The 4A boys’ competition supported exciting competitions on the track and field and resulted on top marks in the state.
Garrett Gerling from Walla Walla came into the Regionals leading the state with a 14.38 in the 110 high hurdles and hoped to improve on his own PR and school record. In the prelims the day before he ran 14.72 but was saving his best race for the finals where he ran a 14.31 just holding off Mead’s Casey Monahan at 14.35 (no wind.) The duo is 1-2 going into State next week where Gerling is going after the 14.0 barrier. Gerling came back to win the 300 hurdles in meet record time of 37.77.
Pasco’s Marques Avery caught tailwind (3.9) on his way to the 100 meter title in 10.70. Later he came back to in the 200 in 21.35 with the wind in bounds (.8.) That time leads the state and puts him tied for fourth on 200 all time with Richard Jones from Kent-Meridian (1990.)
Thrower Sam Wright from Mead won the discus Friday and followed that up with a victory in the shot Saturday with a throw of 58-2. The three and a half foot PR for Wright puts him within four inches of state leader Derek Eager from Tahoma.
Senior Ferris Saxon Scott Davis never thought of himself as an 800 runner but with a little arm twisting from Coach Hadway he now feels he is. Mid-way through the season Hadway asked Davis if he wanted to run the 800 and Davis bargained “how about the 1600 and 800?” to which Hadway said “Just the 800.” Davis went on to run a 2:05 in gale force winds where Hadway exclaimed “see you are an 800 runner!” Davis earned his first trip to State (this was his first trip to Regionals) with this third place finish in 1:57.87 behind teammate Justin Zimmerman (1:55.93) and Wenatchee’s Nick Boersma (1:57.66.)
Adam Thorne jumped out to the front of the 1600 in typical “Hadway Style” (go out hard and go harder.) He quickly gained ten meters on the pack then settled into pace. Mead’s Andrew Gardner hung back near the back of the lead pack thinking “this is way too fast for me” and hoped “they would come back.” In the final lap he and teammate Josh Greer dangled off the pack then started to move in the last 200. Gardner recalled later “I am a freshman and have shot to go to State.” With that motivation he pulled up to Eisenhower’s Timothy Cummings and Southridge’s Quinton Olivas and inched past them at the line finishing second in 4:17.01. Thorne cruised to victory in 4:14.86.
The duo from Mead of AJ Maricich and Jeremy Beck have finished 1-2 in the high jump all but one time this season (at Centennial) and they continued at Regionals jumping 6-10 and 6-8. They would like to continue the 1-2 Panther finish next week at State but realize there is some tough competition with Skyline’s Kasen Williams having cleared 6-11.
Lewis and Clark’s Levi Taylor got double wins today in the javeling with a throw of 203-7 and the triple jump with a 47-7.25
Mead won the team competition with 126 points to Wenatchee’s 82.