Outlaws shine at Rotary meet

The annual Sisters Rotary Invitational last weekend produced stellar marks for many members of the Outlaws track and field teams.

Saturday dawned a bit wet and cool, but did not dampen the spirits and efforts of the Outlaws at the Rotary meet, which featured a total of twelve teams.

The Sisters girls team won the meet with 169.5 points, followed by Lakeview (131), Sweet Home (86), Elmira (85.5), Madras (50), Columbia Christian (36), Culver (29), Redmond (22), New Horizon (12), McKenzie (7), and Cascades Academy (6).

The girls put plenty of points on the board early in the meet in the jumping events as Ryliereece Morgan won the long jump (16 feet), the triple jump (34 feet 7.75 inches) and the high jump (5 feet 1 inch).

Jade Anaya took second in the triple jump (32 feet 10.5 inches), and Shelby Larson was the runner-up in the pole vault (8 feet 6 inches).

The running events got off to a great start also as the 4x100 team of Morgan, Samantha Silva, Mandi Calavan, and Erynn Ricker got the baton around the oval in 51.43. Two more wins came in succession as Kate Bowen won the 1,500 meters (5:05.14) and Mandi Calavan won the 100 with a personal best of 12.86.

Anna Bartlett ran a personal best in winning the 800 (2:29.78) as the last winner of the day for the girls.

Other highlights included Calavan's second-place finish in the 200 (26.84), Ella Cole's best ever for second in the 800 (2:39.99), and Natalie Sitz's third-place finish in the 3,000 (12:09.24).

"We scored points in all the areas we expected, so it was a real team effort," said Head Coach Jeff Larson.

The team race for the boys' title couldn't have been closer as Elmira edged Sisters 125-124 and Madras was just one more point behind at 123. The remaining scores included Lakeview (83), Sweet Home (55), Columbia Christian (41), Culver (35), New Horizon (28), Redmond (19), and McKenzie (11).

The boys team placed second behind victories and top places from a variety of athletes. Jordan Pollard provided the most eye-popping mark of the day in the 800 meters where he established the top time in the state among 4A runners with a stellar time of 1:56.24. His time ranks only behind his brother Brandon, who holds the school record at 1:55.91.

Garrett Kersavage captured first in the pole vault (11 feet 6 inches) and also placed third in the triple jump (37 feet 1.5 inches).

The boys concluded the meet with their only other win of the day in the 4x400 meter relay (Brody Anderson, Hayden Sharp, Korbin Sharp and Pollard) with a time of 3:35.19.

Keaton Green also ran a huge personal best in the 800, lowering his time to 2:01.54, which ranks him seventh in the state.

The Sharp brothers ran well in the open 400 as well, as freshman Hayden clipped his brother for third place with a time of 53.52 to Korbin's 53.64. Hayden Sharp set a personal best in the pole vault (11 feet) to finish second.

In the 3,000, a pair of freshman proved their varsity status as Ethan Hosang (9:31.53) and John Peckham (9:38.89) placed second and fourth respectively.

The 4x100-meter relay team of Dalton Gonzales, Chris Luz, Hayden Sharp and Korbin Sharp took second place with a time of 46.36.

Brady Wessel tossed the shot put 40 feet 3.5 inches to set a personal record on his way to third place, while fellow thrower David Perez placed third in the discus with a mark of 116 feet 2.5 inches.

"Both our seniors and our younger guys really showed up to compete Saturday," said Larson. "I am pleased with their progress as a team. I'd also like to thank the Rotary Club of Sisters and Kathy Kemper-Zanck providing all the volunteers to make this meet run smoothly."

Sisters hosts the JV Championship Meet on Wednesday, May 2, and finishes the regular season at the Wally Ciochetti Invitational at Cottage Grove on Friday, May 4.

The following week the Outlaws host the Sky-Em District Championships, which run on Thursday, May 10 and Saturday May 12 at Reed Stadium. The district meet serves as the qualifier for the OSAA Track and Field Championships set for May 18 and 19 at historic Hayward Field in Eugene.