Bowman, Goodson Discover Some Gold Juniors Capture Firsts In State Track Championships

Caleb Bowman of Sandpoint won the state track event he figured he had the best chance of winning after finishing second in the shortest sprint final.

Annie Goodson of Kootenai fell short of defending her title in the high jump, but rebounded to capture gold in her newest event, the 400 meters.

Bowman and Goodson, both juniors, were the lone winners Saturday from the Panhandle in the 80th high school track and field championships at Boise State University’s Ed Jacoby Track.

Several other area athletes collected medals.

Bowman, who qualified for state last year in the 100 and 200 but didn’t make the finals out of his heats, took on Capital speedster K.J. West in two of the speediest finals of the A-1 meet.

They squared off first just minutes into the morning session in the 100. Bowman broke out of the blocks quickly and led for nearly 70 meters.

West darted ahead by seemingly no more than an inch, crossing the finish line in 11.04 seconds. Bowman was .08 behind.

Bowman exacted revenge about two hours later in the 200.

Bowman got a great start out of the blocks, and the quick start helped him hold off West’s charge in the final 20 meters.

Bowman clocked 22.27 to West’s 22.30.

“I definitely got him on a lean at the end,” Bowman said. “I just blew him on the corner. It feels good to get him. He’s a lot stronger than me at the finish line. But I felt really good in the corner.”

Goodson opened the morning in the A-4 high jump and she finished in tears. She cleared the same height (5-2) as Erin Wells of Oakley, but Wells was awarded gold because of fewer misses.

They both missed at 5-4, but Wells made 5-2 on her first attempt and it took Goodson two tries.

Earlier in the week, Goodson jumped 5-3 during a practice in the gym. Her previous best effort in the gym was 5-0.

“I’m really disappointed, but I guess it could have been worse,” Goodson said. Things didn’t get better, either. She struggled to sixth in the 100.

But following a break, Goodson earned gold in the 400, an event she didn’t compete in until this spring. Her winning time was 1:00.5.

She followed that later in the meet with a second in the 200. Her time of 26.9 was five-tenths behind winner Kim Smith of Raft River, who also won the 100.

“I’m liking the 400 more and more,” Goodson said, as a smile wiped away the earlier frustration.

Lewiston’s boys collected state titles in the 400 and 800 relays.

“You don’t see too many teams double in those relays,” Lewiston coach Wade Hillman said.

The Bengals’ baton exchanges in both victories were textbook.

With Brad Rice anchoring both relays, Lewiston captured the 400 in 43.41 and the 800 in a school-record time of 1:29.86.

Rice teamed with Josh Wilund, Rick McCrery and Colin Jasper in the 800 and Wilund, McCrery and Darren Mohr in the 400.

Lewiston had to make a lastminute change Friday evening in the 800 when freshman sprinter Mike Rogers had to be pulled from two races because of a blister the size of a golf ball on the ball of his foot.

So Bengal coaches took the new relay alignment to Borah High for practice.

“That was outstanding,” Hillman said. “They bonded together well today.”

There were other notable efforts.

Brenda Nipp of Coeur d’Alene finished second for a second straight year in the 400 as she posted a personal best (57.97).

“It’s one of the fastest 400 finals they’ve had at state in a while,” Nipp said.

Nipp also placed fifth in the 100 and 200. Post Falls’ Jennifer Swanstrom was sixth in both races.

CdA sophomore Kira Thompson took fourth in the 800 (2:22.57); the Sandpoint girls 400 relay finished fourth (51.5); Sandpoint sophomore Nicole Maloney was sixth in the 1,600 (5:21.12); and CdA’s 1,600 girls relay team placed fourth (4:05.3).

Kellogg’s Steve Sanderson finished third in the 300 hurdles (40.95). He was in second before tripping on the final hurdle.

In a correction of results inaccurately reported by state officials, Sandpoint’s Justin Boeck finished third in the discus (153-8), not Post Falls’ Austin Lee. Lee took fourth (153-2).

Priest River’s Missy Ennis shouldn’t have competed Saturday after suffering heat stroke Friday. But her coaches couldn’t convince her to scratch from her two events Saturday.

Ennis took third in the 400 (1:00.48) and was seventh in the 100.

Moscow’s Rachel Drury won the pole vault (9-0); Kellogg’s Alecia Derbyshire was second in the shot (37-6); and St. Maries’ Jeremy Badgett took third in the 800 (2:00.27).

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: TEAM CHAMPIONS Here are the state champions from all four divisions: A-1 - Twin Falls (boys), Lewiston took third; Eagle (girls). A-2 - Jerome (boys); Emmett (girls). A-3 - Grangeville (boys); Firth (girls). A-4 - Raft River (boys and girls). Kootenai’s girls were tied for third going into the final event, the 1,600 relay. But Carey (which won the relay) and Nampa Christian jumped ahead of Kootenai and dropped the Warriors out of a trophy spot into fifth. The top four teams receive trophies.