The highest finish of Gorge teams in their respective state track and field championship meets was that of the Columbia High girls. Columbia was fifth at last month’s Class 1A state meet at Eastern Washington University in Cheney. The Bruins scored 34 team points, just missing out on a team trophy.
“The state track meet was outstanding,” Coach Jim Anderson said. “Our kids did so well. I could not be more proud of their effort. Our boys team exceeded my expectation. While they finished out of the medals, they can be proud of the effort ... As for the girls team, they are a special group. The girls have come together and continue to get better and better. They absolutely peaked at the right time. A fifth-place finish in the team standings proved just how strong they are.”
This season marked the final one for seven Bruin seniors: Ben Allen, Dominic Davidson, Jace Greenwood, and Ryan Howard of the CHS boys team; and Maribeth Fies, Hannah Polkinghorn, and Chanele Reyes of the Bruin girls’ squad.
Polkinghorn finished second in the 200 meters and was sixth in the 100. Reyes finished eighth in the 100-meter high hurdles in 17.43 seconds. Columbia’s other senior, Fies, ran a leg on the Bruins’ non-placing 4x200 relay, which was 12th in the preliminary round.
“Hannah had a great meet,” Anderson said. “She is such a great competitor. She is a great teammate and leader on our team. I’m thrilled she was able to medal in all four events.”
Polkinghorn and Reyes ran legs on Columbia’s third place 4x400-meter relay and second place 4x100 relay.
Reyes had to overcome adversity at state, as she fell in her 300-meter low hurdle preliminary race and did not qualify for the final. “Chanele was able to bounce back from her fall in the 300 hurdles to bring home three medals,” Anderson said.
On the boys side, Greenwood and Howard represented Columbia at state in the 4x400 relay along with teammates Calvin Andrews and Joshua Steele. “Jace and Ryan ran their hearts out in the guys 4x400,” Anderson said. “That relay team has been hit with adversity all season. They can be proud of the finish they had.”
The future looks bright for the Bruins, as five other athletes earned state-meet experience, led by sophomore thrower Jessica Polkinghorn. She finished second in the shot put and also qualified for state in the javelin. Two freshmen, Saylor Hauge and Sequoia Cohen, and two juniors Piper Hicks and Ella Zimmerman, were part of the three state-qualifying Bruin relay teams.
“Our junior girls, Piper and Ella, proved they are ready to step up next year as senior leaders on the team,” Anderson said. Zimmerman also competed at state as an individual, in the high and low hurdles.
The Dalles’ girls team finished seventh in the Oregon Class 5A state meet at Hayward Field in Eugene with 29 points. The top Class 1A Gorge team was Dufur High School, which won the District 3 team championship and finished in a tie for ninth place with 22 points.
“These girls came in so determined because COVID had taken so much away from them, they just wanted to compete,” said Dufur Coach Tereasa Olson.
Trout Lake’s boys team, led by Sawyer Dean and Landon Heberling’s 1-2 in the pole vault, scored 18 points (tie, 14th) to lead Gorge small schools at state. The Dalles, led by state champion Taylor Morehouse and double distance race placer Juan Diego Contreras, scored 18 points at to tie for 13th at the 5A level.
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