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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 16, 2018)
10 Wednesday, May 16, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Pollard and company qualify for state By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent Jordan Pollard has emerged as the centerpiece of the Sisters Outlaws track and field team, and he under- scored that with two individ- ual wins and the anchor of the winning 4x400-meter relay at the Sky-Em District Track and Field Championships held May 10 and 12 at Sisters High School’s Reed Stadium. The top two finishers in each event qualified for the OSAA Track and Field Championships. Pollard will be racing in a total of three events at state, and some of his teammates will be joining him. Pollard made his mark early, running away with the 1,500 meters in the second event of the second day of competition, winning with a time of 4:15.06. Pollard ranks first among 4A runners with a best of 4:01.76 this season. He came back 90 min- utes later in the 800 meters with an impressive win in a time of 1:57.24. His game plan included helping team- mate Keaton Green not only break the two-minute bar- rier, but to stretch out the field to help secure Green’s second-place finish and a spot at the state meet. The plan worked to perfection as Pollard went through the first lap in 57.5 seconds which effectively stretched out the field, while also giving Green a sense of the pace he would need to make his goal. In the end, Green did indeed fin- ish second, squeaking under the two-minute barrier by the narrowest of margins in 1:59.99. “That last stretch was really tough,” said a smiling Green after the race. Assistant Coach Josh Nordell gave kudos to both runners: “They had a plan and they executed it per- fectly. Jordan set the pace and Keaton hung in there.” Pollard concluded the meet with an exclamation point as he joined Korbin Sharp and freshmen Hayden Sharp and Brody Anderson for a dominant win in the 4x400-meter relay in a time of 3:28.10, which is now the fastest time among 4A teams heading in to the state meet. “Those freshmen were phenomenal, Korbin was steady as always and Jordan sealed the deal,” said Head Coach Jeff Larson. Korbin Sharp placed fourth in a fast 200 with a time of 23.82, establishing a personal record. Hayden Sharp provided the biggest upset of the day as he finished the 400 meters with a flourish to edge the favorite Brandon Koller of Junction City by .06 sec- onds on his way to winning with a personal best of 52.10 seconds. Other state qualifiers and top performances included Garrett Kersavage winning the pole vault on day one of the competition with a life- time best of 12 feet 4 inches. He experienced a bit of heart- break in the triple jump as he tied for the second-best jump of the day (40 feet 3.5 inches), but dropped to third based on second-best jumps. The fourth-place finisher was just .5 inches behind Kersavage, making the event the biggest nail-biter of the meet. Skyler Larson skyed to a personal best in the pole vault at 11 feet 6 inches to place fourth, and freshman Hayden Sharp was right behind in fifth place at 10 feet 6 inches. On Saturday, Larson found himself in a battle for one of the top two spots in the high jump, but could not clear 5 feet 11 inches and had to set- tle for fourth place at 5 feet 9 inches. In his final event of the day, Larson ran a personal best in the 300-meter hurdles, claiming third place with a time of 43.76 seconds. “Our pole vaulters cer- tainly did their jobs for us, and Skyler gave it his best in the high jump and the hur- dles,” said Larson. On the first day of com- petition, Ethan Hosang did all he could to keep with the leaders in the 3,000 meters in windy conditions Friday, but ultimately was overtaken in the later stages of the race to place fifth in 9:55.06. James Talley of Cottage Grove won the race in 9:40.66, followed by his teammate Paesen Timm in 9:43.58. “The pace was slow and the wind was a challenge, so the older runners sat back and just kicked it in at the end,” said Nordell. “Ethan did all he could.” John Peckham also scored for the Outlaws, finishing sixth in 10:10.41. Senior David Perez picked up a couple of points in the shot put, tossing the metal ball 37 feet 8.5 inches to fin- ish seventh and came back later to place fifth in the dis- cus with a personal record of 121 feet 5 inches. “It’s great to go out as a senior with a personal best,” said Larson. The 4x100-meter relay team of Ultra Nilrattanothai, Hayden Sharp, Korbin Sharp, and Dalton Gonzales notched their best time of the year in placing third. Hosang (4:29) and Peckham (4:37) placed sixth and eighth respectively in the 1,500. Nilrattanothai, an exchange student from Thailand, also picked up PHOTO BY JERRY BALDOCK Jordan Pollard flies over the finish line in the 800m final at the Sky Em District Championships. a ribbon in the 100 meters where he placed sixth (12.09) and Korbin Sharp ran a per- sonal best of 23.82 as he fin- ished fourth in the 200. Cottage Grove won the team trophy with a whop- ping 209 points, while Sweet Home and Sisters battled it out for second, with the Huskies prevailing 120 to 119. Junction City placed fourth (90.5), fol- lowed by Elmira (84.5) and Sutherlin (31). “The boys exceeded my projections,” said Larson. “I’m excited for those going on to state.” The state meet takes place at historic Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene. The com- petition for 4A, 5A, and 6A classifications begins Friday morning and runs through Saturday afternoon. The time schedule and ticket information is available at www.osaa.org. Let us show you how much you can save this year! DINING & TAKE-OUT until midnight every night Menu at SistersSaloon.net 541-549-RIBS 190 E. Cascade Ave. Call 541-588-6245, for a free quote! 257 S. Pine St., #101 www.farmersagent.com/jrybka Auto • Home • Life • Business CIVIL Reenactment WAR! Congratulations to the class of 2018 scholarship winners Your Care is a proud donor with “The Outlaw Health Professionals” Saturday & Sunday 541-548-2899 3818 SW 21st Pl. • YourCareMedical.com Hwy. 126 to Redmond, two turns and you’re there! 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