Strong performances kicked off the year for the Powell Middle School boys’ track and field teams, as the seventh grade team won the Burlington invite by 39.5 points and the eighth grade team finished second by 17 points.

The seventh grade squad was led by Carter Gambill who won the 400 meters in 1 minute, 3.87 seconds and the high jump by clearing 4 feet, 8 inches.

One more first place finish came from Tucker McDonald who won the pole vault clearing 7-6.

The Cubs also won all three relays, as the quartet of Ryder DeBoer, Zaiden Powell, Gambill and McDonald won in 57.12, Carter Kruger, Ryder Tomash, Bret Clausen and Garrett Jolley won the 4x400 in 5:16.14 and the team of Kendall Matthews, Xander Whitlock, Tyler Cole and James Heny won the 800 sprint medley in 2:20.57.

Powell also got a host of top three finishes, including Clausen, who took second in the 200 meter hurdles (34.17) and the long jump (13-1), while Gambill took second in the 100 meters (13.44); Powell took second in the 400 meters (1:06.84) and tied for third in the high jump (4-4); McDonald took second in the high jump (4-6) and third in the 100 meter hurdles (19.82) while Sawyer Petersen took third in the shot put (23-11).

The seventh grade boys won with 158.5 points, 39.5 ahead of host Burlington which earned 119.

“The seventh grade boys had a strong debut on the track. For many, it was their first time competing in track and field, and they handled the nerves and excitement with confidence,” coach Amanda Haney said. “They showed great potential, and as they gain more experience we expect to see significant growth and improvement throughout the season.”

For the eighth grade boys, the Cubs earned four first place finishes, with all four coming from Harper Havron and Karzten Carter.

Havron claimed the top spot in the 100 meters (12.88) and the 200 meters (26.18) while Carter won the 200 meter hurdles (32.67) and the high jump (4-10).

The Cubs also got a win in the 4x400 relay, as the team of Wyatt Hill, Karson Howe, Tristen Snell and Mason Cheatham won in 5:06.95.

Powell also got an additional number of top three finishes, as Carter took second in the 100 meter hurdles (18.57); Hill tied for second in the high jump (4-6) and took third in the 800 meters (2:44.88); Cheatham took second in the pole vault (7-6) and took third in the 1600 meters (6:12.44); Snell took second in the shot put (33-0); Gentry Mixon was third in the 400 meters (1:19.17) and Morgan Rodriguez was third in the shot put (31-7).

The Cubs finished second with 119.33 points, finishing 17 points behind host Burlington, missing key athletes in the first meet of the season due to prior commitments.

“Missing several athletes due to other commitments made it difficult to reach our full scoring potential. While the eighth grade boys have the smallest roster on the team, they continuously push themselves and each other to compete at a high level,” Haney said. “Their dedication to earning points in every event is evident, and we are confident they will make strides in the coming weeks. With a full lineup, they will undoubtedly contribute even more to our overall standings.”

The short spring season will continue this weekend for the Cubs, as they will travel down to Riverton on Saturday for another invitational.

“Before heading to Riverton we are focusing on our starts, handoffs and fine tuning our field events,” Haney said. “Our goal is to help these athletes build confidence in their events and sharpen the small details that make a big impact in competition — all while adapting to the challenges of the uncooperative weather in Wyoming.”

BURLINGTON INVITE

SEVENTH GRADE

Team scores — 1. Powell 158.5, 2. Burlington 119, 3. Rocky Mountain 117, 4. Thermopolis 57.5, 5. Greybull 40.5, 6. Riverside 30, 7. Ten Sleep 27.5

100 meters — 2. Carter Gambill 13.44, 7. Ryder Tomash 15.43, 9. Tyler Cole 15.76, 25. Tanner Quinterno 19.85

200 meters — 5. Kendall Matthews 31.1, 8. Garrett Jolley 31.71

400 meters — 1. Carter Gambill 1:03.87, 2. Zaiden Powell 1:06.84, 8. Xander Whitlock 1:13.71, 10. Carter Kruger 1:20.66

800 meters — 6. Tyler Cole 3:03.4, 7. Xander Whitlock 3:04.57, 8. Carter Kruger 3:05.05, 13. Parker Rayner 3:28.14

1600 meters — 6. Tanner Quinterno 8:08.33

100 meter hurdles — 3. Tucker McDonald 19.82, 5. Tyler Cole 20.65, 7. Garrett Jolley 21.95, 9. Ryder DeBoer 22.79

200 meter hurdles — 2. Bret Clausen 34.17, 4. Ryder Tomash 36.75, 6. Zaiden Powell 37.82

4x100 relay — 1. Ryder DeBoer, Zaiden Powell, Carter Gambill and Tucker McDonald 57.12

4x400 relay — 1. Carter Kruger, Ryder Tomash, Bret Clausen and Garrett Jolley 5:16.14

800 sprint medley relay — 1. Kendall Matthews, Xander Whitlock, Tyler Cole and James Heny 2:20.57

High jump — 1. Carter Gambill 4-8, 2. Tucker McDonald 4-6, T3. Zaiden Powell 4-4, T7. Bret Clausen 4-2

Pole vault — 1. Tucker McDonald 7-6

Long jump — 2. Bret Clausen 13-1, 9. Garrett Jolley 10-11 1/2, 20. Ryder Tomash 8-5 1/4, 23. Tanner Quinterno 6-3 1/2

Triple jump — T7. Xander Whitlock 26-5, 9. Kendall Matthews 24-8

Shot put — 3. Sawyer Petersen 23-11, 10. Brady Khan 19-1

Discus — 4. Sawyer Petersen 65-0, 6. Brady Khan 58-1

EIGHTH GRADE

Team scores — 1. Burlington 136.33, 2. Powell 119.33, 3. Greybull 92.33, 4. Thermopolis 66.5, 5. Rocky Mountain 45.5, 6. Riverside 16, 7. Ten Sleep 13

100 meters — 1. Harper Havron 12.88, 8. Karzten Carter 14.26

200 meters — 1. Harper Havron 26.18, 11. Gentry Mixon 34.83

400 meters — 3. Gentry Mixon 1:19.17

800 meters — 3. Wyatt Hill 2:44.88, 5. Mason Cheatham 2:53.44

1600 meters — 3. Mason Cheatham 6:12.44

100 meter hurdles — 2. Karzten Carter 18.57

200 meter hurdles — 1. Karzten Carter 32.67

4x400 relay — 1. Wyatt Hill, Karson Howe, Tristen Snell and Mason Cheatham 5:06.95

High jump — 1. Karzten Carter 4-10, T2. Wyatt Hill 4-6

Pole vault — 2. Mason Cheatham 7-6

Long jump — T8. Harper Havron and Wyatt Hill 12-11 1/4, 14. Gentry Mixon 10-10 1/4

Triple jump — 6. Karson Howe 27-9, 9. Tristen Snell 25-8 1/2, 10. Gentry Mixon 25-0

Shot put — 2. Tristen Snell 33-0, 3. Morgan Rodriguez 31-7, 10. Andrew Walker 27-3

Triple jump — 5. Tristen Snell 80-6, 7. Morgan Rodriguez 71-0 1/2, 12. Andrew Walker 57-9 1/2