoor championships in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday, Oregon's English Gardner (Eastern) won the women's 100-meter dash with a time of 11.10 seconds. Louisiana State's Kimberlyn Duncan was second in 11.16, and her Tiger teammate Semoy Hackett was third at 11.33. Oregon's Brianne Theisen won the heptathlon with 6,440 points. Kansas State's Ryann Krais (Methacton) finished 14th overall with 5,516 points after coming in third in the 800 in 2 minutes, 13.55 seconds.

Bill "Peanut" Gaines vs. Eddie Johns. Twenty years ago this spring, that rivalry created intense interest among South Jersey track fans, and once attracted a crowd of nearly 4,000 onlookers at Deptford High for the Gloucester County Championships. Gaines, a speedster from Clearview Regional High, and Johns, the former Kingsway High sprinter, met head-to-head just three times during their scholastic careers. The two close friends, whose schools were less than five miles apart, were occasionally the subject of debate as to which was the faster of the two, although by the end of 1967, Gaines had clearly settled that question.

Tale of the tape Height       Weight          Arm length       Hands 6 feet          201 lbs.          32 inches       83/4 in. Combine results 40-yard dash: 4.37 seconds     Bench press: n/a Vertical jump: 36 inches        Broad jump: 122 inches 3-cone drill: 6.95 seconds    20-yd. shuttle: 4.32 sec. Skinny Milliner excels as a press-man corner. He can make good contact at the line and runs with his man downfield after contact.

Chidi Okezie, of New Media Charter, had three wins and dominated the District 12 Class AA championship meet at Charlie Martin Memorial Stadium. He won the 200-meter dash in 22.25 seconds, took the 400-meter dash in 49.63 seconds and was second in the 100-meter dash in 11.21 seconds. He also was a member of the winning 4 by 100-meter relay (43.79 seconds) with Nate Wilkinson, Avery Brooks and Taurien Wiggins. West Catholic swept the team titles in both boys' and girls' Class AA. West won the boys' title with 113 points and the girls' title with 142 points.

BESTING CHARLIE BROWN, Ryan Jorgensen (left) and Yamelic Barrera dash to get a kite aloft during a kite-flying day last week at the Anna C. Heller School in Mount Holly. Watching are Beverly Styer (right) and Irene Colson.

Penn Charter's Daryl Worley, a wide receiver and defensive back, has orally committed to West Virginia. Worley, who was recently clocked at 4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash, was in Morgantown on Sunday and Monday. A dangerous kick returner, he also considered Pittsburgh and Syracuse. - Rick O'Brien

NFL NETWORK analyst Mike Mayock, a Newtown Square resident, will break down each position in advance of the draft for Daily News readers. Here is Part 2 with his take on the running backs: BEST TRENT RICHARDSON Alabama 5-10 1/8, 227 Hand: 9 1/2 40-yard dash: 4.47 225-bench: 25 Projected Rd.: 1 (picks 4-6) Mayock: "Richardson might be the best non-quarterback in the draft. He won't make it past 6. He's as close as I've seen to Adrian Peterson.

Helen Stephens, 75, winner of two gold medals in track in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin and one of the great female athletes of her day, died Monday. Ms. Stephens, who lived in suburban Florissant, died at Christian Hospital Northeast after suffering a stroke. Her track career began in 1933. Inspired by a book about track star Babe Didrikson, Ms. Stephens started racing for her high school team in Fulton, Mo. In Berlin, she won gold medals for the 100-meter dash and with the relay team.

THIS IS interesting, albeit puzzling news to those of us who watched Michael Vick run down from behind by defensive linemen on more than one occasion last season. Yesterday at the Eagles' offseason workouts, Vick raced LeSean McCoy in the 40, apparently after repeated challenges from the 24-year-old running back. Vick, who turns 33 next month, won handily, according to various Twitter accounts of the race, the first provided by safety Colt Anderson. This is encouraging in that Vick really seems to be taking to new coach Chip Kelly's emphasis on fitness.

Tale of the tape Height       Weight          Arm length       Hands 6 feet          201 lbs.          32 inches       83/4 in. Combine results 40-yard dash: 4.37 seconds     Bench press: n/a Vertical jump: 36 inches        Broad jump: 122 inches 3-cone drill: 6.95 seconds    20-yd. shuttle: 4.32 sec. Skinny Milliner excels as a press-man corner. He can make good contact at the line and runs with his man downfield after contact.

AIN'T NO party like a Carl Dash party. From the late 1990s until 2004, Dash made a name for himself hosting dance parties and mixers at now-closed venues, such as the Five Spot, Transit, Palmers Social Club and Savannah's. He still does parties, but, over time, Dash's scope has broadened to include socially minded events such as the discussion series last summer at the now-closed Elena's Soul Lounge, in West Philly, on topics such as "What's the Matter With Philadelphia? A Black Professional Perspective" and "Black Philadelphia and the Republican Party.

PARIS - King Richard I, the 12th-century warrior whose bravery during the Third Crusade gained him the moniker Lionheart, ended up with a heart full of daisies, as well as myrtle, mint, and frankincense. Those were among the findings of a French study, announced Thursday, which analyzed the embalmed heart of the English king more than 810 years after he died. The biomedical analysis also uncovered less flowery and spicy elements such as creosote, mercury, and perhaps lime in the heart, which has been in the western French city of Rouen since his death in 1199.

Manti Te'o's first appearance on a football field since the BCS championship game didn't go as well as planned Monday in Indianapolis. The Notre Dame star and Heisman Trophy runner-up was clocked at 4.82 seconds in the 40-yard dash. NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock had said Sunday anything faster than 4.7 would be "phenomenal. " Anything 4.8 or over would be a "concern. " The workout came more than a month after Te'o's highly publicized online romance with a girlfriend was exposed as a hoax.

Anthony Averett displayed the speed that makes him one of the nation's top high school football players, as the Woodbury senior finished first in the 55-meter dash at the NJSIAA Group 1 indoor track championships Saturday afternoon in Toms River. Averett finished in 6.50 seconds, edging Haddon Heights' Dominique Irons by four-hundredths of a second. Averett's mark was six-hundredths quicker than his preliminary entry. A star defensive back, Averett has signed to play football at Alabama.

It's virtually impossible to watch Smash star Katharine McPhee on screen and not be smitten. The American Idol alumna has a way to go before she masters the intricacies of acting, but it was thrilling to see her sing and dance - and above all be sweet, heartbroken, and sweetly heartbroken - on the first season of NBC's disarming, surprisingly enjoyable, if sometimes mediocre, musical drama, which returns for its sophomore year Tuesday night...

Congressional races in three suburban swing districts are charging to Tuesday's finish line against a backdrop of visits by national political figures and renewed interest in the presidential race in Pennsylvania. Republican nominee Mitt Romney's scheduled Sunday stop in Yardley, Bucks County, is sure to bring wide attention to a quintessentially moderate district that is hosting the region's hottest House race. "He's coming to the right place," said Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, the Bucks County Republican defending his seat against Democrat Kathy Boockvar.

CELINA, Ohio - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and President Obama frantically sought to close the deal with voters with precious few days left in an incredibly close race as this year's October surprise - an unprecedented storm menacing the East Coast - wreaked havoc on their best-laid plans. Ever mindful of his narrow path to the requisite 270 electoral votes, Romney looked to expand his map, weighing an intensified effort in traditionally left-leaning Minnesota. Obama sought to defend historically Democratic turf as the race tightened heading into the final week.

At 4:07 p.m. Sunday, Ryan Howard whiffed at a 97 m.p.h. Craig Kimbrel fastball and Citizens Bank Park emptied without fanfare. Reality has not escaped most; after a lackluster 2-1 loss to Atlanta, the Phillies stand five games back of a postseason spot with nine to play. The Phillies, deluded by the memories of their past greatness, still cling to hope. So life in limbo continues until the bitter end. "The noose is getting tight," Charlie Manuel said, "but we're still there. " "It's still mathematically possible," Cliff Lee said, "and we're not going to give up until it's impossible.