Pole vaulters power BHS into State
Written by: Joel Priest
5/17/2013
Editor's note: EvaLou Edwards won the 3,200 meter run yesterday. Ignacio's track preview is after this article. Good luck, Wolverines and Bobcats!
If there was ever a year the boys’ Class 3A pole vault mark could fall, it would be this year.
Former Bayfield Wolverine Drew McClure’s fifteen-foot best has been on the books for nearly a decade, but this weekend two individuals—Alamosa’s Sam Bilderbeck and Sterling’s Truitt Parrish—will enter having already equaled or bettered it during the regular season.
And an impressive four from BHS—Geoff Pope, Tyler Meyers, Michael Voss, John Arnold—will also take their best shot at it inside Jeffco Stadium, making the event one to truly keep an eye upon at the 2013 State Track-and-Field Championships.
Michael Hawkins recently wrote his name into school records with a 50-plus in the shot, and like Arnold, will enter his event as one of the four favorites—with teammate T.J. Fuller-Pazell joining him in the field of 18, as well as flying solo in the long jump.
Aubry Brown, in the discus, will make for three Wolverines in throwing events, while Conner Kennedy (high jump) will be the only other in a jumping event. Running in the 200-meter dash, Keith Wickman will be the lone individual sprinter for the BHS boys’ team, with the 4x100 and 4x200 relays also in the mix for a medal.
It’d be hard to bet against Eva-Lou Edwards leading the Lady Wolverines in Lakewood, entering as the 3-seed in the 1,600 meters and the favorite in the 3,200—though it’s rather hard to believe she’ll be the only lady or gent in any distance-running (historically another BHS stronghold) discipline.
Trevor Gabbard came close to representing the boys in events by doing the double (4:51.53, 11:11.07) at last weekend’s Intermountain League Championships, held inside Wolverine Country Stadium, but narrowly missed the final cut in each.
The girls’ 4x1 and 800 medley relays will go, as will Jessie Roukema in the high jump. No surprise here; the pole vault will also be a potential BHS strong point, with Morgan Allred, Katie Hawkins, Brittany Hunter and Trista Hooley—the 3-seed going in—all making the field.
One can almost already expect them back for 2014 as well, with Allred being just a sophomore, Hawkins a freshman, and Hunter and Hooley just juniors [for that matter Pope, Meyers and Arnold are juniors, and Voss just a soph]. Lone thrower Samantha Espinosa, a senior, will go for it all in the shot and completes Bayfield’s contingent.
Time schedules for each event can be found by clicking the ‘Track’ link online at www.chsaa.org.
At the IML’s, BHS’ boys needed every strong attempt they could get to edge Alamosa for the title, 117 to 111, while the girls finished second behind Pagosa Springs—but by a much wider (118-90) margin.
Centauri followed in third with 75, AHS was fourth with 68 and Monte Vista fifth with 36. On the boys’ side, PSHS was third with 93, CHS fourth with 28 and MVHS again fifth with 21.
IHS Track locked in for Lakewood
By Joel Priest
As if Ignacio’s split-second-, eighth-of-an-inch-driven world of track-and-field wasn’t complicated enough, CHSAA’s message greeting fans visiting its website on Monday certainly indicated that the waters surrounding the 2013 State Championships had gotten muddier:
“Due to some coaches not following the process correctly in creating an account and entering their athletes into the MaxPreps state qualifier platform, CHSAA has now had to postpone the posting of qualifiers for the 2013 State Track Meet. This decision was made in fairness to the athletes who may be impacted, rather than proceeding and posting an incomplete entry list. With the help of coaches we hope to have this posted by Monday afternoon.â€
Results from all league-championship meets were to have been submitted by 6 p.m. Sunday for final rankings/seedings going into the May 16-18 Championships, held at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood. But once revised—the massive 5/10-11 Western Slope Championships in Grand Junction included—with Assistant Commissioner Jenn Roberts-Uhlig’s approval, there were still Bobcats left on ‘The List.’
State-bound Michelle Simmons placed ninth overall in the 200-meter dash in GJ, running a 26.87, and the 4x100 relay (53.67) placed 15th—but third among San Juan Basin League teams—to lead the Lady ’Cats, along with the 800-meter medley relay (1:58.63; 12th overall, 2nd in league). Simmons also tied for eighth in the high jump (4’10â€), while Ellie Seibel also earned IHS some points with her 18th-place 4’8â€.
Chrystianne Valdez cleared 6’10†in the pole vault—her State specialty—to take 14th, and Jayce Stricherz was 17th but scored points with her 6’4â€.
The Bobcat boys were led by Wyatt Hayes’ 14th-place overall finish (53.50) in the 400, which was enough to win the SJBL title, and the 4x1 was 13th in 46.74—but also best in league. Klayson Smith was second among leaguers in the high jump, and his 6’0†also tied for seventh overall—as did his 11’1†pole vault, which led the SJBL. Austin Haire tied for 13th in the event, but earned team points with his 10’1â€.
Haire and Kelton Richmond finished 44th and 45th overall in the discus, at 103’7†and 103’1â€, respectively. Richmond (35th, 37’6.5â€) and Blaine Mickey (50th, 35’6â€) were also top-50 in the shot put.
State qualifiers were verified by mid-Wednesday, with Ignacio to be represented individually by:
Simmons (200m, high jump), Smith (high jump, pole vault), Hayes (400m, long jump), Valdez (pole vault), Haire (pole vault), Sky Cotton (long jump), Richmond (discus), Nick Herrera (high jump).
Relays making the cut are the girls’ 4x100 (Simmons/Cotton/Dynesha Drake/Da’Shona Lloyd) and 800-meter medley (Cotton/Lloyd/Simmons/Cloe Seibel), and the boys’ 4x1 and 4x2 quartet of Hayes/Mike Perez/Blaine Mickey/Charles Rohde.
Competitors’ and coaches’ entrance times, ticket sales, and opening of the venue’s gates will begin at these times: Thursday 7:15 a.m., Friday 7:30 a.m., Saturday 8:15 a.m.
WESTERN SLOPE BOYS’ STANDINGS—41 TEAMS TOTAL (2A/1A SJBL team):
1.Eagle Valley 232, 2.Coal Ridge 195, 3.Grand Junction 191, 4.Hotchkiss 127, 5.Cedaredge 123, 6.Telluride 119, 7.Palisade 109, 8.Durango 105, 9.Glenwood Springs 104, 10.Fruita Monument 104…. 25.Montezuma-Cortez 29, 26.Olathe 28, 27.IGNACIO 27, 28.Vail Christian 24, 29.Mancos 23, 30.Ouray 21, T-31.Roaring Fork/Soroco/Hayden/Dolores 15, T-35.Summit/Plateau Valley 14, 37.Steamboat Springs 9, 38.Aspen 7, 39.Dove Creek 5, T-40.De Beque/Nucla 0.
WESTERN SLOPE GIRLS’ STANDINGS—41 TEAMS TOTAL (2A/1A SJBL team):
1.Battle Mountain 192, 2.Cedaredge 187, 3.Paonia 161, 4.Durango 160, 5.Eagle Valley 145, 6.Fruita Monument 139, 7.Gunnison 129, 8.Grand Junction 122, 9.Glenwood Springs 114, 10.Moffat County 113…. 13.Dolores 104, 14.Coal Ridge 94, 15.Palisade 78, 16.Montrose 62, 17.Telluride 59, 18.Meeker 57, 19.Dove Creek 51…. 26.Roaring Fork 31, T-27.Grand Valley/IGNACIO/Soroco/Basalt 30, 31.G.J. Central 26, 32.West Grand 20, T-33.Plateau Valley/Ouray 12…. 38.Nucla 6, 39.Steamboat Springs 4, T-40.De Beque/Mancos 0.
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