Prescott took the long way.

Mica Mountain, you can say, sprinted.

Both arrived at their destination Saturday night at Deer Valley High School.

For the first time in their schools’ histories, the Prescott girls and Mica Mountain boys were crowned team track and field champions. Prescott, a century-plus old high school, squeezed everything it could from six stars to score 82 points in Division III.

“There were only six of us who scored points (Saturday) and (Friday), but there are a ton of us who are supporting each other,” Prescott’s Violet Williams said.
“It’s a really great community at Prescott. I think that’s one of the main reasons we do so well.”

Williams was her team’s super woman, winning the 200 (24.84) and 800 (2:18.26).

Kenzie Blanchard took the 300 meter hurdles in 44.97. Blanchard, Williams, Wylie Monnett, and Aubrey Kitahata teamed up to win the 4x100 (47.74) and 4x400 (3:56.82) relays.

Teammates Rylee Hobson (javelin champ, 119-01) and Libby Hlavacek (fourth in the pole vault) rounded out the scoring. Williams, a senior, didn’t know until a week prior to state that she’d compete in the 200 and in an event she had only ran once in her career, the 800.

She said she didn’t feel great after the 200 but still posted the second fastest time of her career. This school year, Prescott took runner-up honors in flag football and girls soccer and reached the semis in girls basketball. But the track and field team, filled with multi-sport talents, made sure Prescott ended the school year with a state title.

“They really know how to work together as a team,” Prescott coach Austin Turner said. “We have Violet, who is this kind of crazy, multi-event athlete who can run and jump and do any event. But, honestly, it’s the bond between her and the three other girls on our relay teams. They really pull together and in their individual events. We also had two field event athletes who knew what it took to win.”

Mica Mountain’s track and field program launched five years ago with just 12 athletes.

Those then freshmen and coaching staff were rewarded for their dedication after outscoring runner-up American Leadership Academy Queen Creek 87-62 in D-III. Mica Mountain’s girls finished fourth in D-III.

“It was a good team effort,” Mica Mountain coach Matt Penland said. “We had some ups and down but our team worked really hard. Some kids filled in and got us some surprise points.”

Some of those surprises were Jordan Perry (second in 400 meters), Makhi Prescott (fifth in 300 hurdles) and Nolan Black (sixth in the 400 meters). The man of the hour for the Thunderbolts was Nathaniel Bryant, though.

The senior won the 100 (10.84), long jump (23-00.00) and ran the anchor leg for the 4x100 champ (41.68). Bryant wasn’t the favorite to win the 100, but in the prelims he PR’d (10.57) and the momentum carried over.

“The dude in front of me really motivated me to catch up to him,” said Bryant about his 100 championship performance. “I just really wanted to catch up to him.”

Noah Macias (second in 800), Synzere King, the first leg of the team’s 4x100, and JJ Mangrum (second in shot put) also had outstanding showings at state for Mica Mountain.

Mica Mountain

Hysong shocks 200 field

Shadow Mountain’s Kadyn Hysong won the D-III pole vault.

But that’s not the headline. The tall, shaggy haired pole vault phenom won 200 D-III meter race.

He edged out three seniors at the finish line. Hysong finished eighth in the 200 prelims, so he wasn’t even expected to sniff the podium.

What makes this even more remarkable is that he’s just a freshman.

“I honestly didn’t see that coming,” said Hysong about winning the 200 with a PR of 22.17. “I was seeded eighth, and I just got out faster probably than I ever have.

I’m still in disbelief, but it’ll probably get to me.”

In the pole vault, Hysong’s specialty, he won with a mark of 15’ 8” despite battling a head wind.

Down but not out

Ironwood Ridge sophomore Jett Merrill stumbled at the end of the 300 meter hurdle race, leading to one of the more dramatic endings of the night.

It appeared that he sprained his left ankle as he planted his foot right before reaching the final hurdle. Merrill then tripped over the hurdle, but his momentum and dive at the end allowed him to still win the race.

“Oh, my gosh,” he said after receiving his medal. “It feels good. I wish I could have walked across the finish line, but I’ll take a roll.”

Merrill also won the 110 hurdles, cleanly.

Nielson peaking

Bryson Nielsen of Eastmark, the favorite heading into next week’s 800 meters state race, PR’d in the D-III finals with a 1:51.93.

Davidson’s Empire

Empire’s Donovan Davidson was one of the D-IV state meet standouts.

The senior won the 200 meters (21.01), 400 meters (48.23) and ran the anchor leg of his team’s first 4x400, nipping Snowflake’s Gionn Jones at the very end to win the 4x4 in 3:22.52.

Snowflake’s duchess

Snowflake’s girls outscored the runner-up by 97.5 points to win their third consecutive title and sixth overall.

Senior Kaytlin LaDuke scored a big chunk of her team’s D-IV 173.5 points after winning the 100 meters (12.27), 100 meter hurdles (14.75), 200 meters (25.23), and finishing second in the long jump.

D-III, IV team results

D-IV girls

SnowflakeSnowflake 173.5

Ben Franklin 76

ALA West Foothills 75

Thatcher 56

D-IV boys

SnowflakeSnowflake 110 (Snowflake won its fifth consecutive title in a row and 12th overall.)

Valley Christian 78

Thatcher 59

Safford 50

ALA West Foothills 47

D-III girls

Prescott 82

Flagstaff 55.5

ALA Queen Creek 54

Mica Mountain 22

D-III boys

Mica Mountain 87

ALA Queen Creek 62

Salpointe 60

Flagstaff 59.5

Deer Valley 54

For a list of all of the winners: 

 

https://www.athletic.net/track-and-field-outdoor/usa/high-school/arizona