WV gets 'Frank' at track meet
Eagles, Bobcats place first at 36th annual CV invitational

By John Ryan, Record Searchlight
April 17, 2005

SHASTA LAKE -- Thanks to a slightly misplaced line of chalk, Jim Carter was almost $100 poorer. 

Central Valley High School shot putter Brianne Kenyon launched a new school record throw Saturday
 at the 36th annual John Frank Invitational at Shasta Lake, prompting Grampa Jim to reach for his
 billfold. 
 
Carter promised Kenyon if she broke the 40-foot barrier, he'd give her a Ben Franklin. Kenyon's 
second-to-last throw of the finals landed several inches beyond the 40-foot chalk mark. 

The line was off, but Kenyon's 39-foot 10 1/4 -inch toss set a new Central Valley record and 
won her the event. 

"The lines are right, huh, coach?" Kenyon ribbed her throwing coach, Jay Ryan, who assured his shot 
putter the fresh markings at the new Central Valley pit were on the money. 

Ryan just shrugged, Carter breathed a sigh of relief and slipped his wallet back in his pocket. 

"This hundred bucks was an inch and a quarter gone," Grampa Jim said with a hearty chuckle. 

Kenyon led the field after the third flight with a mark of 39-21/2, but a hitch in her mechanics 
was holding the senior back. 

"Coach told me to get my (right) foot under me more," Kenyon said. "I did that and it helped." 

With the adjustment locked in, Kenyon came across the ring on her fifth attempt, planted on her 
retooled, solid base and popped a monster throw. 

"I was just watching it go, hoping it was 40 feet," said Kenyon who came into the meet with a 
previous personal best of 38-0. 

Paradise's Nicole Barbour was second going 37-61/4. Barbour turned around and topped Kenyon in 
the discus later in the afternoon. Barbour's first place, 111-6 mark beat Kenyon's silver-medal 
winning 103-8. 

Barbour and the Bobcats won the girls division, West Valley took the boys with its second-straight 
dominant outing at an area meet. The Eagles easily took the boys division April 9 at Enterprise's 
Hornet Invitational. 

The Eagles 400-meter relay team -- Emanuel Magana, Jimmy Leonard, Nick Evans and Alex Read -- won 
in 45.03 seconds. 

West Valley also took the mile relay (3 minutes, 35.26 seconds) with Magana, Leonard, Trent Simmons 
and Jordan Fairley. The Eagles boys carried home nine first-place finishes. Troy Johns went 5-10 to 
win the high jump, Magana took the long jump with a bound of 21-3, Simmons won the 110-meter hurdles 
(16:01) and was second in the 300 hurdles (43.63). 

Andy Christensen finished second in the 110 (16:71) and won the pole vault -- going away -- with a 
12-foot mark. Read won the triple jump (39-91/2) and Evans won the 100 (11.65). 

The Eagles' Davlin Hall took second in the discus (155-81/2) after leading for most of the event. 
However, Central Valley's Kyle Ravera crushed a 162-9 1/4 heave on his second-to-last throw of the day. 
Ravera's mark was 10 feet better than the throw that won him gold at the Hornet. 

Ravera also went 50-11 to win the shot put. 

Mount Shasta's Austin Fritzke hung on to win a tightly contested 800, setting the Northern Section's 
top time at 1:59.59 this season. Biggs' Matt Gray (2:00.88) and Fairley (2:01.55) finished right on 
his heals. Fritzke also won the 3,200 in 10:05.54. 

The Eagles' Desiree Hoyum won the girls high jump (4-6). West Valley also took the girls pole vault 
on Malia Johnson's 7-6 mark. 

Shasta's Emese Grek went 32 feet to win the triple jump. Anderson's Julie Shaw cruised in 11:36.7 to 
win the 3,200. 

The 36th annual John Frank Invitational
Top marks from Saturday's tournament at Central Valley 

• Boys discus -- Kyle Ravera, Central Valley, 162-9¼ 

• Boys 800 meters -- 1. Austin Fritzke, Mt. Shasta, 1:59.57
                     2. Matt Gray, Biggs, 2:00.88
                     3. Jordan Fairley, West Valley, 2:01.55
                     4. Ryan Matz, Pleasant Valley, 2:04.28
                     5. Jon Hanna, West Valley, 2:04.39

• Girls 800 meters -- 1. Hagen Atkins, Durham, 2:23.33
                      2. Natalie Hickman, Pleasant Valley, 2:26.31

. Boys 1600 meters -- 1. Andrew Taylor, Shasta, 4:30.87

• Girls 1600 meters -- 1. Hagen Atkins, Durham, 5:12.88
                       2. Katie Fritzke, Mt. Shasta, 5:19.99
                       3. Natalie Sojka, Mt. Shasta, 5:23.00 

. Boys 3200 meters -- 1. Austin Fritzke, Mt. Shasta, 10:05.34
                      2. Pat Crowl, West Valley, 10:08.07    

• Boys 400 relay -- West Valley, 45.03. 

• Girls shot put -- Brianne Kenyon, CV, 39-10¼ 

• Girls 3,200 -- Julie Shaw, Anderson, 11:36.7