RANGELY | The Colorado 1A/2A Western Slope League Track and Field Championships took place this past weekend in Grand Junction at the prestigious Stocker Stadium. The meet was two days, with prelims, finals and the most competitive athletes on the Western Slope. The Rangely Panthers showed up ready to go and put together many fine performances. The lady Panthers scored 97 total points and finished in second place as a team as the boys scored 76 on their way to placing third as a team.
The meet was kicked off by the girls 800m sprint medley relay that raced to a fifth place finish in 2:03.42. The boys 4x800m relay stepped up next, placing third with a time of 8:50.81. Ashlynn Ducey was the first individual to race for Rangely and she secured a spot in the girls 400m final after racing 1:02.06 in the prelim. Kacey Allred ran 1:04.00 in the boys 400m prelim with Dylan Moran right on his tail in 1:04.70. Emma Smith ran 15.79 in the girls 100m dash. Davon Lucero ran 13.10 and Izaiah Moody ran 13.68 in the boys 100m dash.
Taya Wren and Courtney Casto competed in the girls 1600m final next and each grabbed points for their team. Taya Wren finished second in 5:33.28 and Courtney Casto was eighth in 6:33.75. James Talbot claimed the league title in the boys 1600m as he ran away from the field in 4:43.57. Dylan Moran finished with a time of 5:48.40.
Miah Wren braved the girls 300m hurdles and made it through to the final after running 50.04. Ashlynn Ducey also secured a spot in the girls 200m final with her time of 28.35. Rachel Elder ran 30.35 and Tylee Fielder went 31.16. Jordan Irwin finished ninth in the boys 200m with a time of 25.25 and Davon Lucero ran 26.44.
Out in the field, Aubrianna threw the girls shot put 28-02.25. In the boys discus, Chase Cochrane placed fourth after a throw of 121-07 and Justin Allred threw 101-04. Addison Scott led teammates Kaelynn Geer and Emma Smith to three top-10 finishes, jumping 15-01 for fourth, 13-10.25 for eighth, and 13-08.5 for ninth, respectively.
After getting a pole vault pit in Rangely to practice on just this past year, the Panthers wasted no time showcasing their talent and hard work in the event. All six Panthers that competed in the event finished in the top 10. In the girls pole vault, Miah Wren was fourth with 7-06, Kastyn Dembowski fifth with 7-06, and Tylee Fielder eighth with 7-00. Jordan Irwin cleared 12-06 to place second in the boys pole vault, Kacey Allred’s 9-06 placed fourth, and Clay Allred’s 9-00 was fifth. Jordan Irwin also finished runner-up in the boys triple jump with a distance of 37-08. To finish off day one, Annika Cantrell finished with bronze in the girls high jump after clearing 4-10.
The second day of the league championships started with a second place finish by the girls 4x200m relay in 1:49.57. The girls 4x100m relay finished 6th shortly after in 53.10 and the boys 4x100m relay also claimed sixth in 49.15.
Ashlynn Ducey returned for the girls 400m final and ran 1:01.38 to secure victory. Miah Wren ran 49.77 in the girls 300m hurdles to claim second place. Taya Wren win her first league title as a freshman in the girls 800m with a time of 2:24.77. Teammates Rachel Elder and Courtney Casto also had great races, finishing ninth in 2:58.00 and 10th in 2:59.14, respectively. Justin Allred, Clay Allred, and Lincoln Harris also finished within the top 10 of the boys 800m. Justin Allred was eighth in 2:15.40, Clay Allred ninth in 2:16.82, and Lincoln Harris tenth in 2:18.05.
James Talbot earned the distance crown of the league by securing another demanding victory in the boys 3200m with a time of 10:00.10. Gage Nielsen ran 14:31.73 in the boys 3200m. The boys wrapped up the events on the track with a third place finishing 4x400m relay that ran 3:46.15.
To wrap the meet up out in the field, Chase Cochrane and Jaren Blankenship threw the shot put 33-09 and 30-07, respectively. Annika Cantrell was eighth in the girls discus with a throw of 95-00, Aubrianna Tapia threw 78-05 and Miley Francis 71-03.
Logan Peterson placed third in the boys long jump with a jump of 18-06 and Robert Murray claimed fifth with a 17-06.5. Addison Scott placed third in the girls triple jump with a distance of 31-08.5, Kaelyn Geer finished right behind her in fourth with a jump of 30-10, and Emma Smith placed sixth with 29-04.25.
“I am really, really proud of how well everyone competed,” said coach Beth Scoggins. “The team really pushed themselves and gave a really solid effort for two days straight. This meet was a great way to test ourselves before the state meet.”
The Rangely Panthers have one last chance to qualify for the state meet next weekend at the Cardinal Invitational in Parachute, Colorado.
Special to the Herald Times