Four Panthers qualify for state track and field meet

RANGELY I The Rangely High School Panther track team qualified four athletes for the 2014 Colorado State Track and Field Championships, which start today in Jefferson County Stadium in Denver.
The Panthers qualified three boys and one girl, and two of the boys each won two events in the regional tournament last week in Grand Junction, giving them and their coach confidence going into the state meet.
“We are feeling very confident about our chances for success this weekend,” Rangely coach Cody Brunton said. “We are not just going to state to say we made it. We are hopefully going to see some of our kids standing up on the podium with medals around their necks, and we strongly believe we have the ability to do so.”
The Panthers will be led by senior Andrew Morton, who qualified for the state meet in four events, including two regional titles. Morton won the triple jump and 110-meter hurdles in Grand Junction and is very close to the school record.
Morton, who was healing from an injury, has the second best triple jump in 2A and the third best time in the hurdles. Morton will also represent the Panthers in the long and high jump events.
“Andrew was a little hurt last weekend and didn’t jump in the finals and he still finished third in the long jump,” Brunton said.
Rangely junior Colt Allred won regional titles in the the shot put and discus and will represent his team in the two events at the state meet.
Senior Connor Phelan qualified in the 400-meter dash and is only .4 away from a school record.
Senior Aimee Hogan is the only girl representing the Panthers this weekend in Jefferson County Stadium.
“We expected Aimee to qualify in the 400, which she did, but she also eked out a spot in the 200-meter dash as well, and we couldn’t be more excited for her,” Coach Brunton said. “We have several athletes knocking on the door of school records, which is, of course, exciting, and we also believe we have some chances for real success this weekend.”