SMALL-SCHOOL TRACK: Jaguars set relay record, claim I-A boys title

CARSON CITY — The team title was all but wrapped up for Desert Pines’ boys track and field team heading into the 1,600-meter relay, but there was still some unfinished business for the Jaguars.

“Our coach told us to finish strong just going after last year’s record,” senior Artis McCoy said.

Desert Pines capped the Division I-A state track and field meet in style Saturday at chilly Carson High, lowering its own meet record in the 1,600 relay on the way to the school’s first team title.

The Jaguars scored 85 points to hold off second-place Elko (78).

“We came in here with a lot of steam and a lot of firepower,” Desert Pines co-coach Wesley Stephens said. “Things did not go right (Friday) and we thought we were out of the picture. The boys really stepped up because this is what they wanted from the beginning of the season. We told them they can achieve it, and they went after it.”

The Jaguars were virtually unchallenged for the final two laps of the 1,600 relay, as the team of Jay Vone Bradford, Amari Calvillo-Tatum, Asti Crawford and McCoy crossed the line in 3 minutes, 20.64 seconds.

Bradford and McCoy were members of the Jaguars’ 1,600 relay that set a meet record of 3:23.21 last season.

“We put a lot of effort into it,” McCoy said. “And as seniors that’s what we want. We want our younger athletes to look up to us and keep this record going every year.”

In addition to the record-breaking performance in the 1,600 relay, the Jaguars won the 400 relay in 43.13. Crawford also scored key points in the 800 as he finished fifth after entering the race as the No. 8 seed.

“We finished top four (as a team) the past three years, so we got tired of it,” Stephens said. “It was like, we’re going to go after it. We’ve got the horses.

“It means a lot and it’s a step forward in the right direction for our program to turn it from just winning 4-by-1s and just winning 4-by-4s to we’re coming every year to compete for titles, because that’s the goal now. I think at Desert Pines this will definitely be a program builder.”

Western’s Uriah Dante Elam won the boys 100 as he pulled away from Chaparral’s Casey Acosta and crossed the line in 11.28 seconds. He is the second straight Western runner to win the event after Kenric Davis managed the feat in 2015.

Faith Lutheran’s Chase Wood captured his third straight title in the 3,200 with a time of 9:57.64 to help the Crusaders finish seventh in the team standings.

Also, Del Sol’s Jonathan Spearman won the triple jump (45 feet, 7½ inches), becoming the school’s first boys individual state champion.

Cheyenne’s girls finished third in the Division I-A team standings with 79 points, just ahead of fourth-place Faith Lutheran (77 points). Truckee rolled to the team title with 110½ points.

“We’re missing out a little bit on the depth, but the points that we brought were strong coming into the meet, so we knew we had a good shot at at least being competitive up here,” Cheyenne coach Scott Thrasher said. “Every girl we brought up here is bringing home a medal or better or earned themselves a state ring. You can’t complain about that, when every event that you’re entered in you either medal or win.”

The highlight for the Desert Shields came in the 800 relay as the team of Ejanae Coopwood, Angela Hammond, Marisha Harden and Germanie White set a meet record with a winning time of 1:43.85. It was the third time in the past four years Cheyenne has won the event.

Hammond also won the 200 in a personal-best time of 25.84 seconds, dedicating her victory to former Cheyenne athlete Bria Buchanan. Ariel Washington was first in the discus for the Desert Shields with a mark of 107-1, six feet ahead of Desert Pines’ Kiera Haley.

“We all came together and we worked hard,” Hammond said. “Me and my team, we came out here to show everybody what Cheyenne is all about.”

In Division III, Ellen Hirsberg of The Meadows won the 400 in 59.17 to help the Mustangs finished third overall with 70. White Pine rolled to the girls team title with 197 points.

Agassi Prep’s Khashae Eppenger won her second straight state title in the girls 100 hurdles, crossing the line in 16.62.

Calvary Chapel’s Cameron Varela won the boys 800 with a time of 1:58.27, ahead of defending champion Ryan Eppolito of Incline. Agassi Prep’s boys were first in the 400 relay (44.49).

Also, Spring Mountain won its second straight Division IV boys team title with 151 points, just ahead of Sierra Lutheran (147). O’Shea Jones won the 100 and 300 hurdles for the Golden Eagles.