7:38 — Calling it a day with a couple 4×4 relays to go. Will be back Saturday and will keep up as best I can.
###
7:27 p.m. — Crater wins its 4×400 boys heat in 3:26.13. Earlier, Jantzer had a 49-flat final leg as the Phoenix boys won their heat in 3:27.7 to lead all qualifiers.
###
6:55 p.m. — Tyerman’s been busy. She won the 3,000, had little time to regroup before running anchor leg on the 4×400, then finished that and dashed over to the medals stand to get her 3,000-win award. In the relay, she made up ground and looked to tie for third. Not sure where the relay falls at this point.
###
6:40 p.m. — Kayleigh Tyerman pulls through in the 3,000 for the region’s third championship, taking the 5A girls title in dominating fashion. Her time is 10:13.86. Seena Frantz of Ashland is third in 10:30.54. South Medford’s Piper Delaney is fifth in 6A in 10:23.61.
###
5:00 p.m. — Will Kunkle racks up a few more team points for North Medford. The sophomore, in his first year of throwing the discus, places fifth with a mark if 161-5.
###
3:37 p.m. — North Valley’s Paul Gutzman 54-3 1/2 smoke the field in the 4A shot put, winning with a 54-3 1/2 effort. Second place was more than 3 feet back.
###
3:28 p.m. — Oops. Took a break for lunch and came back to find I overlooked Eagle Point’s Kimberly Snow in the javelin. She placed seventh with a throw of 115-2. As I was coming back, Jonathan McUne of North Medford was winning his heat of the 110 hurdles.
###
2:13 p.m. — Graham Thirkill of Phoenix looked like was out of the picture in the 400 prelim, running fifth or sixth as they hit the homestretch. But he pushed himself while others faded and overtook all to win the heat and advance. Kelley Beck Crater just smoked the field in his heat, 49.99.
###
2:05 — Elliott Jantzer, in his quest for a difficult triple (3,000, 1,500 and 400) just won his 400 prelim in 50.10. Baylee Hearns of the North girls was well back in her heat and didn’t advance to the finals.
###
1:55 p.m. — Katie Orr of Crater makes it to the medals stand in the javelin, placing eighth with a mark of 111-03.
###
1:33 p.m. — A big roar just went out as Crouser threw for the last time. For good reason. The sophomore just upped the meet record 66-1 and change. Couldn’t hear the fractions with all the cheering.
###
1:05 p.m. — They remeasured Crouser’s throw with a steel tape because it was so close to the record and got another quarter-inch out of it, leaving the Barlow star that far short of the record.
###
1:00 p.m. — Sorry for the delay. Had to leave press row and get down to the track for the boys 3,000 meters, where Southern Oregon is so strong.
Elliott Jantzer won the 4A race comfortably, his third straight in that even and his seventh state title in track or XC. His time was 8:43.40. He wasn’t going for time, as he has six races in three days.
The best race of the three followed, with Wilder Schaaf of Ashland trading the lead with Zach Elliott of Crater before the Grizzly finally won out with a meet-record 8:42.17. Elliott was second in 8:42.89.
Drew Jordan of North Medford had the No. 7 seed time going into the 6A race and placed fourth in 8:43.37, his season’s best by 3.5 seconds or so.
Still to come late this afternoon is Kayleigh Tyerman of Crater in the girls 3,000. She has the best time in the state by 12 seconds.
The rocket, Kellie Schueler of Summit just won her heat in the 100 prelims. Looked liked she was jogging. At the same time, Ryan Crouser of the ever-dominant throwing family from came within a half inch of the meet record in the shot put with a throw of 65-9 1/2.
###
11:40 a.m. — Crater wins its heat in the boys 4×100 by a comfortable margin to advance to Saturday. The three remaining vaulters are now at 15-9.
###
11:28 a.m. — Formolo goes out at 14-9. He missed three times at 15-0 and will place fourth.
###
11:24 a.m. — Formolo clears 14-9 on first try, bar is moved to 15-0, and he misses on first try. Now all four remaining jumpers are in: Juliffs of Sheldon, Hippler of Oregon City and Beard of South Eugene, who has gone 16-5.
###
11:19 a.m. — Hooper misses on final attempt at 14-6 and is out with a mark of 14-3.
###
11:15 a.m. — Formolo clears 14-6 on first attempt, Hooper misses on first.
###
Formolo and Hooper were the only ones jumping, but they both cleared 14-3 and now the three with the top marks in the state, ranging from 15-4 to 16-5, have joined in.
###
We’re here at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, as the track announcer rightly dubbed it. They played the national anthem and staged the 1,500-meter wheelchair race as field events are going on on the infield. A nice hand for the last wheelchair entrant who perservered despite being well back and finished strong.
In the 6A boys pole vault, David Formolo of North Medford cleared 14-0 on his first attempt, and South Medford’s Brandon Hooper did so on his second attempt. Taylor Stormberg of North just wentn out at 14-0. His third-plant came just as the gun on the track fired to start a 4×100 relay heat. I’ve often wondered if that bothers a jumper or thrower when that happens.
Kim Gomez competed in the first of two flights of the 6A girls javelin. Not sure what she threw but the second group, with the top throwers, is starting now.
Hidden Valley’s 4×100 relay finished second in the girls 4A heat to advance to Saturday’s finals.
