Strong relays help KHS girls to runner-up finish

Much closer to full strength than at their first track meet of the season, the Kingfisher High School girls last Friday nearly brought home a team title.

KHS scored 144.5 points at the Watonga High School Invitational, just 1.5 points shy of champion Chisholm.

Among the standouts for KHS were Scout Snodgrass and Kinley Taylor.

Each won an individual event and took part in three gold medal relays for the Lady Jackets.

Neither was at the Hennessey meet on March 15 when KHS scored just 58 points and placed fifth.

The two were joined by Mattie Slezickey and Lily Lunsford in winning the 3,200 meter relay.

Their time of 10:26.96 was almost 10 seconds faster than second-place Chisholm.

Slezickey claimed three golds on the day as she, Taylor, Snodgrass and Abbie Myers won both the 800 and mile relays.

The 800 relay time of 1:49.96 edged Chisholm’s 1:50.78.

The quartet then won the final event of the day the mile relay - in 4:18.72, which was more than two seconds faster than runner- up Casady.

Snodgrass got her fourth gold in the open 800 as she crossed the finish line in 2:22.03, more than 3.8 seconds faster than Addison Pecha of Chisholm.

Taylor’s fourth gold medal of the day came in the 400, which she won in 1:04.48.

Casady’s Caroline Olszewski was second in 1:05.44.

Slezickey took fourth in the event in 1:08.30.

Myers just missed out on four golds herself.

The sophomore won the long jump as she soared 15 feet, 11 ½ inches, edging Crossings Christian’s Clara Bebee’s 15-10 ¾.

Myers nabbed her fourth medal in the 300 hurdles, which was won by Crossings’ Savanna Meek.

The latter crossed the line in 46.98 seconds while Myers was the runner-up in 50.49.

Kingfisher also got two medals in the 3,200 meter run.

Harper Evans took second and Addison Price was third.

Emmy Lunsford earned a bronze in the pole vault by clearing 7-6.

“We ran so well at the meet,” said KHS girls head track coach Kerri Lafferty, noting that its still early in the season.

“Yes, we want to win, but we also put our athletes in different races to get them prepared for state.

“We change events every meet and I think this is a really good group with a chance to have a special year.”

••• Cashion’s girls were seventh in the team standings with 38 points while Hennessey was 12th with four.

Cashion took fourth in both the mile and 400 relays and was fifth in the 800 relay.

Individually, Sierra Mc-Cracken was fourth in the 800, Brooke Shafer fourth in the high jump and Reese Williams fifth in the 300 hurdles.

Jocelyn Matousek notched Hennessey’s points as she placed fifth in both the mile and two-mile runs.

••• Chisholm’s boys made it a sweep of the team titles as they scored 104 points in the boys meet.

Hennessey was fifth overall with 66 points.

The Eagles were bronze medalists in both the 400 and mile relays.

Braedyn Richardson, Camdyn Richardson, Weston Smith and Kevin Trillo teamed up in the 400 relay while Gunnar Holder, the Richardsons and Trillo completed the mile relay.

Holder, Camdyn Richardson, Smith and Trillo were also fourth in the 800 relay.

Hennessey did get two individual gold medals.

Brenden Mainard was the winner of the discus with a throw of 133 feet, 3 inches. That was just five inches further than Weath- erford’s Luke Downs.

Camdyn Richardson won the long jump with a leap of 21-1 ¾, which was just over a foot better than Tate Coffey of Tonkawa.

Also medaling individually for the Eagles was Holder, who took silver in the 300 hurdles.

Cashion boys scored 10 points, led by Hank Brown’s bronze medal in the 200.

Gage Bedick took fourth in the 400, an event in which Hennessey’s Braedyn Richardson was the bronze medalist.