HOOD RIVER — Hood River Valley’s (HRV) boys track and field team finished in a tie for third place and the girls were fourth at the May 21 and 23 Northwest Oregon Conference district meet at Canby High School.
The Eagle boys had 16 district places (top eight finishes), five Class 5A state meet automatic qualifiers, and scored 83 team points. The HRV girls earned three automatic qualifying spots to state, 18 district places, and scored 80 team points. Wilsonville won the boys and girls team titles in the nine-school meet.
The top two finishers in each event at the meet, and those who met qualifying standards or wild card spots, advanced to the 5A state championships May 30-31 at historic Hayward Field in Eugene.
Hood River had two district champions. Junior Jack Miller won the javelin in a personal best 165 feet, 4.25 inches (50.4 meters, No. 5 on the school’s all-time list), and junior Francisco Solberg won the pole vault at 12-6.75 (3.83 meters). Both of Coach Kyle Turner’s athletes are making the trip to the state meet for the second season.
Also advancing to the 5A finals were distance runners Logan King, and Kai Wagner. King was second in 3000 on the district’s first day in 8:44.74 and he also was second two days later in the 1500 (personal best and school record 3:55.40). King churned out a 55-second last lap in the 3000 to pull into second place behind Wilsonville’s Laim Wilde (who closed in 54.61).
Wagner was third in both races; his 1500 time of 3:58.15 met the 5A qualifying standard. Turner said the four front runners in the 1500 worked together to set an honest pace which enabled four runners (Wilde, King and Canby’s Andrew Dewer) to meet the 1500 automatic qualifying time or get through to state as a wild card entrant. A day earlier, Wagner ran the 3000 meters in 8:50.34 (fourth place); the senior owns the school record in that race at 8:37.04.
“In the 3000 they were racing versus running for time, but in the 1500 they worked together,” said Turner. “No one works harder than Kai; it was good to see him qualify.”
Also of note in the boys distances, junior Sam Knoll was sixth in the 1500 and 3000 with personal best times of 4:13.48 and 9:11.32.
HRV’s other district placers included: freshman Cohen Wagner, who was fifth in the pole vault (PR 10-7, 3.23 meters); sophomore Wyeth Droege, who was sixth in the high jump at 5-8.5 and fourth in the 110 hurdles; Solomon Parson, who was fourth in the javelin; Angel Carabantes Chavarria, who was eighth in the discus; and Matt Trickey, who was sixth in the 100 (PR 11.43). The Eagle 4x400 relay of Parson, King, Wagner, and Droege was fifth in 3:30.88 (No. 6 all-time in school history).
The Hood River Valley girls were led by state-meet qualifying distance runners Savina Davis and Syl Perrin. Davis raced to a personal best 800 in 2:17.63 and finished second, and she also ran a personal best 1500 in 4:44.54 and was runner-up in that race as well. Perrin was second in the 3000 (10:23.23) and third in the 1500 (PR 4:47.28). Perrin’s third-place district time was fast enough to earn a wild card berth to state in that event.
“Syl is peaking right at the perfect time,” Turner said. “Her confidence is in a great place.”
Davis lowered her own No. 2 all-time school 800, and she is now No. 3 all-time in the 1500. Perrin, the No. 3 all-time school record holder in the 3000, moved up to No. 5 in the 1500.
“The coaches were nervous when (Savina) said she wanted to do both the 1500 and 800,” Turner said of the tough, single-day distance double. “She ran really smart and really well.”
Also placing at district for the Eagles were: Camila Luna, fourth in the 100 (PR 12.93), and eighth in the 200; Georginia Williams, fifth in the 100 and seventh in the 200 (13.16 and 27.23); Sadie Baumann and Uma Carosella, fifth and seventh in the 400 (PRs of 1:03.52 and 1:04.38); Hailey Harjo, fifth, shot put; Lilah Tactay, eighth in the discus, fifth in the high jump, and fourth in the long jump (PR 15-5); Sylvaine Farr, fourth, pole vault; and Alex Bronson, fifth, triple jump. Farr earned a wild card berth to state in the pole vault.
Turner said having the HRV athletes en masse celebrating Luna’s sub-13 second PR in the 100 was a defining moment of the meet for the Eagles. “They ran up to her, giving her hugs, congratulating her.”
The HRV 4x400 relay of Baumann, Williams, Hazel Haspela, and Davis finished third in 4:10.63 (No. 10 on the HRV all-time list) and qualified as a wild card team to state. The Eagle 4x100 relay of Luna, Keira Brennan, Bronson, and Williams finished fifth in 51.73 and also earned a wild card berth to the 5A state meet.
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