RAYMOND — Even in the rain, Twin Harborites enjoyed a field day of sorts in the 2B Pacific League Track & Field Championship.
Grays Harbor and Pacific County tracksters combined for 13 titles — 11 of them in field events — in the Pacific League/subdistrict meet that concluded Friday at Raymond.
Northwest Christian of Lacey dominated the running events to sweep team honors.
Trailing North Beach and Raymond entering the penultimate event, the Navigators predictably piled up 30 points in the boys 3,200. With 135 points, they were 14 ahead of runner-up North Beach.
Northwest Christian was a much easier winner of the girls team championship. The Lacey school’s 166 points were 62 more than runner-up North Beach.
Nevertheless, qualifying athletes for district is always the top priority in subdistrict competition. Twin Harbors coaches unanimously professed satisfaction in that regard.
The top four in laned running events and the top six otherwise automatically advanced to district Friday at Chehalis. The fifth-place finishers in laned events will have their marks compared to their counterparts in the Central League meet to determine the final district berths.
In a development typical of this wet spring sports season, the majority of the meet was contested in a downpour. With few exceptions, the winning marks were respectable but not spectacular.
“It wasn’t a PR kind of a day,” Ocosta coach Aaron Anderson understated.
Not surprisingly, the lone meet record was established by Raymond junior Karlee Freeman. After scratching (or fouling) on her first throw, the reigning state champion began cautiously in the girls discus before uncorking a heave of 157 feet on her final attempt. That broke her own meet record of 154-8 from a year ago.
Freeman’s season-best mark of 159 feet ranks tops in the state — by more than 22 feet — in all classifications. She had won the girls shot put at 38-6 on Wednesday.
Ironically, considering the field-heavy nature of Twin Harbors triumphs, perhaps Friday’s most dramatic victory came in the meet’s final boys running event.
South Bend’s quartet of Preston Lawhead, Ben Byington, Seth Hall and A.J. Sanchez handed Ilwaco its first loss of the season in the 4×400 relay. A terrific third leg by freshman Hall gave the Indians the lead and Sanchez brought it home in a season-best time of 3:39.04. Ryan Schenk, normally Ilwaco’s anchor man, pulled up lame earlier in the meet and did not compete in the relay.
Despite suffering from a virus, Sanchez was the model of consistency earlier in the day by taking the boys long jump. The South Bend senior jumped 20-2, 20-2 and 20-3 on his first three attempts. The last was the winning mark.
The Indians also advanced a slew of other competitors, including several who had been considered on the fence in terms of district participation.
“We had a good day today,” South Bend coach Steve Lazelle exulted. “We competed well. We’re pleased with all our efforts.”
The other Twin Harbors running victory came from Raymond hurdler Sean Sath, who easily took the 110 highs in 16.09.
On a day that largely followed form, Raymond’s Luke Hamilton topped 50 feet for the first time in upsetting North Beach’s Seth Bridge in the boys shot put at 50-6. Hamilton actually exceeded the 50-foot barrier on three throws.
“Luke’s been getting close to 50,” Raymond coach Mike Tully observed. “He’s been flirting with it the last couple of meets.”
The state leader in the discus, Bridge had taken that event Wednesday at 169-5.
Tha Hyaks swept the pole vaults, with Brenden Chaney’s win Friday at 12 feet added to state leader Tawni Blankenship’s victory at Wednesday at 10 feet.
“We survived,” North Beach coach Peter Fry said. “The people who were supposed to move on did move on. We had solid enough performances to advance and we’re looking forward to better things next week.”
Raymond junior Marcus Anderson, second to Sanchez in the long jump on Friday, had doubled in the boys high jump (6 feet) and triple jump (42-2) on Wednesday. Tully also cited personal best performances from Ricky Robinett, Johanna Crow and Patrick Edwards that netted district berths.
Ocosta’s Matthew Hart, who had been doing double duty in track and baseball this spring, won the boys javelin (142-7). Wildcat freshman Layne Martin cleared 4-6 to take the girls high jump.
Coach Anderson also cited performances by Alex Bailey and Cosmo Silver.
Willapa Valley did not win any events, but Brooke Friese, Hannah Cook and Olivia Betrozoff were district qualifiers in multiple events.
“Of 10 kids, we moved seven on,” Viking coach Dave Ege said. “We had some decent performance — good performances considering the weather.”
BOYS
100 — 11.69 — Kosierowski (NWC), Sanchez (SB), Kaino (I), Eastman (NB), 5. Duckworth (Ray). 200 — 23.95 — Kosierowski (NWC), Eastman (NB), Miller (LC), Mendoza (I). 5. Lawhead (SB). 400 — 53.09 — Schenk (I), Eastman (NB), Roberts (LC), Mendoza (I). 800 — 1:59.7 — Schilter (NWC), Phillips (NWC), McSheffrey (NWC), Phillips (NWC). 1,600 — 4:53.10 — Schilter (NWC), Phillips (NWC), McSheffrey (NWC), Phillips (NWC), Trudell (I), Jung (NWC). 3,200 — 10:32.68 — Phillips (NWC), Schilter (NWC), Phillips (NWC), McSheffrey (NWC). 110 H — 16.09 — Sath (Ray), Byington (SB), Maden (Ray), Beasinger (LC). 5. Stamos (SB). 300 H — 42.11 — Miller (LC), Kaino (I), Sanchez (SB), Silver (O). 5. Maden (Ray). 4×100 R — 46.21 — Ilwaco, North Beach, Raymond, Life Christian. 4×400 R — 3:39.04 — South Bend, Ilwaco, Northwest Christian, Life Christian. 5. Ocosta.
Shot — 50-6 — Hamilton (Ray), S. Bridge (NB), Louderback (NB), Poplin (NB), Dianovich (NB), Robinett (Ray). Disc — 169-5 — S. Bridge (NB), Hamilton (Ray), B. Bridge (NB), Dianovich (NB), Louderback (NB), Connor (I). Jav — 142-7 — Hart (O), Byington (SB), Odneal (I), Louderback (NB), Markwell (SB), Dockter (SB). HJ — 6-0 — Anderson (Ray), Thepsoumphou (Ray), Strozyk (SB), Washington (NB), Fox (NWC), Cox (I). PV — 12-0 — Chaney (NB), Sanaski (WV), Duckworth (Ray), Hart (O), Bailey (O), Heckman (Ray). LJ — 20-3 — Sanchez (SB), Anderson (Ray), Strozyk (SB), Edwards (Ray), Sinclair (NWC), Washington (NB). TJ — 42-2 — Anderson (Ray), Maden (Ray), Washington (NB), Anderson (LC), Stamos (SB), Garcia (Ray).
GIRLS
100 — 13.48 — McKenney (CL), Cox (NB), Blankenship (NB), Byington (SB). 200 — 27.33 — McSheffrey (NWC), Whitehead (CL), Cox (NB), McKenney (CL). 400 — 1:00.39 — McSheffrey (NWC), Marsh (I), McKenney (CL), Hurdlebrink (LC). 5. Moore (NB). 800 — 2:31.50 — Summers (NWC), McSheffrey (NWC), Anderson (O), Vogler (NB). 5. Moore (NB). 1,600 — 6:01.70 — Summers (NWC), Bannister (I), Tague (NWC). Anderson (O), Fraser (NWC), Ballo (O). 3,200 — 13:21.97 — Summers (NWC), Tague (NWC), Fraser (NWC), Ballo (O), Collins (Ray), Anderson (WV). 100 — 16.23 — Sowers (NWC), Freeman (Ray), Friese (WV), Cook (WV). 5. Neal (NB). 300 H — 48.43 — Sowers (NWC), Lovelady (LC), Cook (WV), Whelden (I). 4×100 R — 52.61 — Ilwaco, Life Christian, North Beach, Raymond. 4×200 R — 1:51.90 — Ilwaco, Life Christian, Ocosta, Northwest Christian. 4×400 R — 4:22.4 — Ilwaco, Northwest Christian, Life Christian, Ocosta. 5. North Beach.
Shot — 38-6 — Freeman (Ray), Kaech (I), Natasha Fruh (NB), Gardner (Ray), Layman (WV), Nannette Fruh (NB). Disc — 157-0 — Freeman (Ray), Nannette Fruh (NB), Natasha Fruh (NB), Layman (WV), Stottlemyre (NWC), Crow (Ray). Jav — 125-8 — Stottlemyre (NWC), Freeman (Ray), Sanchez (SB), McMullen (I), Dominguez (NWC), Marsh (I). HJ — 4-6 — Martin (O), Marsh (O), Betrozoff (WV), Collins (Ray), Merino (O), Roper (NB). PV — 10-0 — Blankenship (NB), Friese (WV), Evans (Ray), Dunsmoor (Ray). LJ — 15-8 3/4 — Sowers (NWC), Neal (NB), Blankenship (NB), Doyle (SB), McMullen (I), Byington (SB). TJ — 32-10 — Sowers (NWC), Bannister (I), Cook (WV), Vogler (NB), Betrozoff (WV), Byington (SB).
