The Powell High School track and field teams used home field to their advantage Saturday at the L.A. Kohnke Invitational, winning an impressive 16 events and cruising to boys’ and girls’ team titles.

“The meet was a lot of fun; I’m really pleased,” said PHS head coach Scott Smith. “The kids did really well. When the wind came up, they competed well. We had some more state prequalifiers, and a couple more of the younger kids had breakout performances. We have a good team, we just have to keep everybody in the right place and keep improving.”

Nine teams competed at the meet, including four 3A schools.

The Panthers scored 244.50 team points, easily outdistancing runner-up Worland, which finished with 80 points. The Lady Panthers took the title in similar fashion, outscoring Tongue River 203.50 to 83.

“We had a lot of really young kids who went out and [set personal records],” Smith said, adding, “I think maybe some of them found out that they’re not out here just for fun, they can get good, and that’s fun to see.”

It’s going to be a busy week for the PHS track teams, with an invitational Thursday at Worland, followed by the Lovell Invitational Saturday.

Lady Panthers

Sabrina Shoopman paced the Lady Panthers, winning three individual events, while Maddie Hackenberg, Hailee Hyde, Cassidy Miner and Rachel Bonander also earned victories.

Shoopman took the top spot in the 100 and 300 meter hurdles, prequalifying in the latter; her third win came in the triple jump, an event she competed in for the first time ever on Saturday.

“We were looking to see what other events she [Shoopman] could do. She’s a very talented athlete,” Smith said. “So we tried it on Thursday and she looked really good. She was scared to death, but she ended up winning the thing. She’s a neat kid, she had a great meet.”

Hackenberg’s height of 8 feet, 9 inches in the pole vault was a personal best, as well as the top vault of the day. Smith said the junior continues to improve each week, culminating in a win on Saturday.

“Maddie Hackenberg improved her vault by 9 inches, and took first place in the pole vault,” he said. “That was a huge PR [personal record] for her, a big breakout performance. It’s just nice to see her come out. She works hard and is just a great kid.”

Cassidy Miner and Bonander were first and second in the shot put, respectively, while Bonander’s toss of 110 feet, 1 inch won the discus and prequalified the senior for state. Cassidy Miner finished third in the discus.

“Our throwers had a lot of good things happen,” Smith said. “They placed well. Rachel [Bonander] prequalified in the discus, and Cassidy Miner keeps improving in that event, while staying steady and winning the shot again. It was nice to see so many kids doing well in that.”

Hyde’s height of 4 feet, 8 inches was good for first place in the high jump; she earned another first in the 4x800 relay, along with teammates Hailee Paul, Elizabeth Liggett and Sidney O’Brien.

“The girls’ 4x800 relay got out and ran a pretty good time,” Smith said. “They showed that’s going to be an event that will help us out in the future.”

Powell had five of the top six finishers in the 100 hurdles, with Caitlyn Miner taking second, O’Brien third, Abigail Urbach fourth and Tegan Lovelady sixth.

Sophomore Emma Karhu had a solid day, finishing second in the 300 hurdles, third in the 200 meter dash, third in the pole vault and a first as part of the 4x400 relay team. Jaz Haney finished second in the triple jump and third in the long jump, while Caitlyn Miner was second in the 100 hurdles and fourth in the 100 meter dash.

In the distance events, Jenna Merritt was the top Lady Panther finisher in the 800 meters, placing seventh; Madelyn Horton also notched a seventh-place finish in the 1600 meters.

Kylie Kahl finished fifth in the 400 meter dash.

The Lady Panthers were again without freshman sprinter Jenna Hillman, who missed her second straight meet due to illness.

“... She just wasn’t up to running on Saturday, which is probably smart, considering what she had,” Smith said of Hillman. “So to lose that many points and still have that kind of meet, I was really impressed. There were some good teams out there, good competition. We’re not there yet, but we’re improving a lot, and that’s what I like to see.”

Panthers

On the boys’ side, the Panthers had a pair of sprinters finish in the top spot, with Kaelan Groves winning the 100 meter dash and Brody Karhu winning the 400 meter dash. Groves also placed third in the pole vault, while Karhu finished first as part of the 4x400 team, along with Cole Frank, Jay Cox and Dylan Cordes.

“Both of our 4x400 relay teams [boys and girls], I was just really impressed with them,” Smith said. “That wind was just awful and both sets ran really, really well.”

Other Panthers earning first-place honors were Dylan Preator in the 300 meter hurdles, Reece Hackenberg in the pole vault and Alan Merritt in the 3200 meter run.

The wind wreaked havoc on the pole vault, with several Panthers unable to complete the event.

“The wind was coming out of the south so we switched the pit,” Smith explained. “That lasted for about 10 minutes, then the cross wind came in; they couldn’t hold their poles steady. That west wind just didn’t help anybody.”

The Panthers also shined in relays, with the team of Tyler Pfeifer, Joey Hernandez, Ethan Bartholomew and Jayden Yates winning the 4x800. Not to be outdone, the team of Reed Smith, Landon Lengfelder, Dylan Cordes and Cox also took the top spot in the 1600 sprint medley.

“The sprint medley relay team prequalified for state, so that was great to see,” Smith said. “The guys had a really good run. I think that team is going to be fighting for a state championship when it’s all said and done.”

The Panthers took second in the 4x100 relay, behind the team of Kadden Abraham, Colby Warner, Groves and Lengfelder.

“There were a couple of handoffs we need to work on, but that was a really good time for the first time out,” Smith said. “It was pretty close to prequalifying, so that’s going to be a team that helps us out.”

In the 800 meter run, Cox found himself locked in a battle for first with Rocky Mountain’s Skyler Drewes that came down to the wire. Drewes just beat out Cox at the finish, winning by a tenth of a second. Yates earned silver in the 1600 meters, while Kadden Abraham finished second in the 110 and 300 meter hurdles.

In the field events, the Panthers couldn’t find an answer for Burlington’s Dontae Garza, who finished in the top spot in the high jump, triple jump and long jump. Powell’s Colby Warner was second in the high jump, while Preator was runner-up in the triple and long jump.

“That Garza kid from Burlington is a very, very good athlete,” Smith said. “He’s one of the best in the state in all classes.”

In the throwing events, Ryan Good was runner-up in the shot put and discus to Lovell’s Quinn Lindsay. Along with winning the pole vault, Reece Hackenberg also placed well in the discus, finishing fifth. Another thrower Smith said is coming into his own is Zeke Frankenberry, who finished fifth in the shot and sixth in the discus.

“He’s another one of those young kids who are starting to really break out,” Smith said of Frankenberry. He added that Ryan Good “is just showing great consistency.”

“Even if he had what he might consider a bad day, he still had a prequalifying throw in the shot,” the coach said of Good. “I think he has some big, big throws coming out of him in the future.”

L.A. Kohnke Invitational Results

Girls Results

100 Meter Dash

4. Caitlyn Miner 13.73, 15. Elsie Spomer 15.05, 18. Kameron French 15.08, 19. Jayden Asher 15.13, 20. Sarah Dunkerley 15.17, 31. Charlotte Wilson 15.96

200 Meter Dash

3. Emma Karhu 28.66, 10. Jayden Asher 31.78, 22. Charlotte Wilson 34.63

400 Meter Dash

5. Kylie Kahl 1:09.59, 7. Hailee Hyde 1:10.22, 11. Elisa Polson 1:12.66, 16. Charlotte Wilson 1:20.01  

800 Meter Run

7. Jenna Merritt 3:15.83, 8. Dakota Hansen 3:20.84

1600 Meter Run

7. Madelyn Horton 6:47.09, 8. Hailee Paul 6:53.37, 10. Jenna Merritt 7:11.87

100 Meter Hurdles

1. Sabrina Shoopman 16.84, 2. Caitlyn Miner 17.15, 3. Sidney O’Brien 18.17, 4. Abigail Urbach 18.28, 6. Tegan Lovelady 18.66

300 Meter Hurdles

1. Sabrina Shoopman 48.91, 2. Emma Karhu 50.68, 4. Abigail Urbach 53.51, 7. Sidney O’Brien 55.59, 9. Tegan Lovelady 59.95

4x400 Relay

1. Powell 4:31.50

4x800 Relay

1. Hailee Hyde, Hailee Paul, Elizabeth Liggett, Sidney O’Brien 11:52.46

High Jump

1. Hailee Hyde 4’8”, 3. Gabri Lundberg 4’6”,11. Kylie Kahl 4’4”, 14. Kameron French 4’2”

Pole Vault

1. Maddie Hackenberg 8’9”, 3. Emma Karhu 8’9”

Long Jump

3. Jaz Haney 14’3.25”, 8. Kaitlyn Decker 13’2”, 9. Maddie Hackenberg 13’1.75”, 13. Sarah Dunkerley 12’9.50”, 15. Elsie Spomer 12’8”, 20. Jala Satterwhite 12’.25”, 21. Charlotte Wilson 11’6”, 22. Rylee White 11’2.75”, 27. Kelly Pappenfort 9’6.50”

Triple Jump

1. Sabrina Shoopman 32’1.50”, 2. Jaz Haney 30’11”, 3. Elsie Spomer 30’6.50”, 8. Kaitlyn Decker 27’7.50”, 9. Gabri Lundberg 27’7.25”, 13. Sarah Dunkerley 26’2.75”

Shot Put

1. Cassidy Miner 33’4.5”, 2. Rachel Bonander 32’7”, 5. Reagan Thompson 29’2”, 7. Addison Braten 27’2.5”, 8. Isabella Wambeke 27’1”, 16. Crystal Emmett 24’8”, 21. Megan Good 23’4”, 23. Peyton Feller 23’3”, 26. Traci Gutierrez 22’11.5”, 28. Kaylee Stewart 22’6”, 33. Alissa Staidle 21’8”, 34. Hannah Saville 20’4”, 35. Whitney Jones 20’2”

Discus Throw

1. Rachel Bonander 110’1”, 3. Cassidy Miner 101’5”, 9. Hannah Saville 77’, 12. Addison Braten 74’1”, 17. Traci Gutierrez 68’7”, 18. Isabella Wambeke 68’1”, 20. Alissa Staidle 66’6”, 21. Regan Thompson 65’3”, 23. Kaylee Stewart 64’4”, 28. Whitney Jones 57’8”, 29. Peyton Feller 57’5”, 32. Megan Good 56’3”, 36. Crystal Emmett 43’4”

Girls’ Team Standings

1. Powell 203.50, 2. Tongue River 83, 3. Worland 73, 4. Rocky Mountain 56.50, 5. Thermopolis 54.50, 6. Lovell 50, 7. Ten Sleep 44.50, 8. Meeteetse 30, 9. Burlington 23

Boys Results

100 Meter Dash

1. Kaelan Groves 11.73, 5. Landon Lengfelder 12.13, 20. Evan Habaeck 12.92, 21. Hunter James 12.95, 22. Kalen Sapp 12.98, 22. Kaden Salas 12.98, 28. Geordan Weimer 13.61

200 Meter Dash

4. Cole Frank 25.58, 12. Kaden Salas 26.42, 17. Evan Habaeck 27.22, 18. Kalen Sapp 27.41, 19. Joe Rogers 27.50

400 Meter Dash

1. Brody Karhu 52.69, 3. Cole Frank 54.93, 8. Joe Rogers 59.46,  9. Ben Whitlock 1:00.08, 10. Kyler Warren 1:00.78, 11. Dylan Escalante 1:00.98, 12. Caiden Gehrts 1:01.98

800 Meter Run

2. Jay Cox 2:03.76, 10. Isaac Summers 2:23.33, 11. Dylan Cordes 2:27.25, 12. Ben Whitlock 2:29.25, 13. Jace Bohlman 2:34.30, 14. Riley McKeen 2:39.23

1600 Meter Run

2. Jayden Yates 4:47.96, 4. Alan Merritt 4:59.79, 6. Aiden Jacobsen 5:07.73, 8. Tyler Pfeifer  5:13.78, 9. Joey Hernandez 5:14.37, 10. Ethan Bartholomew 5:15.15, 13. Isaac Summers 5:27.48, 14. Jace Bohlman 5:31.20, 16. Dylan McEvoy 5:35.69, 17. Riley Schiller 5:46.85, 20. Riley McKeen 5:55.63

3200 Meter Run

1. Alan Merritt 11:05.83

110 Meter Hurdles

2. Kadden Abraham 18.34, 5. Jacob Hieb 18.96, 6. Eli Weimer 20.43, 8. Brent Childers 21.24, 9. Thallen Sessions 22.15

300 Meter Hurdles

1. Dylan Preator 44.61, 2. Kadden Abraham 45.53, 5. Brent Childers 50.76, 6. Eli Weimer 53.87, 7. Thallen Sessions 54.13

4x100 Relay

2. Kadden Abraham, Colby Warner, Kaelan Groves, Landon Lengfelder 46.27

4x400 Meter Relay

1. Cole Frank, Jay Cox, Dylan Cordes, Brody Karhu 3:41.74, 3. Joe Rogers, Dylan Preator, Aidan Jacobsen, Kadden Abraham 4:14.69

1600 Sprint Medley

1. Reed Smith, Landon Lengfelder, Dylan Cordes, Jay Cox 3:49.19

High Jump

2. Colby Warner 6’4”, 7. Cole Frank 5’6”, 15. Eli Weimer 5’

Pole Vault

1. Reece Hackenberg 11’4”, 3. Kaelan Groves 11’4”, 4. Reed Smith 10’10”

Long Jump

2. Dylan Preator 19’2.25”, 5. Landon Lengfelder 18’6.5”, 11. Tyler Lynn 16’8.5”, 18. Bryce Hogan 15’8.5”, 20. Dylan Escalante 15’7”, 24. Kalen Sapp 14’10.75”, 28. Colton Decker 14’1.75”

Triple Jump

2. Dylan Preator 41’3.5”, 4. Dalton Woodward 39’5.5”, 10. Dylan Escalante 36’3”, 13. Kyler Warren 32’10”, 16. Tyler Lynn 31’4”, 17. Colton Decker 30’9.25”

Shot Put

2. Ryan Good 46’10.5”, 5. Zeke Frankenberry 41’7.5”, 6. Toran Graham 39’, 8. Carson Olsen 38’, 9. Geordan Weimer 37’, 11. Lane Shramek 36’7”, 12. Weston Moore 36’5.5”, 13. Mark Pappenfort 35’3”, 17. Zach Griffin 33’4”, 23. Andy Beavers 31’4”, 25. Nate Belmont 30’11”, 26. Isaac Gutierrez 30’6”, 28. Sam Belmont 29’, 29. Kaden Salas 28’10”, 32. Tanner Moore 27’5”, 34. Josh Wright 25’11”

Discus Throw

2. Ryan Good 143’1”, 5. Reece Hackenberg 127’4”, 6. Zeke Frankenberry 123’10”, 10. Toran Graham 106’2”, 11. Geordan Weimer 103’10”, 13. Canyon Gonzales, 102’, 14. Isaac Gutierrez 96’1”, 16. Lane Shramek 94’9”, 17. Mark Pappenfort 94’8”, 21. Nate Belmont 91’8”, 22. Andy Beavers 90’11”, 23. Jaxton Braten 90’1”, 25. Hunter Mayes 89’6”, 26. Tanner Moore 87’9”, 28. Zach Griffin 85’7”, 31. Weston Moore 75’11”, 38. Josh Wright 66’9”

Boys’ Team Standings

1. Powell 244.50, 2. Worland 80, 3. Burlington 79, 4. Lovell 73, 5. Rocky Mountain 63, 6. Tongue River 49, 7. Thermopolis 47, 8. Ten Sleep 8, 9. Meeteetse 6.50