Madras is sending its 4x100 boys relay team, jumpers Andres Aguilar, Danny Easterling and Gavin Williams, plus jumper Adelynn Adams and middle distance standout Emily Picard to the state meet at Hayward Field May 17-18.
As for team competition, there was none. Crook County dominated the boys and girls scores at the Tri-Valley Conference Track & Field Championships at Gladstone May 10-11.
Crook County scored 247 points in the boys meet. The Buffalo boys finished third with 90.33 points, just behind Molalla with 92 and a hair over The Dalles with 90. Estacada was fifth and Gladstone sixth, with 72.33 and 65.33, respectively. The Cowgirls were even more impressive, scoring 251.5 points. The Dalles was second at 124, Molalla third at 92.5, Estacada had 83, Madras 75 and Gladstone 28.
Even with the deep Crook County program, MHS coach Mike Dove was very happy with the performances his athletes put forth.
"Across the board, our kids did an amazing job. We had a bunch of PRs, which was amazing for how hot it was both days," said Dove. "It was one of the better district meets that I have seen for all the of the athletes from all of the schools performing very well."
Highlighting the Buffalo boys efforts was a top-three sweep of the triple jump. Junior Andres Aguilar got off a 43-8.5 mark for the victory, the lone Buffalo to get a district title.
Danny Easterling was second with a 43-5.25 leap and Gavin Williams third with a 43-2.25. The top two finishers in each event are guaranteed a state spot. However, Williams' mark surpassed the state qualifying mark so he earned a ticket to state as well.
The Buffs' team power is in the long and triple jumps, but Crook County’s Elijah Oelkers spoiled the victory party in the triple. Oelkers, a junior, took the long jump over the three Madras challengers with a 21-8 leap. Aguilar was second to qualify for state with a 20-10.5 leap. Easterling was third at 20-5.75, good enough to earn a wildcard entry at state, and Williams fourth with a 20-0.25 mark.
Oelkers was on fire throughout the event. He was named the outstanding athlete of the meet. He won both the 110 and 300 hurdles, the long jump and was fourth behind the Madras trio in the triple jump. However, his mark was good enough to qualify for state.
The Madras 4x100 relay team found a way to qualify for the state meet. Madras has the fastest 4x100 time in the state in the 4A level this spring, but that was set when fully healthy. But Michael Picard, last year’s 100-meter district champion and a key member of the relay team, has been hampered with a hamstring injury and did not run. He was replaced by Alex Aguilar. Even without Picard, the Buffs finished second, but nearly a second behind Crook County. But that's good enough for a ticket to state. The Cowboys ran a 42.96 and Madras a 43.83. Madras had just enough to beat The Dalles, third in 44.18.
The Buffs' 4x100 team is Damian Fuentes, Andres Aguilar, Williams and Alex Aguilar.
"Alex ran the third leg and he did an amazing job of keeping our team in the race," said Dove. "They all ran amazing legs to get the baton around the track."
Dove thinks Picard will not be recovered enough to run at state, though he is going as the alternate for the 4x100 team.
Andres Aguilar also qualified for state as a wildcard in the 100 meters, where he took third. He ran a 11.30. Gabe Love, Crook County's outstanding junior, won the 100, 200 and the javelin and ran on the winning 4x100 team, broke 11 seconds with a 10.98. The Dalles freshman Dave McCracken ran a 11.22 for second. Williams was eighth in 11.65.
Other highlights for the boys at district included Easterling finishing third in the high jump, going 5-9.25. The Buffs’ freshman Diego Sedano was just on his heels in fourth place at 5-5.25.
Michael Young took fourth in the pole vault, going 11-8.5. Crook County’s Joel Rice won with a 14-6 height. Gabe Fessler of Madras was seventh at 9-11.75.
Michael Evan took fifth for Madras in the shot with a 41-1.5 mark. Freshman Theron Young was eighth in the 400 and 800.
The meet belonged to the Cowboys as they won 12 of the 17 events, and took second in all the events they didn’t win except the triple jump, where they got fourth-place points and a state qualifying effort.
Adams, Picard make state
Adelynn Adams finished second in two events at district – the high jump and the triple jump – and will compete at state in both. The junior went 4-8.75 to take second in the high jump, to Molalla’s Peyton Craven’s 5-2.25 leap. In the triple, she came up just an inch short behind Crook County standout all-around athlete Makenna Duran. Duran went 33-4 and Adams 33-3.
Adams had to absorb a no distance, though, in the long jump on Friday, an event she could have potentially qualified for state as well. Craven won the long jump with a 17-5.5 mark. June Conner of Crook County was second at 15-6. Adams’ top long jump this season was 17-05.
Emily Picard, a junior, came up just short of beating The Dalles standout Alaina Casady in the 1,500 in what was one of the most exciting races of the meet. Casady clocked a 4:59.76 and Picard was just a hair behind in 4:59.79.
"Emily had to come back to get into striking distance and it was a 100-meter sprint to the finish for both girls. It was fantastic," said Dove, who called the race one of the best girl 1,500-meter he's seen in a long time.
Picard also finished third in the 800, running a 2:26.78. Crook County’s Natalia Crass took the 800 with a 2:22.38 and Molalla’s Sonja Fischer was second at 2:22.40. Crass also won the 400, where the Buffs’ Kahmussa Green took seventh.
MHS freshman Ana Boyle just missed qualifying for state. She was third in a very tight 300-meter hurdles. Boyle finished in 55.51. Jane Rice of Crook County won in 51.23 and Liadan Stone of Estacada was second in 51.47. Boyle was also sixth in the 100 hurdles.
Talise Wapsheli capped her distance running career at MHS with a fifth-place finish in the 3,000, an event Casady won by 13 second, along with a seventh-place finish in the 1,500 at 5:28.48.
In the 100, sophomore Caylie Owens was seventh with a 13.76. Crook County’s Salma Sacco won with a 12.88.
Arema White led the Buffs in the field with a sixth-place finish in the shot put, with a 27-10.25 mark. The top throw came from Abby Behrman of Estacada going 135-6.5. White was also eighth in the discus. Kailee Mora was the lead Buff in the javelin.
Madras was a distant third in the 4x100 and fifth in the 4x400.
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