Cheney takes two
If you think a track meet looks like organized confusion, you’re right.
When Cheney and West Valley squared off for the Great Northern League championship at WV on Thursday afternoon, it appear the boys meet would come down to the 1,600-meter relay.
It didn’t, but that didn’t diminish the excitement of the day.
Sky-high after Tim Pring carried his relay team to the finish line first, first-year West Valley coach Vic Wallace was almost as jubilant when he congratulated Cheney coach Todd Hering when he found out the Blackhawks prevailed 74-71.
“That’s it,” Wallace said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”
“I scored it three different ways,” Hering said. “I thought it would come down to the 4x4. I’m glad it didn’t.
“I thought it would be a down year because we graduated so many points, but halfway through the season I knew this was a special team.”
The Blackhawks girls had a much easier team, defeating WV 90-59, in part because the Eagles were without a big-point producer in hurdler-high jumper Melissa Mauro, out with a bad back.
“We were just too thin,” WV coach Rick Kuhl said.
That gave veteran coach Tom Stralser a league crown in his first year as Cheney head coach.
“That’s no big deal,” he joked. “We won state at Riverside my first year (in 1980) and I didn’t know near as much as I know now.
“I knew we had a real good shot. We’re so senior dominant and we had good speed coming in. I couldn’t speak more highly of the senior leadership.”
The boys’ battle was a showdown of unbeaten teams. The Cheney girls won despite a tie with Pullman last week because WV edged the Greyhounds two weeks ago.
Boys
Giffon Jones won two throws and Jesus Fregoso dominated the sprints to lead the Blackhawks boys, both shrugging off nerves to do what they were supposed to do.
“I was just a little nervous, but it gets better as you go,” Fregoso said after winning the 100 (11 seconds), 200 (22.7) and anchoring the 400 relay (44.9). “It’s always a challenge, more like I challenge myself.”
Jones easily won the shot put (49 feet, 10 inches) and the discus (145-10).
“Nerves were on my mind a little bit,” he said. “They’re our rivals. We’ve been talking about it all week, how we have to step up.”
The big scorers needed to come through because West Valley was coming after them.
Richard Keroack won the 800 (2:00.7) and 1,600 (4:35.4) and Pring won the 400 (52.0) as well as pushing Fregoso in the shorter racers. Both played a key roll in the final relay, with Keroack leading off.
Pring’s performance was impressive for a baseball player who just turned out for track this season as a junior.
“I wanted to get faster for football and I wanted to try something new,” he said. “I didn’t want to feel if I never gave track that chance I wouldn’t know my potential. I was just another guy on the baseball team.
“Honestly, I feel like I’m pushing my body a lot more, I feel more competitive. I honestly love track, I love how much of an adrenalin rush you get.”
He showed his competitive nature by pulling away down the stretch in the relay for what he thought was a league championship.
“Pretty amazing, isn’t it?” he said. “I’m pretty pumped. I was told it was coming down to that.”
For his part, Jones didn’t know for sure what it came down to since he had to focus on his events with the discus far from the finish line.
“I thought we were doing pretty well,” he said. “I could tell it was close by the way everyone was cheering.”
It was just too close to call even at the end.
“It feels pretty good,” Jones said. “I haven’t won a championship before.”
Girls
Sweeping the relays gave Cheney a big advantage, and sweeping the hurdles accentuated it. That gave the Blackhawks a 42-0 advantage.
But what was most interesting for the Blackhawks, as their seniors did their thing, was watching slight freshman Shelby Maurer blaze to a 12.3 clocking in the 100 to tie the school record for the second straight week and edge impressive WV sophomore Bri Almy.
“I felt pressure in the 100,” Maurer said, not showing a bit of nerves.
“All year long, this kid has competed like a maniac,” Stralser said of Maurer. “Four events every week.”
Almy came back to clip a second off her personal record in the 200, running 25.7, and with a slight PR of 16-8.
“It’s the weather, I love it,” she said. “I was just feeling it, feeling the spirit.”
The Eagles also got double wins from Bailey Wold in the pole vault and triple jump and Ashley Kenney in the discus and shot put, with a PR of 39-4 in the shot.
It just wasn’t enough to overcome Cheney’s depth.
“I was just hoping we’d be close,” Maurer said. “I never expected this. It was awesome. All the hard work paid off.”
Other GNL boys meets
Nick Cassleman won the 110 hurdles (15.34) and 300 hurdles as Pullman swept Riverside and host Clarkston in the final Great Northern League meet of the season. The Greyhounds’ Lance Keithley also placed first in two events, winning the high jump (5-11) and pole vault (12-0). Riverside beat Clarkston in the other dual. … Elsewhere, Colville beat visiting Medical Lake 71-62. Daryl Stallworthy won the 200 (22.8) and 400 (50.9) and David Jacobs placed first in the 800 (2:09.1) and 1,600 (4:46.1) to lead the Indians.
Other GNL girls meets
Pullman topped Riverside and host Clarkston in the final GNL meet of the season. Anna Albrecht won the discus (120-6) and shot put (42-1) to lead the Greyhounds. Riverside beat Clarkston in the other dual … In other league action, Brittany Williams won the 1,600 (5:35.1) and 3,200 (11:21.4) and Janelle Hamdon won the 100 (18.5) and 300 hurdles (52.9) as Colville topped visiting Medical Lake 80-53.