Polk County Sports
12A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 25, 2016
Leap Ahead
Pirates: Clark reaches state
podium in two of three events
Continued from Page 10A
Clark qualified for state
in 2015 as well, but she was
eager to put those memo-
ries behind her.
“Last year, I was really
nervous,” Clark said. “I was
so scared that I didn’t do
well at all. I wasn’t as fo-
cused as I should have
been. This year, I was ready
to compete.”
Clark, who also compet-
ed in the 300 hurdles and
just missed out on earning a
spot in the finals for that
event, threw her second-
best marks ever in the
javelin and shot put.
As the Pirates left Hay-
ward Field after a successful
trip to state, the seniors
were more than happy with
how their final event as Pi-
rates came to a close.
“I’m glad it ended this
way,” Clark said.
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Perrydale senior Sarah Clark prepares to throw the shot put during the state track
and field championships at Hayward Field in Eugene on Friday afternoon.
Falls City sophomore Jeremy Labrado competes during the boys triple jump on Fri-
day at the OSAA Class 1A state track and field championships at Hayward Field in Eu-
gene. Labrado scratched on his three attempts. Senior Ryan Macnab finished 11th in
the finals of the boys shot put with a throw of 36 feet, 10 ½ inches.
DALLAS BASEBALL
Dragons place in seven events
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
EUGENE — For some, arriving
at the state track and field meet for
the first time can be intimidating.
Dallas junior Jenifer Webb knew
the moment would be awe-inspir-
ing, but she wasn’t going to let that
stop her from performing at her
best.
“It was unbelievable,” Webb
said. “To go out here, it’s so over-
whelming how huge it is. When I
got here, I was just ready to go. I
wasn’t nervous at all.”
Webb finished fifth in the finals
of the girls 100-meter hurdles, fin-
ishing in 16.19 seconds — a new
personal record.
“I ran a PR in the prelims and I
was ready to push even harder in
the finals,” Webb said. “The track
felt so fast.”
As Webb celebrated a top-five
finish at state, the moment was a
culmination of countless hours of
training and dedication.
“It feels awesome,” Webb said.
“All the hard work — all those
awful workouts — paid off. I’m
happy.”
Fellow hurdler and junior Ste-
fani Tallon also competed in the
100 hurdles, but fell short of quali-
fying for the finals.
Senior Naomi Howe placed sixth
in the 300 hurdles, finishing in
47.18 seconds.
“It was quite an experience,”
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Dallas’ Jacob Deming attempts to clear the bar during the pole vault
competition at the state track and field meet on Saturday.
Howe said. “I was really nervous.
Going into it, I was freaking out,
but I always remind myself it’s just
a race and I’ve done this race a
thousand times.”
Although she hoped to set a new
PR, the senior was grateful for the
chance to experience state before
her high school career was done.
“I’m definitely proud I got on
the podium,” Howe said. “I’ve im-
proved my PR by two seconds
since last year. I put a lot of work
into it.”
Senior Kyleen Benz placed 10th
in the shot put with a throw of 34
Dallas senior Naomi Howe clears a hurdle during the finals of the
300-meter hurdle run at Hayward Field on Friday afternoon.
feet, 1 ½ inches and 11th in the
discus with a mark of 100-10.
Jacob Deming led the boys with
an eighth-place finish in the pole
vault (12-6). Aaron White took
ninth in the triple jump (41-9 ¼)
and Trevor Cross took 12th in the
3,000-meter run (9:37.70). The
boys 4 x 100 relay team of Deming,
Cody Webb, White and Justin
Huxel finished 11th (44.27).
With nearly all of Dallas’ state
qualifiers set to return next season,
the Dragons find themselves in a
strong position, coach Bill Masei
said — one that may see Dallas
have success at the state meet for
years to come.
Panthers: Altamirano places third in 400 finals
Continued from Page 10A
“God was showing me it’s
time to finally appreciate
coming to this track,” she
said.
After an up and down ca-
reer, the senior was thankful
for one last opportunity to
experience state — the right
way.
“It’s an unbelievable
meet,” Hoffman said. “I just
enjoyed it and soaked it in. I
wouldn’t have appreciated
this if I didn’t have to go
through all the hard stuff. Of
course it wasn’t fun, but it’s
paying off now.”
Sophomore Bethanie Al-
tamirano was the Panthers’
top finisher, placing third in
the girls 400-meter run.
Mid-race, Altamirano felt
pain in her right leg, but with
her teammates, coaches and,
most importantly, her mom
in the stands cheering her
on, she wasn’t about to let an
injury stop her.
“I just thought I have to
keep pushing myself,” Al-
tamirano said. “I need to do
this for everyone.”
Altamirano and Hoffman
were also part of the girls 4 x
100 relay team, along with
Elizabeth Chavez and Alex
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Central senior Kyle Miller prepares to throw a javelin at the OSAA 5A state track and
field championships on Saturday afternoon. Miller finished ninth.
Alvarez, that placed fourth
with a time of 49.77 seconds.
“It was insane,” Chavez
said. “It’s such a great feeling
to be out there. It was in-
credible.”
The relay team mixed un-
derclassmen — Chavez is a
freshman and Altamirano a
sophomore — and experi-
ence, Hoffman and Alvarez
are seniors. That combo led
to successful results
throughout the season.
“This was a dream come
true,” Hoffman said. “I love
the 4 x 100 and I wanted a
fast team for a long time.
We’ve had decent teams, but
we weren’t super competi-
tive. That happened this
year. In a sport so based on
personal achievement, I love
having that camaraderie.
You’re not feeling the stress
all by yourself.”
The chance to get on the
podium put an amazing end
to their season.
“I’m glad my last track
meet was with them,” Al-
varez said.
The boys also found suc-
cess with its relay teams. The
4 x 400 relay team of Isaac
Burgett, Joshua Peterson,
Juan Rivera and Nick Burgett
finished fifth in 3:27.83,
while the 4 x 100 team of
Casey Brown, Isaiah Abra-
ham, Jaxon Hutchinson and
Nick Burgett took seventh in
43.55 seconds.
“It’s a whole different feel-
ing at state,” Brown said. “It’s
not like any other meet.”
Stepping onto the track
in Eugene for the first time
was an awe-inspiring mo-
ment, but not one that the
Panthers would let over-
whelm them.
“I was pretty nervous, but
once you get the baton, you
don’t think about anything,”
Nick Burgett said. “You just
run.”
For runners like Abraham,
state provided a unique
challenge.
“It was my first year doing
track, so it was a pretty cool
experience to get here,”
Abraham said.
Hutchinson, who finished
10th in the prelims of the
200, was out to make his
dad, who recently passed
away, proud. Despite the
thousands of fans in atten-
dance, he, along with his
teammates, was dialed in on
running as fast as possible.
“One reason why I love
track is right before the gun,
I’m not thinking about any-
thing,” Hutchinson said. “It’s
the one time my head is
empty and is peaceful.”
Samuel Cole took seventh
in the shot put with a throw of
49 feet, 5 ¼ inches. Kyle Miller
placed ninth in the javelin
(168-8) and Peter Mason took
12th in the long jump (20-8
¾). Alec Barba scratched in
the high jump. Josh Dickson
finished 10th in the prelims of
the 300 hurdles.