Kettle Falls Track and Field Looks Ahead to Districts, State

The Kettle Falls track and field team brought the heat last Tuesday at the North Division Championships in Chewelah. Competing against Davenport, Northwest Christian, St. George’s, and Chewelah, the Bulldogs qualified 12 athletes for the 2B District 7 Championships taking place this coming weekend in Liberty Lake.

“Tuesday was a good day for Kettle Falls track,” head coach Matt Edwards said. “Everyone performed well and either qualified for Districts or beat their lifetime personal records.”

To move on from the Divisional meet, athletes had to place in the top four spots for laned events or top six for non- laned and field events.

Sophomore Ryan Pomrankey blasted out of the blocks in the men’s sprints to qualify for Districts in the 200 meters ( 4th place, 25.26 seconds) as well as the 400 meters ( 3rd place, 55.47 seconds, a personal record). Senior Bryce McDaneld wrapped his season with a 200-meter dash of 27.11 seconds, finishing 7th. Sophomore Zane Edwards had a strong showing in the 800 and 1600 meter runs and crossed the finish line in 6th place with a PR of 2: 13.36 and 8th place in 4: 58.96, respectively. Sophomore Cody Esvelt had a season record of 22.72 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles and will move on to Districts with a 3rd place finish. And the Bulldogs’ 4x400 meter relay team (Zach Johnson, Isaac Bair, Zane Edwards, Ryan Pomrankey) will compete at Districts after finishing 4th in 3: 58.04.

The women’s track events resulted in several strong showings. Senior Rainey

Lince sprinted to 6th place in the 200 meters in 30.63 seconds and qualified for Districts in the 400 meters with a 4th place finish and a season record of 1: 09.42. Senior Mya Edwards moves on to Districts in both the 800 meters ( 2: 39.33, 4th place) and the 1600 meters ( 5: 52, 3rd place). Sophomore Anna Hume won the 100-meter hurdles in 17.76 seconds and took 4th in the 300-meter hurdles with a PR (and new school record) of 54.94 seconds. She will move on to Districts in both events. Junior LaVay Shurrum finished the 100-meter hurdles with a 5th place finish and a PR of 20.6 seconds.

In the field, senior Trinity Hancock finished with a qualifying throw in the shotput with a 5th place finish and PR throw of 38 feet, 3 inches. His teammate senior Alec Moak was close behind in 6th place with a 38- foot throw. Bryce McDaneld finished 10th with a PR of 33 feet 1 inch. Sophomore Skyler Ryant wrapped up his season with a discus throw of 50 feet 11.5 inches, earning him a 19th place finish. Senior Isaac Bair moves on to Districts in the javelin after a PR of 127 feet 11 inch throw and 4th place finish. Other Bulldog javelin throwers Alec Moak ( 113 feet 5 inches, 8th place, PR), sophomore Raymond Lawrence ( 107 feet, 9th place), Skyler Ryant ( 84 feet 1 inch, 14th place, PR), and sophomore Luke Jellsey ( 65 feet 3 inches, 17th place), wrapped their javelin seasons in Chewelah. Raymond Lawrence snagged a berth to Districts in the high jump after tying for 4th with a PR of 5 feet flat. In the long jump Luke Jellsey finished out the season with a PR of 13 feet and a quarter inch, which earned him 14th place. Cody Esvelt and Raymond Lawrence move on to Districts in the triple jump after finishing 4th ( 34 feet 1 inch, PR) and 5th ( 31 feet flat), respectively.

Anna Hume finished 3rd in the discus with a qualifying throw of 88 feet 1 inch. LaVay Shurrum will also move on to Districts in the javelin with a 6th place finish and a 75 foot .5 inch throw. Sophomore Kiya Golphenee jumped to 2nd place in the long jump with a distance of 14 feet .5 inch, and teammate LaVay Shurrum was close behind with a 3rd place finish and a PR of 13 feet 4.5 inches. Both long jumpers will move on to Districts. And Anna Hume and Kiya Golphenee move on in the triple jump with 1st ( 31 feet 8 inches) and 2nd ( 28 feet 5 inches,

PR) places, respectively.

The Bulldogs and their North Division compatriots will compete against the South Division, which includes Asotin, Colfax, Liberty (Spangle), Lind-Ritzville, and Reardan, at the 2B District 7 Championship meet on May 20- 21 at Ridgeline High School in Liberty Lake. From there, the top three finishers in each event will advance to the State Championship Meet at Eastern Washington University in Cheney on May 26- 28.

Coach Edwards says that he’s looking forward to seeing the end of the track season unfold. “I’m excited to see who we can qualify this weekend for State,” he said.