MHS track posting impressive results

Maricopa High School’s track and field teams have had a busy March, and there is more to come.

Boys

The boys have won three meets, including the Gaucho Relays in Glendale. The Rams defeated Notre Dame in a head-to-head meet March 8 with a score of 84-53. At home March 22, Maricopa beat McClintock 84-59.

In the Gaucho Relays March 10, Maricopa was one of 20 teams in competition. The Rams proved strong on the track and in the field, earning six first-place finishes.

Among them, Phillip Austin won the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.13. Jesse Gaines won the 800-meter run in 2:01.98. Darrell Handy jumped his own height in the high jump at 6-foot-4 for another victory.

Maricopa’s  4×100-meter relay team took the gold in 43.94. The 4×400 team also won, posting a time of 3:29.92.

Also earning points with high finishes, Austin was second in the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 9 inches. Terrell Handy was second in the triple jump at 42-10. Frank Jones was third in the 100 at 11.28, Darrell Handy was third in the triple jump at 42-9, and Terrell Handy was third in the high jump at 6-4. The 4×800 relay team was fifth in 8:39.05. Terrell Hardy was sixth in the long jump at 20-4, followed by brother Darrell in seventh with 19-10. Logan Taylor was seventh in the 110-meter high hurdles in 16.94. Xander Benitez was in a seventh-place tie in the high jump at 5-6. Dakota Halverson was seventh in the discus throw at 120-5, and Johnny Smith was 13th in the same event at 112-7 to earn points for the team.

The junior varsity competed at the Goldwater Underclassmen Invite in Phoenix March 17, finishing fifth out of eight schools.

Jacob Cowing picked up two first-place finishes. He ran the 100 in 11.6 and the 300-meter hurdles in 43.66 for the victories. Taylor picked up his pace in the 110HH to win in 16.47.

The 4×400 relay team placed second in 3:55.47. Taylor was third in the 300 hurdles in 45.79, and the 4×100 relay team finished third in 47.20. David Skelton was fourth in discus at 99-4, and he finished fifth in the shot put with a toss of 33-3. James Cutajar was fifth in discus at 95-1. Jake Meyer was sixth in shot at 32-6.5.

Girls

The girls have a win this season, defeating McClintock 105-21 on March 22. The lost to Notre Dame on March 8, 70-57, and JV had a good showing at the Goldwater Underclassmen Invite on March 17

In the Goldwater, the young Rams finished second by just nine points. Alayja Reynolds, Italy Brookshire and Eveyln Corliss won two events apiece.

Reynolds won the 100 in 13.46 and the 200-meter dash in 27.99. Brookshire was first in the triple jump at 27-11 and in the high jump at 5-0. Corliss won the 1600-meter run in 5:48.55 and the 3200-meter run in 13.34.32. The 4×100 relay team was also a winner in 53.10.

Saneya Cowing was second in the 100 in 13.5 and third in the 200 in 28.22. Reynolds finished second in the long jump at 14-8.5. Katherine Gores was second in the long jump at 27-10. Isabella Moe was third in the shot put at 24-8 and fourth in discus at 69-3. Bailey Davis ran fourth in 400 at 1:10.03. Destinee Chavis was fifth in the 100 at 13.97 and in the 200 at 29.12. Brookshire was sixth in the long jump at 12-4.

At the March 10 Gaucho Relays, the girls finished 15th.

Those scoring points were Brookshire with a tie for second in the high jump at 5-0, Leilena Young with third in the shot put at 33-2, Kayla Boich with a tie for fourth in the high jump at 4-10, and Moe with a 14th place in shot put at 26-4.

The team next competes Friday and Saturday in the Chandler Rotary Meet. Maricopa hosts its annual Ram Twilight Invitational on April 7 starting at 3 p.m. at Ram Stadium.