3A, 2A, 1A Oregon track and field championships conclude at Hayward Field in Eugene: ‘It’s just so beautiful out here’
By René Ferrán
The Class 3A, 2A and 1A Oregon high school track and field state championships concluded Friday at Hayward Field in Eugene.
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EUGENE — Jace Martin could feel the burden of two consecutive days of hard racing weighing down his legs with every step.
The Adrian senior reaped the rewards of his hard work Friday night at the OSAA track and field state championships at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field.
A day after setting Class 1A meet records in the 100, 200 and 400 meters, he earned state titles in all three events, then anchored the Antelopes' 4x400 relay to victory in the meet’s final event to secure their second consecutive team title and fifth in the past eight seasons.
“I mean, two full days of two 100s, two 200s, two 400s — yeah, my legs were starting to catch in me,” said Martin, an Air Force Academy recruit who finished his career with nine gold medals in three years. “I thought I came off the curve really well (in the 200), but I hit that 20-meter mark, and I was like, ‘Oh boy, here it comes.’ But overall, I can’t complain. It was great.”
His younger sister, Addy, nearly matched Jace’s performance, sweeping the three sprint titles and anchoring Adrian’s 4x400 to a second-place finish. Along with junior Presley Speelmon’s double in the 800 and 1,500, the Antelopes finished tied for second in the team standings with Crane, three points behind defending champion Damascus Christian.
“I knew after the 400 that I was going to be tired, so I knew I had to push in the 200,” Addy said. “This is my first year running the open 400, so I knew I would have to put a lot out there to try to get it.”
Catlin Gabel senior Malcolm Grant was the third sprinter to go 3 for 3 in the finals, matching former Eagles great Juma Sei’s accomplishment five years ago and helping them place third in the team standings behind Siuslaw, which won its first title since 2013.
“It’s going to take me a while to process all this,” Grant said. “It’s just lights and wind, and it’s just so beautiful out here. I haven’t taken it all in yet, but this year, I’m not running the 4x400, so I’ll have some time to just sit back and hopefully enjoy my last few moments of Hayward.”
East Linn Christian won its second 2A boys title in the past three OSAA meets, and the Bandon girls edged Heppner by three points in a battle between two teams seeking a first title.
Coquille, last year’s 2A champion, moved up to 3A this spring and won another title thanks to its dominance in the field events, scoring only five of its 66 points in the running events.
1A Boys
Keith Gaskell didn’t pick up the triple jump until late April, and a month later, the Days Creek senior added the state title in the event to the long jump gold medal he won Thursday.
Gaskell sat in fifth place going into the finals before popping his winning jump of 42 feet, 7½ inches, in the fourth round.
“I was already looking for a fourth event, and I tried the high jump, but while I could get up there, my technique wasn’t too great,” Gaskell said. “Then, I was thinking, I might as well take some stress off the left leg and put it on the right, so I chose the triple jump thinking it wouldn’t be as hard on my legs. So, I just tried it out and ended up being all right at it.”
North Douglas senior Ray Gerrard went 1 for 2 in his title defenses, winning the discus with a 1A state-record throw of 171-8 but failing to make the final in the javelin, which was won by Joseph senior Kale Ferguson in 189-3 (No. 5 all-time in 1A).
Condon junior Grady Greenwood, who lost by one-hundredth of a second in Thursday’s 3,000, came back Friday to win the 1,500. Pine Eagle senior Cooper Gover won the 800, and St. Paul won the 4x100.
2A Boys
Knappa senior Isaiah Rodriguez started running in the seventh grade and had quite the career for the North Coast school, posting a couple of top-three finishes in cross country and four medals on the track.
After trading the 3,000 for the 800 this spring, Rodriguez finally took home gold from his final Hayward Field appearance, winning the 1,500 and 800 titles.
“I knew I had what it takes this year, so I just went out there and raced as tactically as I could, and I managed to pull it off,” the Western Oregon signee said.
East Linn Christian senior Kaleo Wellman added the triple jump title to the long jump he won Thursday. Mannahouse Academy started the evening session with a thrilling come-from-behind victory in the 4x100, with Enterprise-Wallowa closing it by winning the 4x400, anchored by 400 champion Lute Ramsden.
No other 2A boy was a double-winner over the weekend. Colton’s Ben Behrens (100), Gervais’ Gotti Ramon (200), East Linn Christian’s Aidan Morgan (110 hurdles) and Delphian’s Lucas Curry (300 hurdles) won on the track, and Clatskanie’s Kolun Reed (high jump), Blanchet’s Isaac Edo (discus) and Gold Beach’s Nelson Wilstead (javelin) also took home titles.
3A Boys
Valley Catholic junior Morgan Amano and Siuslaw senior Samuel Ulrich put on thrilling finishes in the middle distances, with Amano pulling out victory in the 1,500 before Ulrich avenged his loss by rallying to win the 800.
Ulrich also ran a leg on the victorious 4x400 that clinched the Vikings’ fifth team championship. Santiam Christian won the 4x100.
Catlin Gabel junior Joshua Widdows repeated as champion in the 110 hurdles, and Banks' Cole Crossen held off Widdows to win the 300 hurdles.
Riverside senior Tyrese Boyd threw a school-record 185-11 to win the javelin, and senior Jonathan Rose contributed another victory to Siuslaw’s team title in the discus. Other winners Friday were Orin Stipe of Nyssa in the triple jump and La Pine senior Darrell Goddard in the high jump.
1A Girls
Triangle Lake freshman Samara Baker swept the hurdles races, winning the 100 highs in 15.99 and the 300 lows in 47.03, breaking the 1A freshman record in the latter.
Another freshman, Annie Rose Miller of Joseph, won the pole vault, and Powder Valley’s 4x100 relay, sophomore Ella Randall of Pine Eagle (shot put) and junior Stella Koch (triple jump) also took home titles.
2A Girls
A day after Enterprise-Wallowa’s Owyhee Harguess broke the 2A freshman record in the 400 with a 57.28 that was No. 2 all-time for the classification, she came back to win the title in 57.79.
“I keep telling myself this is pretty crazy and pretty cool,” said Harguess, who also anchored the 4x400 to victory. “I’m so very lucky and so blessed.”
Harguess also took second in the 800 behind Santiam sophomore Averie Peterson — one of three Friday winners who also won silver in another event, joining Bandon freshman Marley Petrey (first, 300 hurdles; second, 100) and Heppner sophomore Hallee Hisler (first, 200; second, 400).
East Linn Christian sophomore Daisy Lalonde added the 1,500 title to the 3,000 she won Thursday. Delphian senior Portia Binford won the 100 and anchored the victorious 4x100, and Colton sophomore Peyton Craven won the 100 hurdles.
Nestucca junior Makayla Webber (pole vault), Salem Academy freshman Emma Brewer (triple jump) and Gervais senior Izzy Boyd (shot put) also took home championships.
3A Girls
A year ago, De La Salle North Catholic’s Mia Rhodes left Hayward Field nursing a dislocated shoulder suffered in a fall during the 100 prelims.
On Friday, Rhodes felt 100% redeemed, as the junior won the 100 and 200 titles — the latter by holding off a late charge by defending champion Sidney DeBoer of St. Mary’s to win by four-hundredths of a second.
“I know there was purpose in my pain, and that’s to come back this year, and now, I’m a two-time state champion,” Rhodes said. “So, yeah, it’s really exciting, and it feels great.”
Sisters senior Gracie Vohs — the state volleyball player of the year who signed with St. Mary’s College in California — capped her senior year by surprising herself and winning the 400, then anchoring the 4x400 to victory.
“I really enjoy pushing myself,” Vohs said. “I’m a very competitive person, and in track, at the end of the day, it’s a matter of how hard you push yourself. And if you’re having fun, it makes it a lot easier and a lot better.”
Sophomore Lauren Tittel led a 1-2 Oregon Episcopal finish in the 1,500 with 3,000 winner Morgan Matthews, and Tittel placed second to Banks freshman Sophie Schoolmeester in the 800.
Cascade Christian teammates Autumn Murray (100 hurdles) and Sierra Samhammer (300 hurdles) repeated as state champions, flip-flopping first and second in their specialties. They also ran legs on the victorious 4x100 relay.
Coquille got a third state title in the field events from junior Reagan Krantz in the pole vault. DeBoer came back to win the triple jump, and Burns sophomore Caitlyn Horrell won the shot put.
