SUNBURY -- It's almost ironic that a track meet comprised of 18 events and 150 total points can be decided by the slimmest of margins, mere seconds or inches, one way or the other.

Such was the case Tuesday afternoon at Shikellamy Stadium, as the Braves and visiting Milton Black Panthers entered the final event on the track, the 1,600 meter relay, separated by just two points.

The strategically-stocked Braves' relay team ran its fastest time all season, in fact, as noted by coach Jim Bell. "It was fastest time we've run (in the 1,600 relay) since 1985."

Still, it wasn't enough as Milton, led by a blazing anchor-leg from senior Brandon Smith, held off Shikellamy's Miles Wolfe at the finish by 10 meters for the win in 3:30.81, clinching the victory, 76-74.

"They knew what was on the line (before the race)," Milton coach Tom Leeser said. "As a (relay) team, it was our best time by four seconds."

Shikellamy (1-7 overall, 1-6 Susquehanna Valley Conference-Division I), down by nearly 20 points, clawed back thanks to strong performances from Ron Schreffler, Wolfe, and Josiah Tobin, who snagged first-place finishes in the 300 intermediate hurdles, 800, and 3,200, respectively.

"Hats off to Milton, they beat us," Bell said. "I'm happy with the direction the team is going. We just have to move forward."

Smith had an outstanding overall day for the Black Panthers (2-6 overall and SVC-I), adding a win in the 400 (52.88) and a second-place finish in the javelin (135-3) to his relay victory.

Teammate Stephen Moore was a three-event winner for Milton, running on the victorious 1,600 and 400-relay teams, and claiming first in the 200 with a time of 23.61. Milton held a 48-39 advantage on the track.

In the field, Shikellamy grabbed firsts in five of the seven events, including a 40-3 1/4 first-place toss by Josh Brosious in the shot put.

Bell praised the continued excellence of Nicco Dalpiaz in the pole vault, who topped Black Panthers standout Todd Postie with a vault of 14-6, and just missed on three tries at 14-9. The veteran coach also noted how a meet decided by two points could shift so much based on a runner's push at the finish line.

"It was a good meet. We lost by inches in some races. In the 200, our freshman (Brett Yeomans) was outleaned at the finish (going from second to third place). That could have been the difference right there."

Garrett Brought took second in the race to Moore, with a time of 23.77. Yeomans clocked in at 23.78.

"We had a great team effort, we just fell short," Bell said. "Our times are starting to come down, and we look forward to competing at leagues and districts."

GIRLS