Mid-Valley track stars ailing
Fiker Stadium should be filled with interesting story lines today for the Mid-Valley district track meet and most of them have to do with injuries.
Prosser\'s Nectaly Barbosa has opted to not defend his 3A state title in the 1,600 and will concentrate on the 800 and 4x400 only. Barbosa has struggled with a patellar tendon strain below his right knee that bothers him in longer races.
West Valley\'s Michelle Schubert hasn\'t raced in three weeks because of a foot injury but she is entered in the 800 and 1,600 along with freshman flash Lisa Olander.
The Rams are going for four girls district titles in a row.
Like Barbosa, Ellensburg\'s 800 specialist Isak Bergman is passing on the 1,600 despite having one of the best times in the state. His second event will be the 400 and there\'s a good reason — at 49.1 he\'s a threat to win a state title.
Ellensburg\'s Kayla Standish, who\'s been nursing a leg strain recently, is entered in the 100 hurdles, triple jump and high jump.
Leopards licking wounds
Zillah\'s boys track and field team, which hopes to take a serious run at the Class 1A state title in Cheney, will be without jumper Andy Jones at today\'s SCAC West sub-district meet at Highland.
Last year\'s state runner-up in the high jump, Jones is nursing a sprained ankle on his take-off left (left) and has been passed through to next week\'s district meet.
\"He\'s getting better and we\'re hoping by next week he can compete,\" coach Ken Johnson said. \"It\'s been over two weeks since he did a running workout. He hurt it playing basketball, which is every track coach\'s nightmare.\"
Zillah\'s 4x100 has also been without Jones recently but Jake Friedrich has taken his place and, together with Brian Ross, Carl Leos and Zach Sybouts, the Leopards have the state\'s top 1A time at 44.4.
State track qualifiers today
In the SCAC pole vault, at least.
Wahluke will host next week\'s SCAC district meet on its new track, but the facility does not have a pole vault pit. And since there are no vaulters in the East Division, today\'s West sub-district at Highland will serve as the state-qualifying competition.
The top four qualify for state.
Incidentally, the SCAC district meet will be held Thursday to accommodate Walla Walla Valley Academy, a Seventh-Day Adventist school.
n Sports reporter Scott Spruill
can be reached at 577-7686 or at sspruill@yakimaherald.com