ian Schulz competes in the shot put at the Sparks Rotary Invitational earlier this season.
The largest-ever Carson High Invitational takes place today and Saturday at the Jim Frank Track & Field Complex.
Today it will be 13 JV squads in action with a little incentive. The winner in each event gets a spot in the varsity meet scheduled for Saturday, weather permitting, at 9 a.m. Rain is expected to hit the area tonight.
Carson coach Robert Maw said between 30 and 32 varsity squads, including Del Oro and Rocklin, are expected to be in the varsity field.
Maw said the meet is being used as a test for the meet officials who are going to work the upcoming regional meet (May 7 and May 14) and the state meet (May 20-21).
One of the biggest varsity showdowns will be in the shot put and discus where Carson’s Ian Schulz will battle Dayton’s Zach Hawley. The duo have been two of the best in their specialties this season.
Schulz is ranked No. 1 in northern Nevada in both events with marks of 55-2 3/4 and 162-feet, respectively. Hawley is No. 1 in the 1A shot put (59-5 3/4) and No. 2 in the discus (168-6). Hawley won the shot and Schulz the discus when they collided at the Fallon Elks Invitational.
Maw is also expecting big things from Asa Carter (triple jump, long jump, 1600 relay), Dylan Mayo (long jump, triple jump), Chris Miranda (discus), Ian Van Rensselaer (relays, 800, 1600), Greg Wallace (high jump) and Hector Gomez-Barrios (400, relays).
Carter leads D-1 triple jumpers at 46-10 1/4 and is fifth in the long jump (20-9). Mayo is sixth in the triple jump at 41-3 3/4.
“Asa should do well,” Maw said. “I’m hoping he can pop a 48-footer. In a jump-off he went almost 47. Dylan should be in the top three. I think he can get around 42 or 43 feet.”
Van Rensselaer is ranked sixth in both the 800 (2:01.8) and 1600 (4:36.59). Gomez-Barrios is fifth in the 400 (51.38), while Miranda is coming off a career-best 151-9 at last weekend’s Northwest Invitational. Wallace went 6-4 last week.
Maw is also upbeat about his 1600 relay quartet which posted a 3:32.99 last weekend at McQueen. Carter, Van Rensselaer, Johnny Barahona and Gomez-Barrios are expected to run. It will be the first time in quite a while this team will be together.
“Johnny is really coming along,” said Steven Nelms, CHS assistant.
J.J. Ply and Brady Heusser complement Hawley.
Ply is ranked first in the pole vault (14-6), fourth in the high jump, third in the high hurdles and 10th in the 300 hurdles. Heusser is sixth in the 1600.
Carson’s girls are led by Athena Favero, who’s sixth in the 200 meters (26.82), sixth in the 100 hurdles (17.16) and first in the 300 hurdles (46.47)
“Athena PRd last week,” Maw aid. “I’m looking for her to have a good meet.”
Carson will be without Abby Pradere, who’s participating in this weekend’s Far Western Volleyball Championships in Reno.