Medical Lake track picks up the pace when it counts

After a slow start, Medical Lake’s track team might just be peaking at the right time.

Or so the results from last week seem to indicate with certain athletes emerging from the pack.

In their Northeast A League meet on April 25 at Colville that also included Chewelah, Medical Lake lost to the hosts in both the boys (86-57) and girls (79-66) competition. ML’s boys earned an 82-37 win over Chewelah and the girls prevailed 82-50.

But it was over the weekend where head coach Gene Blankenship saw decided progress in Portland and the Nike/Jesuit Twilight — which featured many big schools — as well as in Ritzville where small schools gathered for the Undeberg Invite.

While league competition is important to know how things might shake out in the coming weeks with limited berths to state on the line, doing what the Cardinals did over the weekend told Blankenship a great deal.

“We set two school records in events we don’t run very often but they are still school records,” Blankenship said. Mason Williams ran 4 minutes, 14 seconds in the 1,500 meters. Tyler Pena ran 9:21 and some change in the 3,000 meters which is also a school record.

The meet attracted over 1,500 athletes from 73 schools representing three states.

“Our 4x100 had its fastest time of the year,” Blankenship said. The mark of 14.43 seconds by Grant Greenhall, Urijah Taylor, JJ Johnson and Blake Petersen gave the Cardinals the top number in the league.

The distance medley relay team ran the third best time ever for that event in school history, an 11:07.97. “We missed the record by seven seconds,” Blankenship said.

The distances include, in order, 1,200 meters, 400 meters, 800 and 1,600 meters and the group consisted of Williams, Taylor, Pena and Evan Petersen.

“I was so pleased with my distance kids over the weekend,” he said. “Williams and Pena are showing signs of their being able to qualify for one of the two state slots for the NEA.

“Our league is just tough in distances,” Blankenship added.

So were runners further down the depth chart who emerged in Ritzville, where 14 personal records were set by Medical Lake.

“I was really excited with our 3,200 meter guys.” Blankenship said. “Zach Lewis, whose previous best time was like 11.04, ran a 10.41,” good for third. In the same race, Victor Long, fourth overall, had a best previous time in the 11.02 range.

“He ran 10.45,” Blankenship said.

Kayla Branch came away with the lone event victory at the Undebergs with a 33-foot, 8-inch best in the triple jump. Lindsey Cargle, upper her school record pole vault to 9, feet, 6 inches.

At the NEA meet, it was the results in field events that swung things Colville’s way. “On the boy’s side, we outscored them on the track but they outscored us in the field,” Blankenship said. “We got 26 of 27 points in the distance races.”

Blankenship said he did not think they should have lost the 4x100, but he also explained that throughout the league the competition is darn solid. “There are four or five teams in the NEA that are really strong in the 4x100,” he said.

Medical Lake closed out the regular season hosting Freeman and Riverside on May 2 and looks forward to some time off before district championships May 18 at Riverside.

“I hope it’s showing that we’re doing what we’re supposed to do, and that’s start running faster at the end of the season,” Blankenship said. “If we don’t do well I think they ought to fire the distance coach,” he added tongue-and-cheek, referencing himself.

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