Panther throwers will be a factor in Casper

The Powell High School track teams qualified 50 event slots for this week’s state track and field championships in Casper. Of those, 11 come in either the discus or the shot put, clustering a significant chunk of both the boys’ and girls’ team entries in just two of track and field’s 17 events.

While nobody will claim the Panthers’ team trophy hopes hinge exclusively on what takes place inside the throwing circle in Casper, expect a lot of orange and black eyes to be focused there when the time comes for competition. That’s because, on both the boys’ and the girls’ side, the throwing events represent a stable of potential team points for the Panthers.

That will especially be the case at 11 a.m. on Friday when 3A boys’ shot put gets started. Junior Vince Sleep set a school record at 3A West regional competition last week with a winning toss of 54-11. Sophomore teammate Garrett Lynch, whose father held the record Sleep surpassed, logged a throw of 53-3 and scratched on a throw that sailed beyond the 55-foot mark. The pair, along with Torrington’s Zack Lurz, who won the 3A East with a heave of 54-10 1/2, should put on some show.

Not to be forgotten, Panther sophomore Garrett Michael’s toss of 45-8 1/2 was the fifth-best throw in 3A regional competition last weekend and gives Powell three chances at places on the podium.

The battle between Sleep, Lynch and Lurz could re-surface at 11 a.m. on Saturday when discus competition begins. The trio were the only competitors in the state to surpass the 150-foot mark.

On the girls’ side of the equation, the Panthers are again fueled by some sophomore power. Shawnea Harrington and Tori Sleep are both seeded into the final flight of the girls’ shot put, which will be one of the first events taking place in Casper, beginning at 11 a.m. today (Thursday).  The pair lodged the third and fourth-best throws in regional competition.

Senior Alice Pinter is also part of the shot put field and will likely be the first Powell competitor to officially get the 2012 championships started for the school when she throws in the first flight of the shot put.

Harrington, Sleep and Pinter are also scheduled to compete for the Panthers in state discus competition. The event, scheduled for a 3 p.m., Friday, start, could be one of the more interesting ones as 10 of the 19 participants — including all three  Powell entrants — are clustered within 10 feet of each other for seeding distances.

Not all of the excitement will be taking place in the throwing circles, however. The Panthers have plenty of chances to provide cheers on the track oval and infield as well.

Senior Desiree Murray was a four-event regional champion last weekend. This week, she’ll have her hands full. In the 200, Murray will be going up against Rawlins senior Kereston Thomas, who set a 3A record last year wih a run of 25.03 seconds at that distance. The pair will face off again in the 400, where the two were the only 3A runners to break the 60-second barrier last weekend.

In the hurdle races, Murray will have to do battle with Worland junior Jessie Eaves as the two runners have pushed each other in numerous Big Horn Basin meets over the years.

In the longer distances, Powell freshman Gretchen Morretti broke a school record in the 3200 meters last week after taking nearly 30 seconds off her season best. A repeat performance in the 3A finals would likely put her on the award podium in a race that should closely resemble the 3A West final.

Another tightly clustered field that could produce a swing in points comes in the girls’ triple jump, where 10 of the 16 entries are clustered within two feet of each other. Sophomore Jada Swires is square in the middle of that pack for the Panthers.

On the boys’ side, the Panthers are hopeful former state medal winner and senior Marco Borja will rebound from an injury that kept him out of the regional field and be able to line up in the 100 meters. Borja pre-qualified for the event earlier this season with a time that would rank him among the leaders in the 3A field. In the longer sprints, Panther freshman Blaise Gann runs in both the 200 and 400.

The 800, where Powell has both Zach Thiel and Justin Lynn slated to line up in the starting chute, could feature one of the state meet’s most impressive fields. Four of the 19 runners clocked regional times of less than 2 minutes. Lynn ran a state qualifying time, but failed to reach the medal podium last week, signifying a talent-laden race field.

At the longer distances, sophomore Zander Andreasen ranks among the state’s fastest regional times in the 3200. He’s also projected to compete for a medal in the 1600 in Casper.

In the 110-meter hurdles, senior Josh Cragoe has ranked among the state’s frontrunners all season, but false-started out of the finals at the 3A West meet after clocking the state’s second-fastest time in the prelims. In his absence, freshman Kalei Smith was one of just three regional runners to break 16 seconds while sophomore brother Hayden Cragoe also produced one of the state’s faster regional times.

Both Cragoes will also take part in the high jump, where a host of regional competitors all exited the field around 5-11 last weekend. Hayden Cragoe is also among the state leaders in the triple jump and pole vault based on last week’s regional marks.

And just in case everything comes down to the closing 4x400 relay again this spring, Panther fans can feel secure in the knowledge that Powell was more than five seconds faster than any other 4x400 pairing last weekend.

“I think both teams have a good chance to be in the trophy hunt if we have good performances,” said Panther coach Scott Smith, whose team saw 75 percent of its performances last weekend result in season-best results. “We had a great meet last week, but I see room for improvement, weather permitting. We had some kids improve to a point that now they believe they really are that good, and when they compete with the added confidence, I can see some great things happening.”

As always, the weather in Casper will throw a wild card into the proceedings. Thursday’s forecast calls for summer-like temperatures before strong winds sweep into town on Friday followed by a 50 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms on Saturday. Forecast highs are likewise scheduled to nosedive from the mid-80s on the opening day of the state meet to the upper 50s for championship Saturday.

“Douglas adds a new dimension to the team race, especially on the boys’ side,” said Smith. “It will be interesting to see how it all stacks up, but on paper the West region clearly had the better performances. You really never know until you get to Casper and run there. The different atmosphere often leads to some big surprises.”

Youth track meet results

Here are the results from the Hershey’s track and field meet held May 2 in Powell. The event was sponsored by the Powell Recreation District.

Boys 9-10

50 — Jay Cox 7.97, Michael Maddox 8.27, Aiden Jacobsen 8.56, Xavier Vogel 8.91, Wyatt Herd 9.11, Trevor Groves 9.20, Isaac Peterson 10.69

100 — Michael Maddox 15.22, Aiden Jacobsen 16.59, Ethan Wardell 17.50, Trevor Groves 18.31, Wyatt Herd 18.42, Xavier Vogel 18.62

400 — Jay Cox 1:21, Dylan Cordes 1:33, Lane Franks 1:40

Standing long jump — Jay Cox 5-10, Michael Maddox 5-8, Trevor Groves 4-6, Isaac Peterson 4-4, Luke Condie 3-11

Softball throw — Ethan Wardell 91-2, Dylan Cordes 85-6, Xavier Vogel 79-0, Aiden Jacobsen 76-6, Wyatt Herd 66-0, Lane Franks 41-6

Girls 9-10

50 — Symphony Fike 7.21, Anna Kate Prestwich 8.22, Kabrie Cannon 8.51

100 — Symphony Fike 15.97, Anna Kate Prestwich 18.36

400 — Kabrie Cannon 1:42

Standing long jump — Anna Kate Prestwich 4-10

Softball throw — Symphony Fike 81-6, Kabrie Cannon 30-6

Boys 11-12

100 — Kaelan Groves 14.10, Jeremy Herd 14.57, Jacob Herd 15.30, Benjamin Jackson 15.48, Charlie Whitlock 15.51, Dacen Phister 15.53, Noah Ouellette 15.78, Brody Wells 16.22, Mikel Peterson 18.15, Ethan Peterson 19.35, Mason Stewart 19.60

200 — Brody Wells 33.90, Benjamin Jackson 34.19, Mikel Peterson 43.66, Ethan Peterson 44.40

400 — Kaelan Groves 1:18, Dacen Phister 1:19, Ryan Kolpitcke 1:29, Noah Ouellette 1:34

Standing long jump — Kaelan Groves 6-4, Brody Wells 5-3, Mikel Peterson 5-0, Nicolas Winters 4-8, Mason Stewart 3-3

Softball throw — Jeremy Herd 113-0, Jacob Herd 108-6, Dacen Phister 107-3, Noah Ouellette 102-0, Charlie Whitlock 98-4, Benjamin Jackson 87-6, Mason Stewart 81-6, Ethan Peterson 60-6, Nicolas Winters 52-8

Girls 11-12

100 — JuliaKay O’Neill 13.62, McKenna Hanson 14.25, Maddy Hanks 14.90, Kayla Kolpitcke 16.31, Lauren DeWitz 16.56, Heather Wittick 17.16

200 — Maddy Hanks 32.18, McKenna Hanson 33.25, Jasmyne Lensegrav 36.16, Heather Wittick 44.47

400 — JuliaKay O’Neill 1:16, Alyx Prescott 1:35, Sydney Horton 1:37

Standing long jump — JuliaKay O’Neill 6-2, McKenna Hanson 5-8, Lauren DeWitz 5-4, Heather Wittick 5-3, Jasmyne Lensegrav 4-8, Sydney Horton 4-3

Softball throw — Maddy Hanks 108-1, Jasmyne Lensegrav 91-2, Sydney Horton 56-3, Lauren DeWitz 48-4

Boys 13-14

100 — Hudson Roling 13.03, Garret Henderson 13.66, Brooks Asher 14.60, Braden Schiller 18.78, Isaiah Fauver 23.50

200 — Hudson Roling 28.59, Eyob Robirds 29.25, Garret Henderson 29.88, Braden Schiller 32.91

800 — Marshal Wittick 3:21, Andrew Prescott 3:26

1600 — Eyob Robirds 6:20, Marshal Wittick 7:13, Andrew Prescott 7:16, James Curtis 7:23

Softball throw — Eyob Robirds 142-6, Hudson Roling 124-2, Marshal Wittick 121-6, Garret Henderson 110-4, Brooks Asher 106-6, Isaiah Fauver 52-6

Standing long jump — Brooks Asher 6-4, James Curtis 5-8, Isaiah Fauver 4-5, Braden Schiller 4-4

Girls 13-14

100 — Aspen Aguirre 14.68, Mariah Phister 15.10, Paige Winters 15.94, Sadie Hogan 19.19

200 — Aspen Aguirre 33.63, Paige Winters 36.82, Sadie Hogan 38.28

800 — Alyx Prescott 3:40

Standing long jump — Mariah Phister 5-5, Paige Winters 5-1

Softball throw — Aspen Aguirre 64-1, Mariah Phister 62-6, Sadie Hogan 42-3.