Ramping up the competition schedule – in weather that wasn’t exactly conducive to great times, Sweet Home’s track and field team still managed to improve last week in meets at Woodburn and Junction City.
“I think they’re just starting to peak at the right time,” Coach Nathan Whitfield said. “Things are starting to click.”
Junior Mason Lopez had a big week in the javelin, throwing a personal-best 161-3 Wednesday, April 27, at Woodburn, then following that up with another PR on Saturday, finishing second in the 19-team Junction City Invitational with a throw of 167-1, the top throw in the league by 17 feet as of Monday.
The Markell sisters, sophomore Rylee and freshman Peyton, continued to improve their times in the distance events, in which Sweet Home has been well back in the pack, if representative at all, hitherto this season.
Peyton Markell posted a nearly 27-second PR in the 1500 at Woodburn, running 6:24, then sliced another seven seconds off at Junction City with a 6:17.18, while Rylee Markell won the 1500 at Woodburn with a 20-second PR of 5:51.94, then sliced off another four seconds at Junction City.
Peyton Markell also had a big day in the javelin at Woodburn, wining the event with a 7-foot PR of 83-1.
Meanwhile, freshman Beatrice Reeve also showed some big improvements in the long jump, with a 1½ -foot PR of 13-3 at Woodburn, then upping that to 13-3¾ at Junction City.
On the boys side, freshman Dylan Sharp posted a 3½-foot PR in the shot at Woodburn (34-10) to place fourth in that event, and followed that up with an 85-7 in the javelin at that meet, an 8-foot personal best.
The boys short relay team of Conner Stevens, Dakota Seiber, Von James and Charles Crawford posted their best time of the season at Junction City to finish fifth in 46.15 – the second-fastest time in the league behind Woodburn’s 45.84, posted at their meet.
Senior Charley Crawford won the shot at Junction City with a throw of 41-1, just short of the PR he’d thrown three days before at Woodburn – 41-8., which puts him in a tight competition for the third-best throw in the Oregon West League.
Whitfield said it’s taken time for the Huskies to find their stride.
“Even our upperclassmen have had 1½ track seasons before this,” he said. “They’re still figuring out how track works, how they can best compete.
“They’re all starting to click at the right time. We have two more weeks to go to put it all together.”
Sweet Home is hosting its next two meets, because coaches have decided not to go to the Wally Ciochetti Invitational Friday in Cottage Grove, which would have been the Huskies’ fourth meet in 10 days.
Instead, they will simply host the Last Chance Meet at 3:30 p.m. on May 3, which gives smaller schools a chance to compete at Husky Field. Newport, Cascade and Stayton will represent the 4A competition and the lower divisions will be represented by Alsea, Amity, East Linn Christian, Grandview Christian, North Clackamas Christian, Oregon School for the Deaf, Santiam, Waldport and Willamina. Field events start at 3:30 p.m.
Junior varsity athletes will compete in the OWC JV Districts Monday, May 9, which gives them a last chance to do something big to get into the varsity districts, which will be held at Sweet Home May 13-14.