Carter qualifies in 3 events to lead CHS

RENO - It was moving day at the Northern 4A Regional Track & Field trials Saturday at Damonte Ranch, and most of Carson High's contingent advanced to next week's finals without any major problems.

The finals are scheduled for May 15, also at Damonte Ranch. The top three finishers qualify for the state meet which will be held May 21-22 at Damonte Ranch.

"I thought we had a pretty good day," said Jeanne Stelzer, who coaches the distance runners. "Pretty much everybody we expected to get through (individually) did."

Luke Carter qualified in three events - the 110 high hurdles (15.96), the 300 hurdles (41.88) and the long jump 20 feet 8 1/4. The only other multi-event qualifier for Carson in individual events was David McMasters, who was eighth in the 400 meters (52.42) and 12th in the 800 at 2:03.49

Richard Shroy ran a PR in the 1,600, qualifying second overall with a 4:27.57. Both Eric Garcia and Cameron Childers qualified in the pole vault at 12-6, Brandon Buonacorsi qualified seventh in the 400 (52.22), Blake McCoy qualified sixth in the discus (136-11) and Nick Bukowy was eighth in the shot put (45-10 1/2). The 1,600-meter relay quartet of McMasters, Buonacorsi, Nick Schlager and Taylor Bradshaw ran a 3:32.68, which was third-fastest.

On the girls' side, Alex Fallon qualified third in the triple jump with a mark of 35-6. She didn't take her fourth jump. Freshman Maddie Saarem was one of nine vaulters to reach 8-6, Hannah Dudley qualified third in the discus (114-4) and Katie McFarren qualified sixth overall in the 1,600 (5:28.34). The 800-meter relay team qualified seventh (1:48.29).

Carson usually does well in relays, but the Senators' 400-meter boys relay team didn't finish the race and the boys' 800 relay squad was ninth, one spot away from advancing. Pole vaulter A.J. Winder cleared just 12 feet and failed to move on. The girls' 1,600-meter relay team didn't start the race. According to a Carson coach, Fallon's foot was sore and there were no alternates available to fill in.

Carter was disappointed with his long jump effort, especially when you consider he had the wind going with him down the runway.

"I was hoping to break 21," he said. "In the high hurdles (15.96), that was the fastest trials time I've had. I hit three hurdles at the end."

Shroy ran a very strategic race against Elko's Eric Sandall and Geoff Hull of McQueen. Shroy hung back in the second and third spots until he passed Sandall on the curve with about 180 meters to go to win the heat.

"I like to sit in the pack and wait to make my move," Shroy said. "It's fun passing on the curve. Sometimes it surprises people. I just felt like it was the right time to pass."

"I think he ran a good race," Stelzer said. "It was a PR for him. He just wanted to get in (automatically). He wanted to stay with Eric. They weren't racing, they were just running."

It sets up for a big showdown next week with the trio of aforementioned runners plus Galena's Bryan Jordan, the fastest qualifier at 4:24.88.

McMasters was the last qualifier in each of his events, and he breathed an audible sigh of relief. He was in Lane 1 for the 400, and he admitted that may have psyched him out. He was third in his heat in the 800.

"I felt I was so far behind," McMasters said, "At the end I wasn't that tired. I didn't really want to run the 400 because I thought I would be too tired to make it in the 800."

Mike Louisiana, the Senators' throws coach, was happy with his two proteges, McCoy and Bukowy, who qualified in the discus and shot put, respectively.

"He (Bukowy) has another week to work on what he needs to work on," Louisiana said. "He's stopping in the middle of the ring and he's not accelerating the ball because he's stopped. It's a breakthrough for Blake. He got four throws in (the sector). He's been all over the place (in terms of accuracy)."

McFarren, who went out hard and was second after the first lap, pretty much held her ground the rest of the way en route to a third place in the heat.

"It went pretty good," McFarren said. "I felt like it was a comfortable pace. I'm looking forward to next week where I'll have to step it up. The second and third laps (her slowest) are always the hardest. You get settled in and it's tough to get out of that."

McFarren said it will take anywhere from 5:10 to 5:15 to make the top three and advance. She said with people pushing each other, a time like that is possible.

Fallon fouled on her first jump and then uncorked a 35-6, which easily advanced her. She had a 33-foot jump on her third try. She moved her mark each time, and admitted the wind was an issue.

"After the first run through, I moved my mark back about 10 feet," she said. "The first jump I was back too far because the wind changed. Hopefully next week we'll have better conditions. It would have been nice to win today, but my main goal was to get a mark."

Saarem went 3-for-3 in the pole vault, clearing 7-6, 8-feet and 8-6. She's cleared 9-feet twice this year, and she may have to go 10 to advance to state.

POLLACK, KARNOFEL LEADS DHS

Johnny Pollack was the bright spot for the Douglas boys, qualifying sixth in the long jump (20-8 3/4) and seventh in the triple jump (42-9). He missed by one-quarter inch (45-10 1/4) from qualifying in the shot put.

Scott Lococo ran a 4:39.63 to easily move on in the 1,600 and Nick Maestretti and Justin Seyfried easily cleared 12-6 in the pole vault to move on.

Freshman Morgan Karnofel qualified second in the 100 meters (12.95) and eighth in the 200 (27.95). Amanda Brazeau qualified in the pole vault (8-6) and the 100 hurdles (16.67). Cesarina Ceglia was second in the triple jump at 35-9.

Douglas' girls qualified seventh in the 400 relay, eighth in the 800 relay and fifth in the 1,600 relay.