BAYFIELD Dont let the weather fool you, Saturday wasnt a day for track and field.Didnt throw as far as I wanted to, boys shot put winner Michael Hawkins of Bayfield High School said.The jump off was just getting so tired, said Bayfields John Arnold, who won the pole vault by going backward in height.Its just not a good day for track, said Ignacios Michelle Simmons, who won the high jump at the Pine River Invitational at Wolverine Country Stadium in Bayfield. Its very nice, but no, its not.Sam Espinosa begged to differ.
The Bayfield throwers 34-foot, 5-inch mark in the shot put was good enough for a personal record and a first-place finish ahead of Montezuma-Cortez thrower Miranda Elliots 31-4.5 mark. Espinosa also took third in discus with a throw of 97-05, about 10 feet behind Marquee Strongs (Nucla) 105-7, to help lead the BHS girls to a third-place overall finish with 101.5 points.Dolores won the girls meet with 134, and Durango was second with 118.5.File that in the good day category for Espinosa.
I wanted it, and I wanted to make sure. Were at home; I might as well not hold back, she said. My discus was a little iffy toward the end. As the day went on, it became a better day. I dont know who wouldnt think its a good day for track. Its sunny.
Lots of people, it turned out.
Despite solid victories from a bevy of Four Corners area athletes, mid-60s temperatures, sunshine and a wind that waited until afternoon to kick up, not a good day for track was the prevailing sentiment among the Pine River contenders. But the 13-team invitational gave spectators plenty of duals notwithstanding.
Hawkins and Durangos Austin Miles didnt waste any time. Grouped in the same shot put flight, Hawkins fired the first volley in the tit-for-tat throwers war, leading off with a 46-foot, 2-inch throw on his first go of the day. Miles wasnt able to match in qualifying, throwing 45-9.5 to earn the second spot in the finals.
And thats when things got heavier.
Miles threw a 45-0.75 to set the finals-round standard, and Hawkins answered with 46-7.25 to set a new high mark.Not backing down, Miles gathered himself in Round 2 and hurled a 47-0.75 to overtake his local rival for what looked like for good.I thought I had him, Miles said.
Think again. Shying away from the spinning throw that had thrown off his timing, Hawkins tossed the meet-winning 47-11.5 with a simple slide and sling; Miles who later won the discus with a throw of 128-10 put up his days best with a 47-4.5 on his final throw, but even his Saturday best wasnt enough.
I had a rough day, just wasnt there, Miles said. Not a day for track or throwing, then.
Weve always gone head to head in this, said Hawkins, whos been competing with Miles since seventh-grade football. And Ive just got to beat him, so I had to glide. Might as well glide, I just had to beat him.
Little bragging rights, Miles said. No he didnt (let me beat him). Hes always has to pull ahead by a little.
Hawkins earned some bragging rights for his team, as well, adding his points to the total. The BHS boys finished second with 141.5 after Durango (151) nibbled away at the Wolverines lead over the last few races. Pagosa Springs was third with 99.
Tit-for-tat was the case in the pole vault, too, only Arnold and Durangos Justin Marcum went so high they had to start coming back down.
Both vaulters cleared 12-feet, 6-inches, moving up to 13 as the only two remaining in competition. There, Arnold couldnt quite get enough push off the top of the pole well enough to clear his upper body of the crossbar, while Marcum couldnt force himself out of a pike position and repeatedly blasted through it. They both went out at 13 but having no previous misses were forced into a jump off, and the crossbar started descending back down. Arnold, who cleared 13-6 last week to set his personal record, finally won when he cleared 12-6 again. If I didnt taco, I probably wouldve got it, Marcum said.
Still, he set a new personal record by a foot when he cleared 12-6 the first time around.Hes a good jumper, Arnold said of Marcum, whose teammate McKenzie Marciante won the girls event with an 8-foot jump ahead of 6-6 jumps from both Trista Hooley and Brittany Hunter of BHS for second and third, respectively.The girls high jump featured a similar storyline to the boys pole vault, when Simmons and Bayfields Jessie Roukema battled for the top spot. Both cleared 4-11 before going out at 5.
Simmons, whose PR is 5-3, wasnt impressed with her performance, and she said shed been pulling for Roukema at the 5-foot mark, anyway.
I really wanted her to get it because that would be her PR, Simmons said. Like she said: not a good day for track.
The Bobcats Klayson Smith won the boys high jump, clearing 6-3, while Bayfields Connor Kennedy took second at 5-7.There wasnt any dual to prove who was the fastest man at the Pine River Invitational. Bayfields Keith Wickman literally ran away with that one, posting an 11.62-second 100-meter dash to win by a few strides. Adama Herrera of Ignacio was second in 12.03.But still, the familiar refrain.
I felt like I had a slow start, but after that it was pretty good, Wickman said. I wouldnt say it was the best. ... It wasnt great.
Not best in the 200, either, where Wickman wasnt quite able to overtake Durangos smooth Devin Lewis on the straightaway. Lewis won in 22.81, just ahead of Wickmans 23.13.
Durangos Miranda Gallegos started the Demons 200 momentum. She took an early lead and managed to hold off a charging Cassie Lard of Dolores by less than an arms length for first place in 28.32.But Lard got some glory of a more team-oriented variety. The Dolores girls 4x200-meter relay team ripped through a 1:49.44 to break the Wolverine Country Stadium record of 1:52.6. The BHS girls Morgan Allred, Amy Roach, Roukema and Ashlyn Schulder finished third in 1:54.71.Dolores those girls are absolutely amazing, BHS track and field head coach Sherri Kimball said. Our girls 4x2 team, I think they really put in an excellent performance.There also wasnt any doubt as to whom was the fastest girl ... lap after lap after lap.Bayfield freshman Aubree Lorenzen got to do her best Eva-Lou Edwards impression, leading the next fastest runner in a small girls 3,200 field by more than half a lap and lapping most other runners. Lorenzen finished in 13:32.96, holding true to her 1600-meter pace (6:09.11 for 3rd) for twice as far, all while playing the lonely leader.Edwards, ranked No. 1 in the state with her sub-12-minute times, didnt compete Saturday.
Its really difficult (to pace yourself), especially since you dont have anyone to pace you, Lorenzen said. I usually have someone leading me.
Lorenzen still was all smiles after setting her new personal record and not just because of the success: Distance running is just fun, she said.
Fun or not, Gordon Gianniny powered through the boys 3,200 in 11:02.48 to take first ahead of Luke Webb, who took second in 11:10.05 after also taking second in the 1,600 in 5:01.16. Durango took third in the 3,200 with Nicholas Turcos 11:17.32.TJ Pazell picked up a runaway victory of a different sort for the Wolverines, throwing away in the javelin. He won with a toss of 152 feet. The next closest was teammate Blane Barnes with a 98-6. Pazell also took the long jump, winning by a foot with a 20-foot leap.Mikayla Westbrook, their BHS teammate, won the girls javelin competition with a 57-3 sling.
Bayfields Brady Fields won the 110 hurdles in 18.72 and took second in the 300-meter hurdles in 46.92 behind River Wiess of Durango, who finished in 46.57.
Durango picked up a pair of early afternoon relay wins: A Durango junior varsity 4x200 relay team of Lukas Baken, Bryan Dunlop, Joaquin Valdez and Shane Bisogno won that race in 1 minute, 38.66 seconds. Not to be outdone, the Durango girls team of Hannah Peterson, Shi Thompson, Carly Pierson and Emily Fogel won the 4x800 relay in 11:03.16.
Another Demons relay team had a shot at winning the 4x100, but the Bayfield boys Nate Tate, Kennedy, Wickman and Kenai Duran edged Durangos 47.79 with a 47.24.
I think we had some good performances, and I think the kids got in a good day, Kimball said.Most of them just didnt know it.DHS will host BHS at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Demons annual home meet, the Ron Keller Invitational at DHS Stadium.
jsojourner@durangoherald.com
