Centennial’s Badger tops record-setting day at Skyhawk Invitational

Sydney Badger isn’t a stranger to breaking meet records.

So when the Centennial junior set two marks Saturday at Silverado’s Skyhawk Invitational, it wasn’t much of a surprise to anyone.   

Badger captured the 1,600-meter run with a time of 5 minutes, 1.43 seconds and the 800 (2:18.51) to help the Bulldogs take the team title with 101 points. Coronado (95) finished second in front of Canyon Springs (78).

Centennial’s girls led the Cougars by two points heading into the meet’s final event—the 1,600 relay—but with Badger running the opening leg, the Bulldogs finished second, three spots ahead of Coronado, and preserved the win.

“I’m feeling good,” Badger said. “Today I did what I needed to do. It was a bit windy, not the best conditions to go for a personal record. I’m where I want to be.”

Badger wasn’t the only Bulldog to set a meet record, though.

Centennial’s Tiana Bonds set the standard in the 100-meter hurdles (14.77), and teammate Madison Johonnot set a meet mark in the high jump (5-6). Other meet record setters among the girls were Cimarron-Memorial’s

Kaycee Luke in the pole vault (11-3) and Liberty’s Ashlie Blake in the shot put (50-2).

On the boys side, Centennial (130½) claimed all three relays en route to the team title. Liberty (84½) placed second, and Canyon Springs was third with 78 points.

Bulldogs coach Roy Session was thrilled with both the boys and girls’ performances.

“We’re coming around. We’ve had some injuries but we’re getting there,” Session said. “We’ll be taking some kids to Mt. SAC and we’ll be ready for state. Sydney as been terrific; Dajour (Braxton) has been a great pickup; and Jackson (Carter) and George (Espino) are finding their form.” 

Centennial’s boys were buoyed by their distance runners.

In the 1,600, Braxton led for the first three laps but was passed in the final stretch by teammates Carter and Espino.

Carter outlasted Espino, setting a meet record with a time of 4:26.35.

Braxton bounced back, though, to capture the 3,200 (9:56.47), beating out Espino for the top spot.

However, one individual stole the show.

Mojave’s Jalon Dean won the 110 hurdles (16.15), the 300 hurdles (40.62) and the high jump (6-4). He scored 30½ of the Rattlers’ 43 total team points.

But it wasn’t a breeze. 

Dean overcame Canyon Springs’ Demarcus Walker by just more than a tenth of a second in the 110 hurdles and won by only two-tenths of a second in the 300 hurdles.

In the high jump, Dean tied with Centennial’s Geoffrey Garland, but won the event on the tiebreaker of fewest misses.

"He's a great kid, and he works probably harder than anyone else on the team," Mojave coach Shenoa Davis said of Dean. "His wants that state championship."

The other meet record-setters among the boys were Chaparral’s William Hernandez in the shot put (55-3½) and Liberty’s Reno Tuufuli in the discus (174-3).