Into the wind: Enterprise boys cruise to Northern Section Division I title
Chico girls upset West Valley to take girls title

Friday May 14, 2010
By Jeffrey Jen-Sports Writer, Redding Record-Searchlight
story edited and supplimented by Tom Cushman, photos by Tom Cushman (TC), Greg Barnette (RS)

REDDING - Gusty winds didn’t make things easy for the track and field competitors at Enterprise Community Stadium. But some prep athletes and teams handled things better than others at the Northern Section Division I track and field championships on Friday.

The host Hornets boys team did exactly what they have been doing all season by cruising to the team title with 142 points. Chico was a distant second with 82 points while Central Valley (51) edged Yreka (49) for third place. Foothill (39), Red Bluff (38), Shasta (28), West Valley (25) and Pleasant Valley (16) rounded out the top 10. “It was a perfect day for us,” Hornets track and field coach Jim Deaver said. “They did exactly what we asked them to do and they’ve been doing it all year.”

The same couldn’t said for the West Valley girls team as they finished a scant six point out of first. The Eagles, anticipating a tight team battle with Chico, had some subpar performances on this windy day that proved decisive in the Panther's winning effort of 121 points to the Eagles' 115. Shasta was third with 63 points ahead of Pleasant Valley (36) and Enterprise (32). Foothill was sixth with 29 points followed by Yreka (25), Paradise (18) and Lassen (18). “It a one of the worst meets we’ve had (this year),” said Eagles coach Scott Fairley, who refused to use weather as an excuse. “Everybody is dealing with the same conditions.”

Top athletes, including those not on teams in contention for the Division title, were vying for a top three finish that would automatically qualify them for the next meet on the way to state: the Northern Section championship to be held at West Valley High School next Friday. Winners of the D-II, D-III and D-IV track meets also get automatic berths while the next two best performances at a divisional meet secure at-large berths.

The Enterprise boys avoided another shock like they encountered at last week’s Eastern Athletic League championships when the section’s top 3,200-meter runner, Domenic D’Acquisto, failed to finish that race due to cramps, eliminating him from the D-I meet. Things still worked out for Enterprise as workhorse senior Zach Kaylor stepped in and won the 3,200 race on Friday in a time of 9 minutes, 42.64 seconds, pulling away from Chico’s Tom Dowdin (9:46:11) during the final lap. D’Acquisto still is headed to next week’s section meet in 1,600 after finishing second to Chico’s Daniel Parker. The pair pulled away from Kaylor on the third lap, before Parker unleashed a devastating kick into the wind on the final circuit to take home the victory in 4:18:47. D’Acqustio was second in 4:21.77 while Kaylor cruised home in third (4:32.99).

Anthony Williams again claimed three event wins, leaping to victory in the high jump (6-foot, 6 inches) while sweeping the 110 hurdles (14.79) and the 300 hurdles (39.42). For good measure, he punctuated Enterprise's dominance of the meet by overhauling Chico’s less than fresh distance star, Dan Parker during the anchor leg of the 1,600 relay to lead Enterprise to a win in 3:27.82. Still Parker acquited himself well at the meet by winning the 800 in 1:56.90 in addition to his earlier triumph in the 1600.

Twin brother James Williams won the long jump (22-0 3/4) and was second in the triple jump (43-6 1/4) to teammate Jovon Cunningham (45-10 1/4). The Hornets actually grabbed the top four spots in the triple jump, an event they haved owned all season, with Todd August in third (40-2) and Bryston Potillor in fourth (39-11 1/2). Anderson’s Europa Mataia wasn’t too thrilled with his throw of 163 feet, 8 inches that won the discus event, but he wasn’t too disappointed either. “My goal was to just get into the top three here so I could make sections,” Mataia said. “The 163 was a nice, easy throw. But the wind was a factor. If the wind is coming at you, sometimes you get a nice lift on your throw in discus that makes it go farther. But it was pushing everything to the right.” Dallas Wilson of Central Valley actually was in danger of not advancing before he threw 150-6 on his sixth and final attempt to move into second ahead of Shasta’s Cody Ramage (146-8).

Falcons sprinter Colton Silveria topped Foothill’s Marciel Lawson in both the 100 and 200. Silveria won the 100 in 11.06 to Lawson’s 11.19 and barely edged the Foothill senior in the 200 in 22.76 to 22.80. Previously, Lawson and the Cougars did come away victorious in the 400 relay in 44.44, leaving Silveria and the Falcons a distant second in 45.25. Shasta’s Joseph Fanton edged Enterprise’s Austin Lamkin in the 400, winning in 52.46 to Lamkin’s 52.48.

In addition to Parker, other boys to advance to next Friday's Section Championship were Corrie Emmons (both hurdles, leg 1600 relay), Tom Dowdin (3200), Nick Sloggy (100, long jump, a leg in both relays), Chas Burton (800) and Tyler Lamott (discus). The Vikings to advance were Derek Booth (300 hurdles) and Payton Laurie (3200).

The workhorses for Chico girls in the close victory over the Eagle were Kasey Barnett, winner of the long jump, triple jump and second in the 100m, and Kody Atkins, who claim the 400/800 double for the second week in a row before anchoring the winning 1600 relay. The victories for Barnett in the jumps left her unbeaten in the section in both this season with one meet to go. Atkins, on the other hand, has had a more up and down season. She came into the meet with only the second best time in the 800, but handily dispatched top section rivals, Shasta's Lora James and Oroville's Sarah Brandt, for the second week in a row. West Valley's title hopes rested with senior Taylor Lambert winner of both the 100 hurdles (16.24) and 300 hurdles (47.76) and junior Cassie DeBonis, second in both the 200, 400 and 5th in the high jump. Both also ran legs on the Eagles winning 400 relay team (52.24). Ultimately, the battle for the Division I title came down to how well the second tier athletes gobbled up the lower places and Chico did the better job coming up with crucial points in the 400, 3200, both hurdles and the high jump. Chico also overcame the added disadvantange of not competing in the pole vault, due to a school district prohibition, an event West Valley had 3 place finishers.

Shasta’s Jazmin Porter, once again, was a double-winner in the throws. The Wolves senior took the shot put in 40-7 and the discus in 127-8. Pleasant Valley sophomore Gabriel Finley, also a double winner on the day, took the best advantage of the windy conditions to win both the 100 and 200 meter races. Others to advance for Chico to the Section Championships were Heather Waldorf (300 hurdles), Amanda Costa (800), Azure Grant and Lorena Reed (3200), Whitney Cinquini (400), Carolyn Kurnizki (100 hurdles), Maddy Sullivan-Hames (100 hurdles, high jump), Samantha Hall (triple jump). In addition to Finley, the Vikings also advanced talented freshman Brooke Whitburn (100, long jump), Jessica Canchola (1600) to next Friday's meet.

Additional Meet Photos