CV, EV victorious

At the 50th Mooberry Relays, it took two or more to tangle Saturday.

The emphasis at the annual meet is on team. Most individual events combined the marks of two teammates for a relay outcome, and most of the running events were relays.

On a day with a stiff westerly wind that never abated, the Central Valley boys won despite not having an individual with the best time, throw or jump in any event. The Bears finished with 75 points, Mead was runner-up with 65.5 and Deer Park took third with 51.

The East Valley girls had one overall individual champ as the Knights were victorious with 75 points. Mead and CV tied for second with 61 each.

CV’s boys and girls won the combined team title with 136. Mead was second (126.5) and EV was third (111).

Boys

Not only did CV not win an individual event, the Bears didn’t win a relay either.

Grayson Sykes had the best individual finish for CV, taking second in the 300-meter hurdles.

In the 6,400 relay, CV’s Briton Demars, Caleb Nicholls, Spencer Jensen and Austin Seely combined to finish second in 19 minutes, 46.85 seconds behind NC’s Austin Frostad, Colin Kubik, Oliver Reed and Isaac Kitzan (18:30.80).

In the sprint medley, CV’s Justin Fayant, Miguel Gonzalez, A.J. Knudsen and Sykes teamed to take second (3:46.70) behind Deer Park’s Jade Wilson, Jaric Dehart, Daniel Amann and Luke Springfield (3:38.53).

“It came down to depth,” CV coach Chuck Bowden said. “We have a lot of young kids. Our sophomore class is loaded. We’re starting to see the kids emerge. We’re better than we realized, and we did it on the day of the prom.”

Damon Unland of Ferris was a three-event winner, capturing the male outstanding athlete of the meet award for a second straight year.

Unland was victorious in the three throws – discus (189 feet, 2 inches), shot put (56-5) and hammer (164-4).

Carson Murray of Rogers, a double-winner last week at the Pasco Invitational in the high jump and triple jump, got so preoccupied with the high jump that he didn’t have time to compete in the triple jump.

He was perfectly fine with it, though. After breaking the school record in the high jump last week, he took it up another inch Saturday when he vaulted 6-8.

Murray, Cole Jensen of Shadle Park and defending 3A state champ Eddie Gonzalez of University waged an entertaining battle. Murray and Jensen each cleared 6-6 on their final attempts while Gonzalez missed.

On his first try at 6-8, Murray cleared easily. Jensen missed three times.

The bar was raised to 6-10 and Murray appeared to have cleared it on his first two attempts only to brush it off with his leg.

Murray changed his approach at 6-6 and 6-8.

“I had to attack it,” Murray said. “That gave me the confidence to make the jumps.”

Girls

Brittany Dugger was EV’s lone individual winner as she prevailed in the 100 hurdles (15.26).

The Knights’ Darbi Dobson and Elisha Allred combined to win the discus as Dobson threw a season-best 122-10.

Dobson threw a season-best 40-1 in the shot to combine with Sierra Nalder to place second.

“We’re throwing 120 consistently,” Dobson said of herself and Allred in the discus. “I was hoping I could pop a big one. It’s there. I just have to prove it. I’ve been throwing 140 in practice.”

EV coach Shane Toy was pleased with how his Knights performed all week. EV knocked off preseason favorite Cheney on Thursday to remain unbeaten in Great Northern League duals.

The Knights’ previous best finish at Mooberry was third in 2009.

“Our goal was to get in the top three,” Toy said. “We’re really balanced top to bottom. This is special because we’re the little guy in 2A coming in here. I couldn’t be more proud of the girls.”

Courtney Hutchinson of Mead repeated as the meet’s outstanding female athlete.

Hutchinson was a double winner, throwing the discus a personal best 126-8 and the shot a season-best 46-5½.