East Valley track will miss sprinter Rodrick Fisher

There was a buzz working its way through track fans when it was announced last year that East Valley football standout Rodrick Fisher was awarded an extra year of high school eligibility.

Yes, he was still a wide receiver recruit with the Washington State Cougars. But he had a stellar track season a year ago and the thought of what he might accomplish with another year of both training and experience was intoxicating.

But after playing football in the fall, Fisher enrolled at Washington State in January and is now taking part of spring football drills with the Cougars.

East Valley boys track coach Brandon Blize put it simply.

“I sure wish I had him one more year,” he said.

Last year, his first and only full season running track, Fisher won state titles in the 100 meters (running 10.49 seconds) and the 200 (21.27). And, with Isaiah Ervin, Matt Mason and Andre Moundir, finished second in the 400 relay (43.45).

It’s not unusual for football players to turn out for track in an effort to find more speed. Few, however, find as much success as Fisher did.

Not only did Fisher win the Class 2A state titles in his two events, he had the fastest times in those events in any classification. Hanford’s Joseph Gauthier matched his personal best time of 10.46 seconds in the 100. Fisher ran that at the Great Northern League District meet; Gauthier did it at the state meet.

Cheney’s Charles Johnson is the primary beneficiary of Fisher’s change of address and change of sport.

The Cheney sprinter was second to Fisher all season long and returns for his senior season and has already run 10.87 in the 100 and 21.84 in the 200.

The Blackhawks are loaded with quality sprinters and will be a state force in the sprint relay. Already this spring Carson Brown has a personal record 22.85 and Peyton Putney 23.14 in the 200 meters.

West Valley is quick as well. Jake Jordan and Kobin Carver turned in 11.33 and 11.59 times in the 100 at the West Valley Invitational meet. While Cheney already has five 200 meter runners with faster times, Garrett Morton (24.59) and Jordan (24.92) are both Top 10 GNL times.

The biggest surprise thus far this spring has been Cheney freshman Cole Omlin, who cleared a state-best 6 feet 5 inches at a dual meet with East Valley. He’s also jumped 42.95 in the triple jump, putting him among the top 10 in the state already in that event. And his 21-2 mark in the long jump is a league-best 11-inches better than his nearest GNL challenger.

Once you get to the middle distances, the rest of the GNL catches up to Cheney. West Valley’s Jordan and Morton rank No. 3 and No. 4 in the league at 400 meters (52 seconds and 52.80, respectively).

Pullman’s Aron James is the only league runner with a sub-two-minute time in the 800, but East Valley’s Hunter Reynolds is a close second at 2:02.33.

Reynolds is 10 seconds off the league-best time of 4:28.00 in the 1,600 and West Valley has three runners in the top six. The Eagles also have three runners chasing Pullman’s Eliason Kabasenche league-best time in the 3,200 (10:09.64).

East Valley’s hurdlers Ervin and Joshua Morales are among the league leaders in both the 110 and 300 hurdles.

East Valley’s Nathan Allred’s 48 feet 4 inches in the shot is the fifth-best mark in Class 2A and it is the league-best mark, although Dawltin Phillips of Clarkston has thrown a personal-best 48-0.25.

Jacob McGourin of Cheney has already thrown 170-11, a league-best by more than 18 feet. Allred has thrown 152-7 in the discus to rank 5th in Class 2A.

In Class 4A, Mead has turned in the majority of Greater Spokane League marks.

Central Valley’s Grant Hannan ran a personal best 51.96 at the Eastmont Invitational, a mark that ranks second only to Ferris’ Preston O’Neil, who ran 51.27 at at the West Valley Invite.

O’Neil ran under two minutes in the 800 at the same meet, the fastest time in the event. CV’s Joey Nicholls and Will Grassel have times of 2:00.61 and 2:01.89, respectively.

University distance specialist Jacob Easton ran 4:25.96 in the 1,600 at West Valley to set the GSL standard. CV’s Ryan Kline and Gabe Romney are close on his heels at 4:26.91 and 4:27.43, respectively.

Romney has the league best mark so far in the 3,200 at 9:29.72.

CV has the state’s best mark in the 4x400 relay (3:29.37) with Brandt Gunning, Grassel, Mason and Hannan.

Bradley Fillis has the league best mark in the shot (46-5) and Luke Davis of U-Hi threw a personal best 142-10 to hold the league lead in the discus.

The high jump figures to be a seasonlong battle. Mason cleared 6-2, but Mead senior Pierce Christensen has cleared 6-4 and sophomore teammate Josh Allen has cleared a personal record 6-3. Ferris senior Michael Ervin has gone a personal best 6-7. The state leader, Tyler Cronk of Kentridge has cleared 7-0.