Two teams compete due to cold, wind and rain

CODY — Due to extravagant weather on Friday, the Cody Trackstravaganza meet in Cody wasn’t what it should have been.

Harsh winds, sub-40 temperatures and rain highlighted the afternoon track meet which featured only Cody and Powell after several other teams dropped out because of the conditions.

Because of the weather and lack of competition, several events featured a handful of runners, or just one team all together. Many Panthers sat out of events they’d usually compete in as a precautionary measure.

PHS head coach Scott Smith said that given the circumstances, his team attacked the meet like a glorified practice in preperation for this weekend’s Class 3A Star Valley Regional in Afton.

“The big thing was the weather wasn’t cooperative. We would’ve had more teams if it wasn’t for the weather,” he said. “This time of year, it’s nice to get a good meet in, but you’re really just trying to fine tune things. So this was just one last chance to pre-qualify.”

Aside from the weather, the biggest news from the orange and black was the return of Kalei Smith. The senior had been sidelined since the beginning of the season with soreness in both knees, but he returned to action Friday in a big way.

He pre-qualified for state in the 110-meter hurdles while also getting his feet wet in the high jump, long jump and 4x100 relay. Tightness in his backside and soreness in his knees limited him in the high and long jumps, but Smith said he was happy to be back.

“It’s fun, I like track a lot, bit it’s disappointing because I expect more out of myself,” Smith said. “The nagging injuries ... it could hold me back from doing what I know I can at regionals and state, but I’m just going to do my best.

“I’m just going to work a lot harder the next couple of weeks to be the best I can be in the short amount of time I have.”

Regional action begins at noon Friday with preliminary races followed by some finals competition. The meet will resume at 9 a.m. Saturday. Coach Smith said he and his athletes will not be worried about team scores, and are only looking at the bigger picture — state in Casper.

“We’re just going to get as many medals and state qualifiers as we can, and worry about the team scores at the end,” he said. “It is going to be exciting. I think the way we’ve competed all year, some of these kids that have been sitting 15th or 16th in the rankings, I get the feeling some of them might break through and get into the top eight.

“We’re just going to continue doing what we’ve done all year and I think we’ll be OK.”