PASCO — Sometimes winning a state championship isn’t quite enough.
J Hopkins blew past the other runners Saturday on his way to winning a state title in the 300-meter hurdles race for the second consecutive year. The Everett High School senior finished in a personal-record time and beat the second-place competitor by 1.42 seconds.
But after the race when Hopkins heard the public-address announcer say Hopkins’ winning time — 37.68 seconds — he was somewhat devastated.
“Oh! … Damn it,” Hopkins said before lowering his head and bending over in obvious disappointment.
“That’s brutal,” he added.
Even though Hopkins won the race during the Class 3A/4A state track and field championships at Edgar Brown Stadium, he was actually racing the clock: He wanted to break the 3A meet record.
Hopkins missed tying it by three-hundredths of a second. Jeff Allen of Capital ran a 37.65 in 1994.
Despite his frustration, Hopkins said he was glad to decisively beat North Central’s David Butler in the 300 hurdles. Earlier in the day Hopkins finished second behind Butler in the 110 hurdles. Butler won by .28 seconds.
“I wanted that gap to be 10 times farther than he (beat) me in the 110,” said Hopkins.
Hopkins also ran on Everett’s 400 relay team, which was second behind winner West Seattle in a race decided by one-hundredth of a second. Hopkins’ efforts helped Everett place fourth in the team standings.
It wasn’t exactly what the Seagulls hoped for after winning it all last season.
“It puts a little damper (on the meet) but we still had a good year,” Everett boys track coach Doug Hall said. “Some things didn’t work out but you can’t complain about bringing home a trophy.”
North Central scored 51 points and won the team title, followed by Union (44 points), West Seattle (35) and Everett (34).
Senior Rendel Jones placed third in the triple jump for Everett, which received a second team trophy: The Seagulls won the combined team championship — based on points scored by able-bodied and wheelchair athletes — thanks to Forest Cardenas, who scored points in the 800, 1,600, javelin and discus wheelchair events.
Thanks to help from a competitor, Lynnwood’s Dylan Burnett-Lewis placed second in the 3A javelin contest.
On his first throw of the finals Burnett-Lewis watched the rubber tip of his javelin break off when it hit the turf. Judges told him the damage made his device illegal so he had to improvise.
“I asked around to see who I could borrow a javelin from,” the junior said.
Bellevue’s Robert Hintz, who was in first place at the time, offered assistance and gave Burnett-Lewis a spare javelin. Burnett-Lewis’ next throw went 191-10, smashing his personal record by more than 4.5 feet. It was almost enough to beat Hintz, whose earlier toss of 192-6 beat Burnett-Lewis by 8 inches.
Last year Burnett-Lewis placed third with a throw of 182-2.
“The end of the season — to PR you can’t ask for much better than that,” he said.
Another notable 3A performance: Arlington’s Bryan Mack finished fourth in the triple jump.
Class 4A: Cascade’s 400 relay places second
Coming into the 4A state meet, Cascade’s 400 relay team was ranked No. 1. But the Bruins’ hopes for a championship were ruined by Todd Beamer.
Beamer, ranked No. 2 through last week, won in 42.37 and Cascade (42.78) settled for second.
“Second place is nothing to complain about. It’s a good way to send the seniors out,” said Cascade senior Derek Sepe, who ran the second leg of the relay.
It’s the fourth straight year Cascade placed at state in the event, and Sepe was a part of all four groups. Cascade placed seventh in 2005, fifth in 2006 and fourth in 2007.
In the 400 dash, Mariner’s Marzell Jenkins crossed second behind Brad Wall of Evergreen. Jenkins, who later finished fourth in the 200, said after the 400 he struggled all day with the hot, dry conditions.
“It’s the heat. I’m used to the cold and rain. I’m drained by the sun,” he said.
Malcolm Tatum helped Mariner win the 4A boys combined team championship. Tatum won two wheelchair field events Saturday (javelin and discus). He won the wheelchair shot put Friday.
There were several other top-eight performances by local athletes, including:
n Lake Stevens’ Joey Bywater, who took third in the 1,600 and was seventh in the 800. Bywater also ran on the Vikings’ third-place 1,600 relay team.
n Snohomish’s Marlyn Anderson, who placed third in the shot put. Anderson was fourth in Friday’s discus final.
n Oak Harbor’s Rodrick Rumble, who for the second straight year finished third in high jump. Rumble cleared 6-7, 1 inch higher than he went a year ago in Pasco.
Writer Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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