Area competitors seized eight medals - including a trio of golds - during Saturday afternoon’s session at Mike A. Myers Stadium.
Cameron Yoe senior Charlissa Foster added a gold in the Class 3A girls discus to the one she won Friday in the shot put. Salado senior Chelsea Ervi took gold in the 2A girls 1,600-meter run, and Rogers senior Chris Hearell followed with a win in the 2A boys 1,600.
Silver medals were won by Rosebud-Lott senior Carrinton Peterson in the 2A boys 200 and by the Rosebud-Lott girls in the 400 relay. And bronzes went to Jarrell senior Andrew Sumner in the 2A boys 800, Salado senior Molly Rooney in the girls 300 hurdles and the Rosebud-Lott girls in the 800 relay.
Foster was second to Kaufman’s Jasmine Hughey after the preliminary round, then unleashed a heave of 43 feet, 4½ inches on her first throw of the finals to take the lead for good.
“I wasn’t doubting myself, but I knew I would have more competition than in the discus,” said Foster, who finished her high school career with six state medals. “(Hughey) getting that big throw early motivated me.”
Hearell, who last year ran well back in the pack before charging to fourth place, was near or in the lead the entire way. Coming off the final turn, Keene’s Angel Alcudia made a bid to take the lead before Hearell found his kick to hold on for the win in 4 minutes, 26.74 seconds - less than half a second ahead of Alcudia.
Rosebud-Lott’s silver medals were achingly close to being gold.
Peterson, whose regional meet time ranked seventh, shot from the blocks and held a slim lead as the field turned for the homestretch. Peterson and Winona’s Broderick Meekings churned toward the line, with Meekings winning in 21.56 to Peterson’s 21.60.
“It felt like the best start I had all year,” said Peterson, who also anchored the Cougars’ 800 relay team that finished fourth. “I could see somebody off to the side, but I couldn’t tell whether they were ahead or I was ahead. Better competition means better times, and I even surprised myself today. This might be the last track meet I ever run in, and I wanted to do well really bad.”
The Lady Cougars’ hopes of defending their 400 relay title were dashed by perhaps an eyelash - literally.
After Jessica Alexander, Tamara Fabianke and Tineshia Johnson had kept R-L near the front, anchor Raisa Hargrow pulled even with Universal City Randolph’s Leah Solomon only 10 meters from the wire and the two crossed the line simultaneously in 48.42 seconds. The finish-line photo, however, showed Solomon crossing first by a miniscule margin, forcing the Lady Cougars to settle for silver.
“Her body must have been a little bit ahead of mine,” said Hargrow, who finished fifth in the 100 and anchored R-L’s 800 relay. “I thought I had it, but I guess I didn’t.”
Sumner was looking to atone for a disappointing sixth-place showing in the 800 last year. In brutal midday conditions, he finished third in 1:56.39 behind Hawley’s Brendon Bounds (1:55.39) and Crawford’s Scott Dent (1:55.50) in fast-paced race.
“I ran a really good time,” said Sumner, who will run at North Texas next year. “If I had run this time last year, I would have won easily. It’s kind of bittersweet.
“It would have been nice to be a state champion in my last race, but I think it was a good step for me. I think I’m ready.”
Rooney, who started her afternoon with a fourth-place finish in the 100 hurdles and capped it with an anchor leg on Salado’s fourth-place run in the 1,600 relay, ran a 45.17 to grab bronze in the 300 hurdles one year after winning the event.
“I’m a little disappointed,” she said. “But I feel like I did my best, and I’m really glad that I medaled.”
In the girls team standings, Salado finished third in 2A - its best showing ever - with 32 points, and R-L was fourth with 30.
In other events involving area competitors, Salado’s Lupe Perez was fifth in the 800, as was teammate Tamra Stanish in the pole vault. Killeen Ellison’s Bobbie Williamson finished sixth in the 5A girls discus, and the Rosebud-Lott boys were fifth in the 1,600 relay.
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
