Appeal tribune., May 24, 2017, Page B1, Image 5

Sports
B1
Appeal Tribune, www.silvertonappeal.com
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
2A TRACK AND FIELD
Kennedy’s Mitchell goes out in style
GARY HOROWITZ
STATESMAN JOURNAL
EUGENE – Kennedy senior Bishop
Mitchell was named 2A boys athlete of
the meet after a sterling performance in
his two days of competition.
Mitchell, who was runner-up by
0.0006 in the 100-meter dash Friday,
came back to win the 200 and triple jump,
adding two more state titles to his long
jump victory on Thursday. He posted
personal bests in the 100 (10.98), 200
(22.53) and triple jump (43 1 ⁄ 4 ).
“It went by fast,” Mitchell said of his
high school career. “But it’s good to fin-
ish the way I did.”
Mitchell, the 2A offensive player of
the year last season as a running back for
the Trojans, is headed to Portland State
on a football scholarship. He was instru-
mental in the boys team placing fourth as
“We owe a lot to Bishop of course, 38
points is an incredible performance.
But if that’s all we had we wouldn’t be
in the top four. So the other guys on
the team that contributed points put
us over the top.”
STEVE RITCHIE
KENNEDY COACH
a team, scoring 38 of the 47 points.
“We owe a lot to Bishop of course, 38
points is an incredible performance,”
Kennedy coach Steve Ritchie said. “But
if that’s all we had we wouldn’t be in the
top four. So the other guys on the team
that contributed points put us over the
top.”
The top four teams receive trophies.
ghorowitz@StatesmaJournal.com, or
Twitter.com/ghorowitz
GARY HOROWITZ / STATESMAN JOURNAL
Kennedy’s boys track and field team placed fourth at the OSAA Class 2A state meet on May 19.
5A TRACK AND FIELD
PHOTOS BY MOLLY J. SMITH / STATESMAN JOURNAL
Silverton’s Brock Rogers crosses the finish line in the 5A 110 hurdles at the OSAA track and field championships Saturday.
CROSSING THE FINISH LINE
Brock Rogers brings state championship back to Silverton
GARY HOROWITZ
STATESMAN JOURNAL
EUGENE - Brock Rogers could not
have hoped for a better ending to his high
school career.
Rogers, a senior representing Silver-
ton High School, posted a personal best
time of 14.47 to win the 110 hurdles on in
the OSAA Class 5A state track and field
meet Saturday at Hayward Field.
Rogers’ goal was simple: “Just ran as
fast as I can. Fastest time, best race yet.”
After placing second in the 110 hur-
dles last year, Rogers had one more op-
portunity to stand atop the awards podi-
um.
Running from lane four in the middle
of the track, he took the lead after the
first hurdle and retained it through all 10
hurdles. Hermiston’s Tyler Rohman
placed second (14.68).
“I’m super happy,” Rogers said. “I
just wanna thank my coach for all the
awesome work that he’s done this year
with me.”
Rogers has much to look forward to on
and off the track.
In June he’ll receive his high school
diploma from Renaissance Public Acad-
emy in Molalla – Rogers was home
schooled until the eighth grade – and an
associate’s degree from Clackamas
Community College in Oregon City the
following day.
Rogers plan to continue his athletic
and academic pursuits at George Fox
University in Newberg where he’ll pur-
sue a nursing degree.
While Rogers never attended Silver-
ton High School, he lives in Silverton and
has strong ties with the track program.
“I practice with them every day.
They’re an awesome team,” Rogers said.
Rogers, who took up the hurdles as a
freshman, was sixth in the state as a
Silverton’s Coleton Myers competes in the 5A high jump at the 2017 OSAA track and field state
championships on Saturday at Hayward Field in Eugene.
sophomore in the 110 hurdles, second last
year in his best event, as well as seventh
in the 300 hurdles.
Rogers is an accomplished sprinter –
he picked up the 100 late last season and
won the Mid-Willamette district champi-
onship - but there’s nothing quite like the
110 hurdles.
“The 100’s fun, but when you add an-
other thing into it (hurdles), it takes it to a
whole ‘nother level,” he said.
Rogers will enter George Fox as a ju-
nior academically, but he’ll have four
years of eligibility in track. He has con-
sidered branching out into other events,
perhaps even the decathlon.
As for his high school career coming
to an end?
“It’s been an awesome four years,”
Rogers said. “It’s kind of sad to go, but
I’m excited for the future.”
More 5A highlights
Central junior Bethanie Altamirano
arrived at the starting blocks for the
girls 400 meters thinking she had a
chance to win.
After all, she was the number three
seed after Friday’s preliminaries and
placed third in the state last year.
Still, when Altamirano crossed the
finish line first with a time of 57.67, more
than a second faster than runner-up Sa-
rah Reeves of Summit, she was thrilled.
“I had the possibility to win, but I’m
still shocked,” Altamirano said with a
laugh. I was kind of planning on it, but it
was just hard.”
Altamirano anticipated a close race
with Reeves and that’s how it unfolded.
She took the lead around the Bowerman
curve with about 100 meters remaining
and used her strong kick to prevail.
A year after placing third at state in
the 400 with a time of 59.59, Alamirano
has added speed and strength through
weight training.
“I started going to the weight room
more often cause last year I didn’t go at
all,” said Altimirano, who came back a
few hours later to place eighth in the 200.
“It was to help my legs get stronger. I’m
gonna do that more, and more speed
work.”
Coleton Myers eclipsed his winning
jump of a year ago, but it wasn’t enough
to repeat as boys high jump champion.
The Silverton senior cleared 6-foot-3
on his first attempt, but missed on three
attempts at 6-4 and finished fourth.
Dakotah Camberg of St. Helens won
the event at 6-6, which is two inches high-
er than Myers’ personal best.
“We’ve all improved,” said Myers,
who won with a mark of 6-2 last year.
“Dakotah, I’ve been jumping against him
for four years. He’s an incredible dude,
6-6 is unreal.”
Myers had mixed emotions about not
being medalist in his final high school
competition.
“I was really close. It’s hard to watch
because you can literally see it slip
through your fingers,” Myers said. “It’s
still enjoyable. That’s what I love about
track. Everyone’s competitive, but nice.”
Silverton junior Shon Ackermann
tied for sixth at 6-2.
At 5-foot-11, Myers was one of the
shortest high jumpers in the finals. He’s
often asked if he can dunk a basketball
and the answer is yes, with no problem.
Myers, who will continue his track ca-
See TRACK, Page 2B