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By PAUL DELANEY
Staff Reporter 

Medical Lake track has solid individual efforts at state

No Cardinal champions but still good individual state showings

 

Last updated 5/31/2018 at 1:25pm

Paul Delaney

Medical Lake's Pedro Sandre (center) surprised his coach with an unlikely fourth-place finish in last Saturday's final of the 1A state 100-meter dash as Eastern Washington University's Roos Field.

Traditionally, at least in the past several years, the 1A state track and field championships have produced surprises for Medical Lake head coach Gene Blankenship.

That included a team title in 2014 that his kids insisted was in grasp, but the coach did not see it. And perhaps some of the individual championships from the likes of Domenic Rehm in 2015 and twin wins from Lexi Rolan in the 100 and 200-meter runs last year, might have also been somewhat unexpected.

There was no team victory, nor even an individual title in 2018, but Blankenship was both pleased, and surprised with the outcomes.

"The 100 (meters), we should have never made the finals," Blankenship said. "Pedro (Sandre) did just an excellent job and finished fourth overall." Sandre turned in an 11.87 second time to the 11.39 of winner Micah Holmes of Lakeside.

Blankenship said the sophomore's start was probably the key to the finish.

Sandre, while a potential promising bright light for the future is also from a military family. "I don't know how long we're going to have him," Blankenship said.

Sandre also anchored the 4x100 and a fourth-place finish with a group that included Grant Greenhall, Urijah Taylor and JJ Johnson. Their 44.76 trailed winner Lakeside's 44.13.

"The kids, they had good handoffs," Blankenship said.

Tyler Pena, set personal records in the 3,200 meters on Saturday and finished 12th (10 minutes, 10.94 seconds) and 1,600 Thursday where he ended 13th (4:40.42). He PR'd by five seconds in the 1,600.

"It was a really good effort, he's really not a 1,600-meter runner, he's a two or three miler," Blankenship said. Pena replaced likely qualified Mason Williams who was disqualified in districts due to an alleged shoving incident.

Pena is the first Medical Lake distance runner in two years that reached state. "I'm really proud of him," Blankenship said.

Pena's better race was the 3,200, Blankenship said. The longer the race, the better for Pena's abilities, and it showed Saturday.

"With about a lap to go he was actually in eighth place but just could not hold on for the last 400 meters," Blankenship said. But he did better his previous best by five to six seconds.

Girl's competition was limited to two field-event athletes, Jaxyn Farmen and Kayla Branch, both jumpers.

"In the triple (jump) we did pretty much what we thought we would," Blankenship said. That being junior Farmen's third place with a 35 foot, 1/2 inxh effort. Summer Welch of Naches Valley won it at 38-10 1/4.

It was a likewise finish for the junior Farmen in the long jump where her 17-06 1/2 inch try fell short of South Whidbey's Sophia Nielsen's 18-01.

"I can't say enough about Jaxyn, she finished third in the long (jump) and third in the triple," Blankenship said. "And we've got her coming back." Farmen has qualified for state all three years at Medical Lake in one event of another, the long or triple jump.

Branch needed a stellar effort in her last preliminary to make it to the finals and finished seventh in the triple with a 33-10 1/2.

Looking back at the season, Blankenship said it was the best league finish for both boys and girls in his tenure that stretches back to 2011 and his first track campaign. "Probably not as successful at the state meet as we have been in the past, still quite acceptable," he added.

The team awards banquet is Friday, June 1 at 6 p.m. in the high school cafeteria with all team family members invited.

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

 

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