Prep track and field: Mt. Spokane, Mead boys split 3A District 8 title, Lewis and Clark boys win 4A

The Mt. Spokane and Mead boys track and field teams will have to settle bragging rights next week in Tacoma.

After 17 events Saturday afternoon, the teams finished with 108 points apiece to share the District 8 3A championship at Central Valley High School.

In 4A, Lewis and Clark held off Central Valley, finishing with 135.5 points while CV had 124.

The top three finishers in each 3A event advance to state at Mount Tahoma High School and the top two in 4A advance. State is scheduled Thursday through Saturday.

Boys

The 3A district meet was more than a dress rehearsal for state.

Mead and Mt. Spokane expect another showdown in Tacoma with a possible state championship up for grabs.

Mt. Spokane’s 1-2 long-distance punch of Kade Brownell and Parker Westermann did its thing in the 800 meters. Brownell fought through gusty winds to win in 4 minutes and 15.31 seconds – 5 seconds slower than his win at the subdistrict meet last week. Westerman finished in 4:16.30.

“The wind on the backstretch was horrible,” Brownell said.

Brownell, who likes to take early leads and hold off the field, dropped back out of the lead after the first lap because he didn’t want to do all the hard work for the chasers.

“I tried to take the lead, but if I would have tried to lead the whole way we would have run way slower. I wouldn’t have gotten first,” Brownell said. “It was brutal. I couldn’t take the wind on the first corner for four laps.”

Mt. Spokane coach Danny Figueria praised his team.

“Our kids started hitting their strides at subdistrict and district,” Figueria said. “Now we want to be at full strength at state. We have people in strategic spots.”

Figueria and Mead coach James Lehr took a moment to congratulate each other afterward.

“To represent our district is always fun,” Figueria said. “We’ve got a friendly competition with them. It’s fun to go against good teams and measure yourselves against them.”

Mead had three winners Saturday – Dominick Corley in the 200 (21.79), Evan Berg in the javelin (175 feet, 2 inches) and Braden Powers in the high jump (6-4).

Lehr got everything he wanted from his team.

“I couldn’t have asked for more from the guys,” Lehr said. “They fought like crazy. I’m excited for one more week. It’s all about trusting in what we’ve done so far this year.”

One of the best performances in 3A came from the University 4x400 relay. Logan Noble, Jeffrey Whitman, Brayden Godfrey and Jake Trefry won a sizzling final in 3:20.84, breaking the school record (3:21.49).

Brownell and Westermann led Mt. Spokane’s 4x400 relay to second (3:22.26).

In 4A, LC used a pair of seconds, including freshman Elijah Tobin finishing runner-up in the 1,600 (4:22.76).

LC is taking more than triple as many athletes to state as it did a year ago. It’s been several years since LC has won a district title – well before Michael Johnston took over as coach.

“In 16 years, I’ve never done this with a team,” said Johnston, who is in his sixth year as LC’s head coach. “We had a kid in 15 out of 17 events score. Just having some depth and a ton of new kids who are excited to be part of this. They were all committed to this.”

Girls

Kamiakin won the 4A title with 156 points, and Richland was second (141). CV had the best finish among Greater Spokane League teams in fifth with 69.

In 3A, Walla Walla captured the title with 132 points, and Mead was second with 120.

Mt. Spokane sophomore Kayli Eastham won the 300 hurdles in a personal-best 46.39 and ran the starting leg on the winning 4x400 relay (3:59.93).

“The first part against the headwind was kind of scary,” Eastham said of the opening 100 meters of the hurdles.

Two other area winners were U-Hi’s Addy MacArthur and Mead’s Raegan Borg.

Both double winners, MacArthur won in the discus Saturday (136-0) after taking the shot put on Friday. Borg won easily in the 1,600 (5:13.78) on Saturday after winning the 3,200 on Friday.

District 8 2A

Rogers boys tied Shadle Park, and East Valley girls ran away from the pack in the district championships at West Valley High School on Friday.

The final scores were delayed after a disputed result was settled Saturday.

The Pirates and Highlanders boys accumulated 151.5 points each. Rogers was led by Aaron Kinsey, who won the 100 (10.77) and 200 (21.98) and anchored the 4x100 relay with Orlando Moore, Alex Munteanu and Michael Sanders (42.23), and 4x400 with Triston Bates, Hartman Warrick and Munteanu (3:25.57).

Shadle picked up wins by William Newell in the 110 and 300 hurdles. West Valley’s Cooper Henkle won the discus (161-2) and javelin (193-9).

East Valley’s Logan Hofstee, the two-time defending State 2A cross country champion and the 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year, won the 800 (2:16.39), 1,600 (5:00.71) and 3,200 (10:69.45). The Knights had 11 winners .

Idaho

Intermountain League athletes fared well on the final day of the state meets in the Boise area.

Coeur d’Alene Charter had a pair of double winners. Nathan Russell won in the 800 (1:55.84) and 1,600 (4:21.61), and Annabelle Carr won in the 800 (2:13.78) and 1,600 (5:06.58).

Timberlake’s Jacob Barnhart took second in the 800 (1:56.98).

Timberlake’s Caius Tebbe won both hurdles. He clocked 15.20 in the 110 and 39.77 in the 300.

Bonners Ferry’s Makenna Baisden took second in the 400 (59.15) and Coeur d’Alene Charter’s sprint medley relay was second (1:52.55).

In 2A, St. Maries’ Raevyn Yearout took second in the 400 (1:01.23).

In 5A, Post Falls’ Cole Cameron won in the 400 (47.79) and was on the 4x400 relay with Trenton McLean, Tallan McCracken and Dylan Wolfe that took second (3:20.99).

In 4A, Lakeland’s Zia Munyer won the triple jump (36-5¼).

Lakeland’s Regan Wright, Melia Gilbert, Karstyn Kiefer and Sapphire Ruelle took second in the 4x100 relay (49.39).

Moscow freshman Mattea Nuhn was a double winner in the high jump (5-5) and 300 hurdles (45.31).