Great to greater, Blackhawks dominate district track
The Lady Blackhawks’ distance corps turned back a Harrison challenge for track supremacy while the Blackhawk boys blew the rest of the field out as once again, Pea Ridge reigns supreme in 4A-1 track and field.
The boys were up on the runner up Shiloh 67-38 in field event activity then crushed them 166-68 in the running events pile up 223 points in the meet. The meet was close for a while among the girls’ teams with Harrison actually holding a 78-76 lead in the early part of the running events. However, the Hawk distance runners hammered their Goblins counterparts 70-12 in the four distance events to end the suspense.
The Lady Hawks were using the meet to get as many of their teammates a berth in the 4A State Track and Field Championships which were scheduled to be held Tuesday in Nashville. Senior track sensation Blakelee Winn decided to forego participating in all her individual events to help the Hawk relay teams and help she did as Pea Ridge won all four titles in relay events.
The girls scored 177 to win the meet with Harrison next at 121, Gravette 113, Shiloh 93, Farmington 73, Gentry 51, Prairie Grove 42 and Huntsville 6.
The boys outscored the secondand third-place teams combined with a massive 223 point total. Shiloh was second with 106, then Prairie Grove 84, Gravette 73, Harrison 61, Berryville 53, Gentry 47, Farmington 23 and Huntsville 21.
Individual girls champions include: Blakelee Winn, 200-meter dash (26.24), and Liz Vasquez, 1,600-meter run (5:48) and 3,200-meter run (12:58). Winn was also second in the high jump (5’0”) and third in the shot put (31’6”).
Individual boys champions include: Patrick Elliott, 200-meter (22.92) and 400-meter (50.28), Levi Schultz, 1,600-meter (4:52), Grandon Grant, 3,200-meter (10:52), Drake Wolfenden, pole vault (11’6”), and Tate Christensen, shot put (46’6”).Elliott was also fourth in the long jump (20’2”) while Christensen was
second in the discus (147’4”). Schultz took second in the 3,200-meter (11:09).
The girls took all four relay titles with Kyleigh Pruitt, Bella Cates, Kamree Dye and Winn winning the 4x100-meter by a wide margin in 51.99. The 4x200-meter relay was won by a quartet of Winn, Dye, Pruitt and Evelyn Hernandez with a meet record time of 1:50.58. The ladies won the 4x400meter with Winn coming from approximately 50 yards back to run down the Gravette anchor to win in 4:22.45. Winn was joined by Pruitt, Hernandez and Emma Stewart.. The 4x800-meter girls put up a spirited battle with Gravette before coming out on top with a 10:47 clocking. The team was composed of Stewart, Vasquez, Dallice White and freshman Rylee Raines.
The boys won three relay titles started by the victory in the 4x200-meter race. Elliott, Cade Mann, Sebasttien Mullikin and Hunter Singh combined for a 1:34.6 clocking with a late push by Elliott overtaking Shiloh by a tenth of a second. The Hawks kept their streak of 4x400meter titles going as they teamed up Elliott, Mann, Bric Cates and Josiah Small to tour the four lapper in 3:37.5 with Small overtaking a lead by Shiloh to win the event. The 4x800-meter team won by a wide margin with a team of Small, Tian Grant, Grandon Grant and Layton Powell beating back a challenge from Berryville to win 9:21 to 9:38. The boys’ 4x100-meter A team currently owns the fastest time in the state and has already qualified for next week’s finals.
Other state qualifiers at the meet (placed in the Top Three) were: Kamree Dye, 100-meter second (13.06) and 200-meter second (27.20); Harmony Reynolds, 800-meter third (2:36) and 1,600-meter third (5:53); Rylee Raines, 3,200 third (13:31) and she was also seventh in the 1,600-meter (6:24); Dallice White, discus second (91’1”) who was also sixth in the 800-meter (2:50) and eighth in the shot (29’1”); Cade Mann, 100-meter second (11.99) and 200-meter third (23.62); Josiah Small, 400-meter second (50.81), long jump third (20’7”) and triple jump second (41’1”); Layton Powell, 800-meter third (2:11.1); Troy Ferguson, 1,600 third (4:55.5) and was also fifth in the 800-meter (2:18.6); Brendon Power, 110-meter hurdles third (18.45) who was also eighth in the 300-meter hurdles (48.32), Nathan Tucker, 300-meter hurdles third (47.26) who also placed sixth in the 110-meter hurdles (19.12),and Phoenix Edmisson, pole vault second (11’6”).
Other girl athletes scoring points in the Hawks’ championship effort includes: Evelyn Hernandez, 400-meter seventh (1:08); Emma Stewart, 800-meter fourth (2:38.5); Olivia Scates, 800-meter seventh (2:50.2) and 1,600-meter sixth (6:15.7) and 3,200-meter sixth (14:28.7); Mikayla Humphrey, 100-meter hurdles eighth (20.38) and triple jump eighth (30’4”); Olivia McCracken, 300-meter hurdles eighth (57.9); Kylie Tidwell, high jump seventh (4’8”); Trinity Alley pole vault fifth (8’2”); Allie King, pole vault sixth (7’8”); Jordyn Allison, sixth discus (78’8”); McKenzie Klingman, discus seventh (76’9”) and shot put fifth (30’10”).
Other boy athletes scoring in the runaway victory include: Sebasttien Mullikin, 200-meter eighth (25.0), Elijah Wiggins, 800-meter fourth (2:13) and eighth in the pole vault (10’6”); Tian Grant, 1,600-meter fourth (4:56.1); Owen Reynolds, 3,200-meter seventh (12:38); Colin Stewart, 300-meter hurdles fifth (47.26); Owen Harris, 300-meter hurdles seventh (47.84); Grayden Edwards, high jump fourth (5’8”); and Mike Ericson, shot put fourth (39’10”).
Several other athletes were pre-qualified for the state championships. Event standards are set each year by the Arkansas Activities Association and if an athlete meets a mark or time standard during the regular season, he/she is eligible to pre-qualify.
The meet was Tuesday and the meet results are now available on www. milesplitarkansas.com.
The girls come into the meet as the favorite as no one but Pea Ridge has won an indoor or an outdoor track title since 2017. The boys, who finished second in the last state outdoor meet hosted by the AAA in 2019, have a chance to take their first track title ever.