Small schools complete final tune-ups for state competition

Host Sherman was led Mercedez Cardona and Sophie Hulke. Cardona won the 100, high jump and long jump, while Hulke won the shot put and discus, the latter in a personal best 89-10.

On the boys side, Remington Sheer led South Wasco by winning three events: the 400, long jump and triple jump. His triple jump mark of 38-9.25 was a personal best. Teammate Oscar Thomas won the javelin in a season best 149-7 and the discus in 113-11, a lifetime best.

Trout Lake had two boys winners: Frosh Klayton Schmid in the 100 and sophomore Trevor Collins in the 800. Three Mustang athletes were further east at the nine-team Jo-High Invite in Joseph. Distance runners Justin Peck, Myana Stock and Shana Orellano benefitted from the meet by facing off against some of the better 1A distance runners. Peck raced to two personal bests; he won the 1500 in 4:14.79 and doubled later to finish second in the 800 at 2:05.41. Stock and Orellano finished 1-2 in the 1500 and 800. Stock’s times were a personal best 5:21.55 and 2:38.52; Orellano was clocked in 5:29.27 (PR) and 2:40.86.

Big Sky at Bickelton

Dufur and Horizon Christian traveled to Washington on Friday for a meet at Bickleton High. The Ranger and Hawk girls continued their close, back-and-forth season battle in the 4x100 relay, finishing 1-2 in season-best times. Dufur’s team of Emily Crawford, McKenzie Olson, Abby Beal, and Kiersten White won the race in 54.42 seconds, which was the fourth-fastest time among Class 1A schools. Horizon was second in 54.60 (No. 5 for 1A). The team of Valerie Bruggeman, Olivia Nickson, Ellie Rinella and Grace Schreiber set a school record in the process. That team also won the meet’s final event, the 4x400 relay.

Dufur also received individual wins from White in the 100 and high jump; Ashley Bailey in the discus in a PR 91-01; Brooke Beachamp in the javelin in a PR 103-1.25; and Beal in the long jump (season best 15-feet).

Dufur’s boys were led by sophomore Marshall McLaughlin, who won the 100 and the 200 in a personal best 24.93. McLaughlin edged Lyle’s Aaron Smith in the shorter race. Smith won three events himself: javelin, long jump, and triple jump.

Three of Horizon’s relay athletes also won individual events: Bruggeman raised her school record and state leading (1A) mark in the pole vault to 9-feet, 6-inches and also won the 200; Nickson won the 400 in 1:06.10; and Schreiber won the 100 high hurdles and 300 low hurdles. Other winners for Horizon were distance runners: senior Kayla Kilgore won the 800 in a personal best 2:49.54; and freshman Valena Bruggeman won the 3000 in a PR 13:41.77 — her first attempt at the event.

On the boys side, Horizon’s Alex Whitaker took over the 1A state lead in the discus with a winning throw of 135-11 — a 12-foot PR. Whitaker also won the shot put in a personal best 38-10. Senior JJ Holste won the high jump for the Hawks. Horizon’s 4x100 boys relay got in a final tune-up for the state meet, as Caleb Lingel, Holste, Diego Quezada and Josh Rogers won in 47.44.

Trout Lake also sent a few athletes to the Bickelton meet, including pole vaulters Landon Heberling and Aiden Altig, who finished 1-2. Heberling cleared a personal best 10-6, and Altig added a season best 10-0.