Tigers take title
BOISE – It’s almost as if the Timberlake High boys track team had everything measured out beforehand Saturday.
At least junior hurdler Levi Powers did.
Powers said he ran just hard enough in the 300-meter prelims to qualify for the finals.
Why? He wanted to measure top-seeded Travis Maynard of Shelley.
“I just wanted to stay behind him in the prelims and take it easy – study him, watch what he did and see if he stuttered at any point,” Powers said.
Powers put that information to good use Saturday, coming from behind to knock off Maynard and capture gold as the 89th annual state high school track and field championships concluded at Boise State University’s Ed Jacoby Track.
Powers finished in a personal-best 39.64 seconds as he put the Tigers of Spirit Lake in first to stay.
“I knew it would come down to the end,” Powers said. “My plan was to stay with him until the corner and try to take him from there.”
It was a measure of revenge, too, for Powers, who let a state title a year ago in the triple jump slip away Friday.
“It was redemption for not repeating in the triple jump,” Powers said. “I really wanted this.”
Timberlake had no problem defending its State 3A championship under pleasant, sunny skies.
The Tigers posted 101.5 points to knock off Shelley (87) for a second straight year.
It wasn’t as close as it was a year ago, and Shelley won’t look back on a false start here and a subpar effort there as possible excuses for coming up short. Timberlake was simply the best as the Tigers claimed their third state title in four years.
Senior Frank Lagrimanta defended his title in the 1,600 for his second individual gold medal at state. He also anchored the winning medley.
Per usual, the Montana State University-bound Lagrimanta was running by himself.
“It’s so tough to go by myself in that race,” said Lagrimanta, who was in obvious pain afterward for trying to push the pace in a one-man race. “I started to die with 500 meters to go. I was off my goal by the second lap. The third lap was horrible.”
Timberlake coach Brian Kluss couldn’t praise Lagrimanta enough. Kluss calls Lagrimanta the “Ten Man” for his seemingly automatic 10 points every time he took to the track.
“Frank did things we expected him to do,” Kluss said. “We don’t call him the ‘Ten Man’ for nothing. He’s a phenomenal talent. Without him we wouldn’t be where we are.”
Tigers junior sprinter Nick Puckett also captured a state title, cruising in the 200 (22.22). He also took third in the 100, anchored the second-place 1,600 relay and anchored the 400 relay, which took fifth.
“I’m so ecstatic about the 200,” Puckett said. “Me and Kluss (have) just worked and worked and worked.”
Puckett is stoked about hanging another white state title banner in the gym.
“Every day at school I go into (the gym) and all of us (see) the white banner,” Puckett said. “All of us guys who helped get it look at it with so much pride. We’re really prideful about that, especially two years in a row.”
“We were seeded at 95 points and came out at 101.5,” Kluss said. “Shelley put up a great fight. They had a fantastic day. We had a lot of kids who really stepped up. They performed. It’s happened all year for us.”
In the girls, Sugar-Salem breezed to a state title, finishing with 96 points. Bonners Ferry earned a trophy, taking third (61). Priest River finished fifth (47).
The Tigers weren’t the lone Intermountain League athletes performing at a golden level. Priest River junior Lacy Hopkins made a name for herself in state circles that won’t be forgotten.
Hopkins won the 400 (59.19), took second in the 200 (26.63) and anchored the winning 1,600 relay (4:12.11) after anchoring the winning medley the night before.
And track isn’t her best or favorite sport. She’s a setter in volleyball, the sport she wants to eventually play in college.
For now, Hopkins will cherish her medals – especially the golden ones.
“I really couldn’t see anyone so I tried to start out as quick as I could,” she said of the 400. “I felt a lot of pressure and I was really nervous. It’s a hard race. Every time I run it hurts. I’m glad I can go back to school and say I was the 400-meter state champion.”
Hopkins, who teamed with Tabitha Clark, Keisha Miller and Sabrina Johnson in the medley Friday, teamed with them again in the 1,600 relay.
Other IML athletes who captured medals Saturday: Samantha Hiatt of Bonners Ferry had a pair of thirds in the 100 hurdles (16.90) and 300 hurdles (48.76); Kellogg’s girls took third in the 800 relay (1:52.87); PR’s Clark took third in the 100 (13.26); Tara Oster of Timberlake was third in the 200 (27.19); Chelsea Cazier of Timberlake was sixth in the 400 (1:03.34); Casey Hampton of Bonners Ferry was sixth in the 1,600 (5:41.09); Daniel Botkin of Bonners Ferry was fourth in the 300 hurdles (41.17); Cody Dickman of St. Maries was third in the 800 (2:03.47); Casey Denton of Timberlake was fifth in the 400 (51.40); and John Macklin of Timberlake was third in the 110 hurdles (15.63).