Vista Ridge’s Hills shows athleticism in 7 events

LAKEWOOD » Brandon Hills had a busy start Thursday to the state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium.

The junior from Vista Ridge competed in three events — the 100-meter dash, 200 and 4×200relay preliminaries — all before his main event, the Class 5A high jump, in which he entered the day as the reigning champion. He ultimately finished second with a more-than-respectable jump of 22 feet, 6.75 inches, as Fort Collins’ Dante Johnson leaped 22-10.5 on his last jump to take home the title.

“It was a brutal day. I just tried to muscle through to do the best I can,” Hills said. “No hate to Johnson at all. He had a big jump at the end. That’s great on him.”

Muscling through is no secret to Hills, who is unofficially dubbed the “Tyreek Hill of Colorado Springs football,” after he weaved through defenses last fall. He tallied over 1,000 yards receiving and scored 13 touchdowns, including two on kickoff returns. He has received offers from Washington State and Northern Arizona.

Hills will have a chance to show off his speed as he is the No. 2 seed in the 100-meter dash, fourth in the 200 and fourth in the 4×200.

Northfield’s Meeks nearly ties state meet record.

After the scary scene in last year’s 4A shot put, it’s no wonder Giavonna Meeks was determined to deliver on the state stage in Lakewood.

One year after dislocating her ankle in the same shot put ring, which required paramedics on the scene and a trip to the hospital, the Northfield senior sent fans roaring after she came within a half-inch of tying the state meet record.

Meeks, a three-sport athlete in basketball and volleyball, crushed the rest of the field with a final throw of 47-2, which came oh-so-close to the 4A state meet record (47-2.50) set back in 2012.

The Vanderbilt commit knew she had to let the crowd know she’s back. She claimed her second 4A title (discus throw last year) in as many years.

“I wanted to come back and throw well in shot specifically. It was a lot of mental preparation, getting my turns back and getting into the groove of things,” she said. “I’m thankful that today went really well.”

Meeks will get the chance to prove herself after the state championships as well. She is set to compete at the 2022 Nike Outdoor Nationals and will focus on her hammer throw and discus ahead of the June meet. She will also look to qualify for the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships, also known as the World Junior Championships. which will be held in Colombia in August.

“Since this is my best sport, I wanted to go above and beyond and hopefully can make it to the Olympics, which is one of my big goals,” she said. “Hopefully I hit that.”

Haberman defends 3A girls high-jump title. Jefferson Academy senior Sierra Haberman spent all season stuck in her pursuit of a personal best in the high jump. She finally cleared the height (5-6) to repeat as the 3A girls state champion.

“There are always some nerves, especially coming back after winning last year,” Haberman said. “I really wanted to defend the title. That pushed me to do my best.”

Haberman, a Colorado State commit, edged out teammate Hallie Williams (5-4) for the victory. Haberman also overcame multiple injuries throughout the season to finally mark a new personal-best jump.

“I was stuck all season,” Haberman said. “Some extra coaching and perspective on how I jump helped me get those extra couple of inches. It made a big difference.”