Published: Saturday, May 17, 2008
3A BOYS TRACK: Everett defends district title
By John Boyle Herald Writer
SHORELINE -- The rowdy celebration lasted well past the final event at Shoreline Stadium Friday night.
There were high fives and hugs aplenty, there were cartwheels and back flips. There was an ice-water bath for the coach and an entire track team singing the school fight song.
The Everett boys track and field team still has a bigger goal in mind next week -- defending its Class 3A title -- but on this night, the Seagulls were enjoying the 3A District 1 title they had just won.
It wasn't just winning the district title that made the night so enjoyable for the Seagulls, but also the manner in which they won. After the first day of the meet, Arlington had a sizable lead and was hoping to knock off the defending champs. Everett chipped away at that lead all day Friday, but did not move into first place until the next-to-last event, the 3,200-meter run.
Everett sophomore Cody MacDougall, who narrowly missed out on a state berth in the 1,600 on Wednesday, won the 3,200, while Arian Anderson finished sixth to help the Seagulls take a slim lead. The Seagulls won the last event of the evening, the 1,600 relay, to clinch the title.
The Seagulls got meet record-breaking performances in the 300 hurdles from J Hopkins (37.88 seconds), who also won the 110 hurdles, and Rendel Jones in the triple jump (46 feet, 7 inches). Both Jones and Hopkins also helped Everett to wins in both relays along with Nick Thomas and Joseph Giesick in the 400 relay and Giesick and D.J. Grim in the 1,600 relay. .
The biggest hero of the meet for Everett, according to Seagulls coach Doug Hall, however, was senior hurdler/jumper Spencer Sawyer.
Sawyer had to participate in a 30-minute jump-off on Wednesday in order to finish second and earn a state berth. During Friday's triple jump, Sawyer injured his hamstring, but still finished fifth in that event. He also managed to finish third in the 110 hurdles and fourth in the 300 hurdles despite the injury, earning valuable points as Everett chipped away at Arlington's lead.
"My usual suspects were huge," Hall said referring to Hopkins and Jones. "But there's one kid that I think changed the whole meet for us, and that's Spencer Sawyer. He's the unsung hero. He didn't win anything, but his attitude was the difference ... In both the hurdle races he could have gone to state, but since he was hurt he didn't, but those points were enough to win the meet. Spencer Sawyer was the difference of the meet. An unbelievable performance. His attitude changed everything for us."
Hopkins, the defending state champion in the 300 hurdles, was thrilled to shave 11 hundredths off of his personal best time, but thinks he can go faster still at the state meet.
Everett also earned a victory in the 200 when Giesick edged Arlington's Marcus Dolan by four hundredths of a second.
After battling back to defend their district title, the Seagulls have every intention of hanging onto the title of state champions as well.
"Just like the district title was ours, the state title is ours and we're not going to give it up easily," Hall said. "We're coming in hungry and this prepared us for state."
Arlington senior Bryan Mack, who was second to teammate Brandon Gunter in Wednesday's long jump, led another one-two finish for the Eagles Friday by winning the 100 in 10.97 seconds. Dolan was second with a time of 11.12. That time was a personal best for Mack, who was running and jumping on a bad hamstring. Mack, who also finished second in the triple jump, said he expects to be healthy by the time he competes in Pasco.
"It's real sore right now, but I've got a week before state," he said. "I came in here hoping to break 11. Once my hammy is good in Pasco, I think I can go below that."
Luke Passalacqua gave Arlington another win by taking the 800 title in 1:59.97.
Lynnwood junior Dylan Burnett-Lewis said he wasn't at his best Friday, but he was still good enough to break the meet record in the javelin with a toss of 185-2.
"I wasn't really having my best day," he said. "My third throw I actually tripped and fell, so it was not looking good for me. My last throw, I was in first, but that's not what I came here for, I came for the meet record, and my last throw I threw 185."
At Shoreline Stadium
Top two advance to state
Team scores--Everett 174.6, Arlington 166, Squalicum 78.6, Shorecrest 76, Sedro-Woolley 37.6, Ferndale 37.6, Lynnwood 37, Mount Vernon 36.6, Meadowdale 18.
100--1, Mack, Arlington, 10.97; 2, Dolan, Arlington, 11.12. 200--1, Giesick, Everett, 22.55; 2, Dolan, Arlington, 22.59. 400--1, Crandall, Mount Vernon, 51.21; 2, Foster, Squalicum, 51.26. 800--1, Passalacqu, Arlington, 1:59.97; 2, Ryzhkou, Squalicum, 2:00.39. 3,200--1, MacDougall, Everett, 9:47.89; 2, McConaughy, Shorecrest, 9:52.93. 110 hurdles--1, Hopkins, Everett, 14.90; 2, Williams, Lynnwood, 15.53. 300 hurdles--1, Hopkins, Everett, 37.88 (meet record); 2, Stackhouse, Squalicum, 40.31. Javelin--1, Burnett-Lewis, Lynnwood, 185-2 (meet record); 2, Seanoa, Everett, 178-4. Discus--1, Domanski, Shorecrest, 165-4; 2, Rodgers, Everett, 152-7. Triple jump--1, Jones, Everett, 46-7 (meet record); 2, Mack, Arlington, 43-10. Pole vault--1, McElmurry, Shorecrest, 13-6; 2, Yang, Everett, 13-3. 400 relay--1, Everett (Hopkins, Jones, Thomas, Giesick) 42.92; 2, Arlington (Mack, Gunter, Botten, Dolan) 43.20. 1,600 relay--1, Everett (Grim, Jones, Giesick, Hopkins) 3:22.86; 2, Squalicum (Foster, Dale, Stackhouse, LeVain) 3:28.33.
Wheelchair division
Javelin--Cardenas, Everett, 22-0. Discus--Cardenas, Everett, 23-1.
For complete results go to Athletic.net
|