Cardinals send another strong group to 1A track

Medical Lake emerged from their outing to the District 7 track and field championships at Riverside High School last week just about how their coach figured - with one notable exception.

The Cardinals will once again send a strong contingent to the state 1A/1B/2B championships today through Saturday at Eastern Washington University's Roos Field, minus distance ace, junior Mason Williams.

"He was in the 16(00) pretty close but just couldn't hold," Blankenship said.

Williams got sick a week ago with a cold and it took just enough away to leave him third in competition where only the top-two advance. His 4-minute, 45.06-second time was just five seconds out of second and seven and change from the lead, Deer Park's Cody Bollum's 4:37.42.

From the boys' side, the Cardinals have Keyhon Ross in the 100 and 200 meters, where he finished second and first, respectively.

"Keyhon (Ross) should have won the 100 but he tightened his hamstring about two meters before the finish line," Blankenship said. "He let up and got second so he qualified."

Medical Lake gets to defend their 2016 state 4x100 title as the group - composed of RJ Viloria, Olijawan Smith, Urijah Taylor and Ross - finished third, but advanced by beating state standard.

"That race was close, it was almost a blanket finish," Blankenship said.

Smith will also compete in the 110 hurdles where his 15.89 second time won handily.

Medical Lake will send Lexi Rolan with her twin wins in the 100 and 200 meters. "Lexi was her normal self," Blankenship said.

Technically, Rolan broke a 50-year-old Northeast A League record in the 200 meters. The district record was set in 1967 with hand timing but reference it as automatic timing, which did not exist at the time. "It was a 25 (second) flat and she ran a 25.01," Blankenship explained. "Her's was automatic timed and you have to add .74 seconds to hand times and that was never done."

In winning the triple-jump with a leap of 34-feet, 11.50 season record, Farmen beat Maggie Cobb of Chewelah for the first time this season by four inches.

However in Friday's long jump, Farmen fouled three times and did not make it to the finals.

"Her steps were off and she couldn't get it," Blankenship said. "She's such a competitor and was really upset she didn't make the long jump so the next day in the triple it gave her some extra motivation."

"We qualified just about everybody we did last year except Olijawan (Smith) didn't make it in the 300 (hurdles) and Jaxyn (Farmen) didn't make it in the long jump, but she qualified in the triple (jump)" Blankenship said.

Should everyone make it to the finals,pauld Blankenship said Medical Lake ought to "Do exceptionally well," careful to not make bold predictions of finish as he has in the past.

"If for some reason we don't get to the finals we don't have enough bodies to place well (as a team)," Blankenship said. Medical Lake was third as a team in 2016, won the 2014 state title and finished second in 2015.

Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.