LOCAL SPORTS IN BRIEF
Pettis posts best-ever supercross finish
Jess Pettis keeps getting better with age. The 21-year-old motocross rider from Prince George posted a new career best Saturday when he finished fifth in the 250SX main event at the AMA Monster Energy Supercross at Petco Park in San Diego.
After qualifying ninth, Pettis finished fourth in his heat race. Then, in the 22-rider feature race, Pettis started second, just missing the hole shot taken by Adam Cianciarulo of New Smyma Beach, Fla., who went on to win his third main event of the season.
Garrett Marchbanks of Coalville, Utah, and James Decosta of Peabody, Mass., finished second and third respectively.
Fellow KTM rider Shane Mcelrath of Canton, N.C., edged Pettis for fourth place.
His outstanding effort Saturday gave Pettis 18 points and moved him into 10th place in the season standings. Pettis, the only Canadian racing the AMA Supercross circuit, now has 66 points, five races into a 17-event calendar. Cianciarulo leads with 114 points.
In the 450SX class, Eli Tomac of Cortex, Colo., won his first race of the season Saturday. Marvin Musquin of Corona, Calif., was second and Ken Roczen of Clermont, Fla., placed third. Tomac, with 106 points, holds a four-point lead atop the standings over Musquin and Roczen, who each have 102.
The series resumes Saturday in Minneapolis, Minn., with races on each of the following weekends in Arlington, Texas; Detroit; Atlanta; Daytona Beach, Fla.; Indianapolis; Seattle; Houston; Nashville; Denver; East Rutherford, N.J.; and Las Vegas.
P.G. Sports Hall of Fame banquet tickets on sale soon
On March 30, race car driver Cliff Hucul, wheelchair basketball player Elisha Williams and Prince George Track and Field Club coach/president Brian Martinson will be inducted into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame.
That’s cause for celebration and everybody is invited to the banquet that night at the Hart Community Centre. The event includes dinner, a guest speaker, award presentations and a silent auction.
Tickets are $45 each and, starting on Feb. 11, will be on sale at Northern Food Equipment, 814 Fifth Ave., available until March 22.
The Hall of Fame committee will also present 12 young athletes with youth excellence awards. This year’s list includes: Jonah Brittons (motocross), Ben Hendrickson (five-pin bowling), Kimoko Kamstra (judo), Natasha Kozlowski (golf ), Anna MacDonald (trampoline gymnastics), Eric Orlowsky (long-track speed skating), Colburn Pearce (basketball/ football), Derian Potskin (fastball/baseball), Ainslee Rushton (lacrosse), Matthew Shand (volleyball), Zenze Stanley-Jones (wrestling) and Jordan Vertue (swimming).
Goto a double-medalist at judo provincials
All that glitters is gold... and silver, for Tami Goto.
The Prince George Judo Club member captured gold in the under-18 women’s minus52-kilogram category at the B.C. provincial championships over the weekend in Quesnel. Goto also won silver in her weight category in the under-21 age division.
In other PGJC results, Fallon Jones was a silver medalist in the U-16 girls, minus-63 kg competition and Aiden McComber won bronze in the U-16 boys, minus-50 kg class.
Last year, competing in the under-48 kg weight class at the provincial championships in Abbotsford, Goto won the U-18 and U-21 divisions.