Kootenai 4Th, Thanks To Dooney

Small-schools track

The question was obvious, but the answer wasn’t.

Tana Dooney of Kootenai was asked how she was going to celebrate her State A-4 800-meter championship.

Did she say: A) She’s going to Disneyland. Or B) She’s going miniature golfing.

If you guessed A you’re wrong.

Kootenai coach Shannon LaFountain made a bet with her team. If anyone won a state title or if the team captured a trophy, she’d throw them a party.

Dooney secured the party when the sophomore pulled away to victory in the 800 in a personal-best time of 2 minutes, 20.93 seconds as the 83rd high school track and field championships concluded Saturday at Boise State University’s Bronco Stadium.

It was one of four medals for Dooney. In the next-to-last event, she took second in the 1,600 (5:33.33).

In the final race, Dooney ran the anchor leg on the runner-up 1,600 relay (4:16.98). On Friday she helped the medley take third.

Minutes before it was officially announced, Dooney and teammates learned that they had finished fourth. The top four teams earn trophies.

The Warriors began jumping around and celebrating. By her reaction one would have thought the team trophy was more important than the state title for Dooney.

She didn’t hesitate when asked.

“I like the team (trophy) more than the individual things,” said Dooney, who teamed with her sister, Katy, the team’s lone senior, and Sarah Anderson and Tess Collins in the 1,600 relay.

It’s believed to be Kootenai’s first trophy in girls track. The Warriors finished with 44 points. Raft River captured its fourth straight title with 101.

“We’ve been close before, something like three or four points away from a trophy,” LaFountain said. “The exciting thing about this is we’re only going to get stronger. All eight of the girls we brought to state scored for us.”

Tana Dooney felt the support of her team as she captured her individual gold.

“I had some real doubts,” Dooney said. “I was really scared, but my team was there for me. They really supported me.”

Collins provided key team points in the 200 and 400. She took fifth in both races.

Raft River also captured its fourth consecutive boys title, finishing with 82 points.

Zach Penney of Wallace took second in the A-3 400, finishing in a personal-best time of 50.58.

Moments before his 400, Penney ran the third leg on Wallace’s defending state champion 400 relay. The Miners took fourth (45.28).

“It took a little bit out of me, but it was also a warmup for the 400,” Penney said of the relay. “I’m not disappointed (with second). It was my PR (personal record) so I can’t be disappointed.”

Penney placed fourth in the 200 (23.23). Teammate Craig Zanetti, who was on the title-winning 400 relay last year, took fourth in the 100 (11.46).

In A-4 boys, Ben Danforth of Falls Christian captured three medals. He took fourth in the 200 (23.77), fifth in the 100 (11.5) and ran a leg on the Eagles’ 400 relay (46.37), which took fifth.

FCA’s Russ Baker finished fifth in the 300 hurdles (42.88) and Tyler Carrico of Mullan was sixth in the 800 (2:07.42).