Peterson Anchors St. George’s Title Run

B track

Until the final jump, the Ritzville girls held the edge on St. George’s.

Before the final handoff, Ritzville still held the advantage.

Yet Chrissy Peterson of St. George’s and a one-girl wrecking crew named Jill Pimley provided the differences Saturday as Peterson’s Dragons won their first State B track and field championship.

Every point counted, as St. George’s scored 53 and Ritzville 52 at Eisenhower High.

The Dragons’ final 10 points came in the last event at sun-baked Zaepfel Stadium. Peterson, running anchor for the 1,600-meter relay team, took the baton in second place, behind Springdale and anchor Cindy Swiger. Peterson quickly made up ground and had the necessary sprint for a first-place finish in 4 minutes, 12.95 seconds. Springdale clocked 4:16.14.

Second place for the Dragons’ relay would have given Ritzville the title. The Broncos also would have won with some luck in the long jump, the final field event.

Ritzville’s Robin Phipps led the long jump at 16-10 1/2, with defending champion Pimley of Klickitat down to her final attempt. Pimley, the 300 hurdles and triple jump champ, bounded 17-1 1/4 on her last try, taking away from Ritzville another two team points.

“We didn’t know if we had this sort of chance,” said Peterson, a senior who had part in five state titles (team and individual).

Defending champ St. John-Endicott was fifth with 41 points, three fewer than Klickitat.

The Pimley of the boys meet was Republic junior Morgan Chase, who was responsible for 34 of the Tigers’ 37 points. Republic finished third. Chase won the 110 and 300 hurdles, finished second in the 200 and third in the 100.

Tacoma Baptist won the boys title with 49 points.

Girls

The day’s first two events also cost Ritzville.

Phipps ran a meet-record 15.42 Friday in the 100 hurdles preliminaries. But the race that counted, the final, went to defending champ Tricia Lamb of SJE in 15.66. Phipps managed a runner-up 15.87.

Minutes later, the Broncos’ Katie Phipps led the 100 until the final few feet, when she inexplicably lost control of her legs. Her delay allowed Dayton’s Melissa Simmons to speed by and defend her title, in 12.91. Phipps ran 13.0.

Phipps later won the 200 in 26.05, then joined sister Robin on the second-place 800 relay team (1:49.89).

But St. George’s, third in the 800 relay, was piling up points everywhere on the track. Edie DeNiro took the lead on the final lap and won the 1,600 in 5:26.90; Peterson (45.5) trailed only Pimley in the 300 hurdles; and Dawn Trowbridge, a track newcomer, took second in the 400 (59.84) and fifth in the 200 (27.1).

“I figured Dawn would do great,” said Peterson, “and Edie is one of the most determined people I know.”

“I had no idea I had a chance to win until 200 yards were left,” said DeNiro, the state cross country champion. “Track is kind of boring … but, then again, the crowd is kind of nice.”

Valley Christian, the 10th-place team with 26 points, picked up 10 for winning the 400 relay (51.64) and eight when Danielle Swift took second in the discus at 108 feet, 2 inches.

Boys

Nobody could give chase to Chase in the hurdles. He won the 110 by almost one-half second, in 14.67, then eased up in the 300 (40.10) to save gas for his last event, the 200.

Raymond’s Jesse Buchanan, the 100 champ, outkicked Chase in the 200, 22.93 to 23.1.

“I was just lucky to get in,” said the Republic junior. “The guy who beat me, I knew he was going to. But that’s no problem. This is the best meet I’ve ever had.”

Buchanan’s 11.56 won the 100. Chase and Crescent’s Tim Cory ran 11.58, but Cory was awarded second on his lean.

The day’s other local winner, Lex Katich of Wilbur-Creston, had an adventure in the pole vault. Using a pole he borrowed from Odessa, Katich was attempting a meet-record 14-5 when the implement exploded. Katich crashed violently on his left elbow and thought he had a broken bone. Minutes later, although bothered by a sprained ankle, he tried 14-5 again. He settled for a winning 14-3.

“I like to do things that give me a rush,” said the Wildcats junior. “That (pole snapping) was the ultimate.”

Springdale was fourth with 31 points, led by Mits Bryant’s fourth-place 10:10.0 in the 3,200.