The air in Pueblo agrees with area tracksters
PUEBLO – Pine Creek and Widefield had a field day Saturday.
In 5A, Eagles coach Max Oliver said before the season that the core of his team rides on the biceps of his throwers. But at Dutch Clark Stadium it was the jumpers who led the way.
Pine Creek placed five jumpers in the top five through the three events en route to a second-place overall finish (first in 5A) for the senior-heavy team with 88.5 points. Widefield followed in third overall (second in 4A) with 61.5 and placed three jumpers in the top five.
Pueblo South won the meet at 116.83.
“In basically all the field events we are doing pretty good,” said Oliver who is in his 11th season with the program.
Eagles senior jumper Simon Hayes won the high jump with a 6-foot leap and took second in the triple jump at 43 feet, 8 inches.
“He’s jumped farther, so it was average for him. But for this time of year we’ll take it,” the coach said. “I expect him to be a contender at state.”
The only jumper who had a better day was Widefield’s Tony Carodine, who won the triple (46-6.5) and long jump (22-6.5). He won both events by feet rather than inches.
Widefield’s Robert Pace took fourth in shot put (48-7.25) and Pine Creek’s Stuart Jackson took second in discus (143-8).
Robert Jackson also left his feet to score points for Pine Creek, taking second in the pole vault.
On the actual track, Palmer’s Ben Goodman ran a good show. First, he won the 400-meter dash in 49.44. Shortly after he won the 800 in 2:04.39.
He’s glad the meet ran a little sluggish early.
“The 4-8 combo is difficult. You only have that 300 hurdles in between and the 4-8 takes a lot out of you,” said Goodman whose team took sixth with 45 points. “To start the (800) I was definitely feeling it in my legs, but with 300 to go, the field was starting to come back and die so I gave it one last kick.”
Goodman beat Pueblo South’s Niqo Santistevan by 1.4 seconds.
Air Academy’s Danyon Anderson won the mile in 4:44.17 and Sand Creek’s Corey Brown crossed 1 second later.
In the 3,200, Liberty’s distance team hasn’t taken a step back since cross country. Senior Michael Claflin (19th in 5A cross country) took first as he lapped half the runners in a 9:48.91 performance. Garrett Kenyon (sixth in cross country) followed closely behind in 9:51.21 and Jerry Lanning took fourth for the Lancers in 10:25.91.
“Yeah we knew we could do it. We knew (Pine Creek’s) Zachary Alhamra (who took third in 9:58.63) would be close, but we knew we could take top two,” said Claflin about Kenyon and himself. “We just worried about times so we could qualify for state today and start worrying about the mile and 800.”
On an unseasonably warm day, Oliver spoke on behalf of most of the Metro schools when he said his team was dealing with a number of holes due to spring break.
“But I think we’re on track,” he said.
Pine Creek’s Robert Jackson competes in the pole vault at the Pueblo Centennial Bulldog Invitational on Saturday at Dutch Clark Stadium in Pueblo. Photo by KEVIN KRECK, SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE
Liberty’s Devin Carlson runs in the second heat of the 400-meter dash at the Pueblo Centennial Bulldog Invitational on Saturday at Dutch Clark Stadium in Pueblo. Photo by KEVIN KRECK, SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE
Widefield’s Shao Jun Liu wins the first heat of the 1,600-meter run at the Pueblo Centennial Bulldog Invitational on Saturday at Dutch Clark Stadium in Pueblo. Photo by KEVIN KRECK, SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE