Colfax girls track stack 99 to win title

It ended with a full bore charge at the end of two days of a championship run. The Colfax girls already had the state 2B track on the board, but in the last event Saturday they added frosting.

Coach Jason Cooper told his 4 X 400 team he wanted them to pull out all the stops, and they did.

Senior Leah Heiner finished the anchor leg with a lean win at the finish over Lind/Ritzville’s Caitlin Schoessler. Heiner started the last lap in fourth place but picked up ground. When she came down out from behind the grandstand she was in chase for the win down to the finish.

“It was the most amazing finish I’ve ever seen,” Coach Cooper said. Sarah Kraut, Taylor Larsen and Olivia Mellor ran the first three legs.

The win by the 4 x 400 team topped out a 99 point run for the Bulldog girls, 34 points ahead of the number two team, Northwest Christian of Lace.

Cooper said the whole Colfax run at state was a mix of outstanding individual performances mixed in a team effort.

This year’s track championship was the first title win since 2009.

The Bulldogs pulled it together after being jolted in the first event of the day Friday when the 4 X 200 team, rated first in the state, was disqualified on an exchange zone violation.

The Bulldogs came back with sophomore Scout Cai taking the pole vault on the first day at 11-0, six inches over the number-two height.

She came back Saturday to place second in the high jump at 5-2 and fifth in the 100 and 200 sprints.

Largest chunk of points, 18, came in the final of the 100 hurdles when senior Bailey Mackleit and freshman Parker Warwick finished one-two. They edged Allison Wujeck of DeSales who finished between the two Bulldogs in the Friday prelims. Warwick won the prelim race.

Mackleit later placed third in the 300 hurdles with a 47.78 a personal record. She also anchored the girls 4 x 100 relay win with Heiner, Warwick, and Mellor running the other legs.

Mellor, a sophomore, placed third in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump, and Warwick placed third in the 400.

Senior Nicole Sheer placed third in he discus and fifth in the long jump.

Colfax boys were topped by Sam Dailey who cleared 12-6 to win the pole vault on a least misses edge over NE foe Austin Zeller of Davenport.

The Bulldogs finished the meet in ninth place with 27 points behind Raymond’s win on 57 points.

Senior Austin Corean finished with four medals, sixth in the 100, fourth in the 200, and sixth in the 400. He also ran the anchor leg of the Bulldogs sixth place 4 X 100 relay team

Darcy Stamper of LaCrosse booked a repeat win in the boy’s high jump with a 6-4. That was two inches short of the 6-6 he cleared last year to win the event. Bob Swannack of SJE holds he 2B record at 6-9.

Stamper was also third in the long jump at 20-11.25.

Eli Richardson, who was the last Rosalia Spartan to compete in a state event, booked the other win for a county entrant with top mark in the shot put for the 1B divisoh. Richardsonalso placed third in the 100 sprint.

Olivia Pakootas led the Garfield/Palouse-Tekoa Oakesdale girls with a fourth in the long jump and a seventh in the triple jump. The Viking also placed seventh in the 4 x 400 relay at the end of the day with Pakootas, Maddie Bogenreif and Zoe Robertson running the other legs.

Heather Siegel of St.John finished her distance running career for the Eagles with a sixth-place finish in the 3200, and Annie Bailey added points with a seventh-place finish in the javelin.