Rangely tracksters compete in Montrose

RANGELY I The Panther track team traveled south to test its track skills against larger schools in the Montrose Invitational, returning home with several place winners and personal bests.
William Scoggins led the boys’ team, scoring team points with a second-place finish in the mile (4:45.66) and a fifth place in the two-mile (10:49.86). Scoggins was also a member of the 4×400-meter relay team along with Colton Coombs, Ethan Allred and Connor Phelan. The team finished in eighth place with a personal best time of 3:46.68.
Phelan also placed eighth in the 400-meter dash, completing the oval in 53.79 and Allred ran the 800 meter with a personal-best time of 2:12.58. Colt Allred placed seventh in the discus with a throw of 117-10.
Senior Leslie Hernandez recorded personal bests in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, running the 100 in 15.19 and crossing the finish line in the 200 in 32.67 seconds.
Senior classmate Holly Lepro continues to lead the Lady Panthers, placing in the shot and discus. Lepro had a personal best in the discus, throwing it 118-4, good enough for third-place in the meet and the best throw amongst 2A girls. Lepro also placed sixth in the shot put.

“We are at that weird point in the season where many athletes begin to plateau and it becomes harder and harder to get personal records,” head coach Stephanie Kahler said. “That being said, we are staying very consistent in our times, heights and distances.
“We have one more very hard week of practice this week before we begin to taper off a bit for regionals the following weekend,” she said. “We expect to be well-rested and for many of the athletes to once again climb over that ‘plateau’ and reach their peak, getting those marks we need to take us to state.”
The Panthers will compete at Battle Mountain High School in the final meet of the regular season. The state-qualifying regional meet will be held in Stocker Stadium in Grand Junction the following week.