Class 2A track and field -- Pulling their weight

TACOMA -- They had a third leg switched less than a month ago, a second leg nursing a strained hamstring and a first exchange that was nearly a train wreck.

And yet Prosser's 400-meter relay team somehow managed to give anchorman Cade Wandling three feet.

"In my mind, that's all I needed," Wandling said. "Give me that baton and let's go."

And go Wandling did -- spurred by the onrush of rival Brett Blanshan of Selah -- to a whisker victory and successful defense of the Mustangs' 4x100 state title in Saturday's Class 2A track and field championships.

As a profound reminder that the best sprint depth resides in the CWAC, Prosser's gutsy victory over charging Selah, 43.24 seconds to 43.30, came in just ahead of Toppenish's third-place effort (43.78) to complete the conference sweep.

Wandling's determined anchor leg was the start of a stellar day that was a fitting end to a prep career that included four state track titles. A half-hour after the relay, he set a meet record and personal best of 48.38 while winning the 400 and he placed third in the 200.

Setbacks on Friday cost the Mustangs a trophy, but they still finished fifth with 31 points, two points shy of hardware

 

FULL STORY -YAKIMA Herald-