By Bill Reynolds
La Conner Community News
They each finished second, but the La Conner High boys’ and girls’ track teams were no mere also-rans at the NW2B/1B Championship Meet in Mount Vernon last Thursday.
Both fell just short of capturing league crowns.
The La Conner boys were edged 136.5-124 by Coupeville for top honors on their side of the six-school event. Host Mount Vernon Christian placed third with 94.5 points.
The Braves girls, meanwhile, trailed Mount Vernon Christian 201-180 on their team leaderboard. Coupeville, with 71 points, clinched third place.
Friday Harbor, Orcas Island and Concrete finished 4-5-6 in both the boys’ and girls’ team trials.
Flint Huizenga paced the La Conner boys with victories in the javelin and discus and a second-place effort in the shot put. Huizenga tossed the javelin 160-10 and flung the discus 137-6. His shot put heave measured 43-6.5.
Yandel Rosales-Rojas and Josh Dowry were also solo victors for the Braves boys. Rosales-Rojas took the long jump in 20-1.5 while Dowry cleared the pole vault bar at 11-0.
In the girls’ half of the meet, La Conner’s Faith Jenkins swept the 100 and 200 meter sprints, Nora McCormick captured the 100 meter hurdles, Reese Bird claimed the discus, Cecilia Keith won the high jump, and Maeve McCormick prevailed in the pole vault.
Jenkins ran a 12.6 in the 100 and was timed at 26.4 in the 200. Nora McCormick clocked a 15.2 in the 100 hurdles. Bird threw the discus 90-4. Keith cleared the high jump bar at 5-0, and Maeve McCormick went 8-6 in the pole vault.
La Conner head coach Peter Voorhees and his staff effectively entered numerous Braves thinclads in multiple events to increase team point totals. La Conner’s depth showed up in a slew of top-5 finishes.
In addition to his triumph in the boys’ long jump, Rosales-Rojas placed second in the 100 meters, fourth in the 200, and ran a leg of the Braves’ second-place entry in the 4×100 relay entry.
Vireo Angell finished second in the 300 meter hurdles, tied teammate Kale Navarrete Higgins for third in the 110 hurdles, and joined Rosales-Rojas in the 4×100. Navarrete Higgins was third in the triple jump, fourth in the 300 hurdles, and ran a leg of La Conner’s third-place 4×400 meter relay finish.
Colin Wigal placed third in the pole vault. Max Page and Keaton Bailey tied for fourth in the 100 meters, and Page followed up with a fifth place finish in the 200. Page and Bailey also took part in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays, joining Benny Allen in the latter event.
Marlin Bralens was fifth in the 110 hurdles, one of three Braves to place in the top 5 of that contest.
For the La Conner girls, Kiana Jenkins finished second in the 200 and 400 meters, was fifth in the 100, and ran a leg of the Braves second place 4×100 relay entry.
Nora McCormick was second in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the 200. Maeve McCormick placed second in the long jump, third in the 400, and fourth in the 100.
Finley Hancock added a third-place finish in the 1600 meters and teamed with Isabella Morgan, Reese Bird, and Maicy Bowles for a third-place finish in the 4×200 relay.
Reese Bird, Rory Bird, and Isabelle Villard finished 3-4-5 in the javelin. Villard and Bowles were third and fifth, respectively, in the shot put. Aisley Zimmerman was third in the pole vault, two slots ahead of Annika Keith.
Faith Jenkins finished fourth in both the 400 and long jump. Cecilia Keith (long jump), Madi Larson (triple jump), and Amelia Schwab (300 hurdles) added fifth-place finishes.
Bowles, Zimmerman, Morgan, and Schwab combined for third place in the 4×400 meter relay.
Next up for the La Conner track squads is the Bi-District 2B Championship Meet at Coupeville this Saturday. Events start at 11 a.m.
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News
