NC, EV lead pack

PASCO – North Central and East Valley took the same route and got the same result, but they had vastly different races.

NC steamrolled the field, piling up 69 points Saturday to win the State 3A girls track championship at Edgar Brown Stadium.

EV’s boys had to scratch and claw for every point before pulling out the boys championship in the last event on John Crawford Track. The Knights scored 46 points for a four-point edge over Shorecrest and a Greater Spokane League sweep. The 1,600-meter relay decided a meet that had five teams within six points.

What made the two results so similar, however, is that basis for the team championships was on team.

“We brought a dozen kids here. How many times do you come to state with 12 kids?” EV coach Dave McCarty said. “And 11 scored, that’s a pretty good percent. Like I said after the GSL championship, it was a team effort.

NC, which finished a close second last year, had 12 girls in 10 events and every one scored.

“This was their goal all along,” NC coach Darrin Nelson said. “Their goal was to get back and win it. They thought they should have won it last year.”

The team title was only the third for GSL girls in track and was the third team title in NC history. The Indians won cross country in 2001 and volleyball in 1995.

Cheney picked up two individual champions in Bob Wilske (shot put) and Tyreil Poosri (300 hurdles) and both contributed a small part to EV’s title.

Girls

There’s almost no way to describe everything the NC girls accomplished.

Anna Walters was the workhorse. She placed second in the 400, lowering her school record to 57.13 seconds; third in the 200 (25.67); anchored the 400 relay to a critical second place (49.55); and anchored the fourth-place 800 relay (1:45.68).

“I’m pleased, I can walk off with a smile,” Walters said. “It’s not the ultimate. I was hoping for that comeback story.”

The 400 relay was the most impressive considering top team threats Issaquah and Rainier Beach had faster qualifying times. But the Indians quartet that included sophomores Kara Egland, Katelyn Fiorillo and junior Maneshaia Bruton finished second to Highline, all but deciding the team race.

“I didn’t doubt we could win it, but I didn’t know we would win it,” said Nelson, a NC alum in his eighth season as coach. “Like any coach, until we scored our 60th point I was chewing my fingernails off.”

Those points came when seniors Kendall Mays and Krista Hoffman went 2-4 in the pole vault, both PRs by 6 inches. Hoffman cleared 11-6 and Mays became the first Spokane prep to go 12-0.

“I told you,” Mays said. “I wanted to win and have our team get that 10 points, but I did PR – which was my goal.”

Mary Graesser finished fifth in the 1,600 (5:07.04). Mallorie Frieske joined Egland, Fiorillo and Walters on the 800 relay.

Boys

EV followed NC’s lead, but there weren’t a lot of PRs, which made things dicey.

“Honestly, when you look back, I thought we had a stronger team last year,” McCarty said.

“I think it’s awesome, but I don’t think we competed as well as we could have,” said senior Tyler Jolley, who was fourth in shot put. “But we pulled through.”

EV had a workhorse senior in sprinter Anthony Laborin.

He was third in the 400 (49.68), fourth in the 200 (23.05) and anchored the fourth-place 400 relay (43.08), but his best work came in the 1,600 relay.

Entering the final event, EV had 38 points, favorite Shorecrest 32 and contender Renton 34. West Valley-Yakima was done with 41 and Columbia River had 40 1/2. The Knights needed to be fourth for five points, assuming a Shorecrest win.

EV was fifth with 200 meters to go, but Laborin brought the baton home in second (3:23.20).

“I thought I could win something today, but I didn’t come through,” Laborin said. “I’m glad to be able to help the team win the championship since I couldn’t get one myself. That was worth it.”

Cheney’s Wilske was angry after scratching on all three throws in the discus Friday. He opened Saturday’s shot put with a winner of 60-6 1/2, then he went off to high jump.

“I just felt good the whole time since I got here Thursday,” he said. “I warmed up good. Most of my warm-ups were 60. I figured today was the day.”

Poosri’s win was big because he beat WV-Yakima’s Jarom Smith, who beat him last week.

“That was pretty motivating,” Poosri said after running 38.81. “When I look up, he’s already done and he’s celebrating. I wanted that to be me.”

Smith had also won the 110s earlier in the day while Poosri was fourth despite a PR of 14.85.