DEEP WITH TALENT

PALMER — Before the start of the 2010 prep track and field season, Wasilla head coach Gary Howell foresaw a battle between his Warriors girls’ squad and Kenai Central for Northern Lights Conference supremacy.

If the last two weeks are any indication, Howell’s crew may have the upper hand.

Wasilla collected 89.3 total points to finish first in the girls standings of the Palmer Invitational at Palmer High School on Friday and capture its second team title in as many weeks. Kenai, the defending NLC champions, finished third with 55 points, behind both Wasilla and second-place Service. Last week, the Warriors won the Skyview Invitational in Soldotna, beating second-place Kenai by 41 points.

With 46 athletes on his girls team, Howell said depth has been the key.

“They just don’t have the kids out,” Howell said of the Kards. “They’ve got some dynamite kids, but they just don’t have the depth.”

One of those dynamite kids Howell was referring to is senior Lierin Flanagan, who won multiple events yet again. Flanagan, who holds the state’s top times in the 200- and 400-meter events, won both the 200 and the 400. She also helped the Kardinals finish second in the 800 relay and third in the 400 relay.

While you can basically pencil in Flanagan for a couple of wins in any given meet, Howell said the high numbers of Wasilla runners who place and earn points push the Warriors to the top.

“They score 10, but we’ll score a bunch of other points,” Howell said.

The 400 on Friday was a prime example. Flanagan won, posting a time of 1:00.50, but Wasilla placed two in the top five. Morgan Dampier finished third and Keri Clump was fifth. Cori Schleich also finished seventh in the event.

The Warriors placed a pair of runners in the top five of four different running events.

Wasilla also had its wins. Freshman Dajanae Harris finished first in the 100 for the second straight week. Dampier, who continues to control the 800, bettered her state-best time in the event. Her prior season best was a 2:19.36, but on Friday Dampier posted a time of 2:18.07.

Freshman Jenna Ford also had a strong day, finishing second in the 3,200 and fourth in the 1,600.

“Our kids ran really well all the way around,” Howell said.

Wasilla’s jumpers also played a big role in the victory. Alice Oksoktaruk won the triple jump with a leap of 33 feet, 6 1/4 inches, and Kiera Rust finished second.

“Our jumpers really stood out,” Howell said.

Oksoktaruk was also third in the high jump.

Wasilla finished in first in the team standings despite not entering any of the four relay events. The Warriors typically do fairly well in the relays, but Howell wanted to give his athletes the chance to compete in other events.

“You put them in the relays and they don’t get to do the other things they want to try,” Howell said.

Athletes can only participate in four events during a track meet.

“We wanted to give them a chance,” Howell said.

The Warriors also had ample opportunity to run relays on Saturday during the Palmer Relays, an annual event hosted by the Moose that includes nothing but relay events.

Host Palmer finished seventh in the girls’ standings on Friday. The Moose — with the team of Taylor Blake, Monica Nuernberg, Jamie VanHoomissen and Sarah Houchen — finished second in the 400 relay. Blake, Gretchen Winter, Morgan Whitfield and Carol Meyer gave Palmer a second-place finish in the 1,600-meter relay.

Houchen finished fifth for Palmer in the 100, Nuernberg was fifth in the shot put and Erin LaMere placed fifth in the discus.

Shellina Irwin led ninth-place Colony with a win in the shot put. Irwin, the state’s leader in the event, used a throw of 34-3.5 to finish first. Laura Maresh finished third in the high jump for the Knights.

Danielle Barney led Houston with a second-place finish in the discus, and Bailey Stevenson led Susitna Valley by placing fourth in the high jump.

Sprinters lead Palmer boys to second

PALMER — Palmer senior John Scoresby won the battle of the Valley’s fastest sprinters and helped the Moose finish second in the boys’ standings of the Palmer Invitational Friday at Palmer High School.

Scoresby used his time of 11.48 seconds to edge Colony senior Matt Jaronik in the 100-meter dash. He also helped Palmer win the 400-meter relay.

Scoresby, Chris Forkner, David Clement and Jim McCall put together a time of 45.28 and finished first in the relay event.

The Moose were also second in the 400 relay. McCall finished third in the 100, Levi Turner was third in the 200 and Kyle Scheibe finished third in the shot put for Palmer.

Jaronik won the 200 to lead the fourth-place Knights. The senior was also the runner-up in the 100 and 400.

Colony edged Wasilla by just one point in the team standings. Senior John Knowles swept the throwing events to lead the fifth-place Warriors.

Knowles posted a mark of 166-4 to win the discus. His throw was 7 feet better than his previous best, which was also the state high.

Senior Manny Curtis finished second in the high jump for the Warriors, hitting 6 feet for the first time in his career.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Palmer Invitational

Friday, Palmer High School

Girls’ team scores:

1. Wasilla 89.3; 2. Service 68; 3. Kenai Central 55; 4. Chugiak 41; 5. Kodiak 39.5; 6. Soldotna 39; 7. Palmer 36; 7. (tie) Grace Christian 36; 9. Colony 35.3; 10. West Anchorage 28; 10. (tie) Kenny Lake 28; 12. Seward 18; 12. (tie) Anchorage Christian 18; 14. Houston 10.3; 15. Susitna Valley 2.5.

Girls’ individual results:

100 meter — 1. D. Harris, Was 13.27; 2. J. Smelker, Ser 13.32; 3. S. Ferguson, Ser 13.34; 4. M. Dampier, Was 13.39; 5. S. Houchen, Pal 13.65; 6. K. Zanders, Ser 13.76; 7. B. Wherheim, Chu 13.86; 8. M. Matthis, Chu 13.92.

200 — 1. L. Flanagan, Ken 26.47; 3. J. Smelker, Ser 27.22; 3. K. Harter, Chu 28.55; 4. G. Nickerson, Was 28.62; 5. S. Ernest, Kod 28.66; 5. G. Serventi, Grace 28.66; 7. H. Saunders, Ser 28.71; 8. M. Matthis, Chu 28.86.

400 — 1. L. Flanagan, Ken 1:00.50; 2. B. Beeson, Ken 1:02.00; 3. M. Dampier, Was 1:02.57; 4. S. Ernest, Kod 1:03.58; 5. K. Clump, Was 1:04.42; 6. N. Barrus, Ser 1:05.03; 7. C. Schleich, Was 1:05.22; 8. M. Whitfield, Pal 1:05.60.

800 — 1. M. Dampier, Was 2:8.07; 2. K. Wilson, KL 2:27.68; 3. R. Roelle, West 2:28.44; 4. A. Barnwell, Sew 2:28.66; 5. K. Clump, Was 2:30.22; 6. J. Bethea, Kdo 2:30.65; 7. K. Mucha, Ken 2:30.96; 8. S. Hartke, Chu 2:33.28.

1,600 — 1. K. Wilson, KL 5:21.04; 2. A. Barnwell, Sew 5:23.07; 3. J. Bethea, Kod 5:23.79; 4. J. Ford, Was 5:29.51; 5. M. Applegate, Grace 5:37.46; 6. D. Gerik, West 5:38.34; 7. K. Lange, Chu 5:41.86; 8. S. Harke, Chu 5:43.31.

3,200 — 1. K. Wilson, KL 11:23.24; 2. J. Ford, Was 11:25.12; 3. M. Applegate, Grace 11:54.74; 4. M. Rinngenberg, Was 12:08.66; 5. M. Smith, Sol 12:13.27; 6. J. Northey, Ser 12:17.67; 7. S. Ng, Kod 12:23.04; 8. S. Stewart, Col 12:23.91.

100 hurdles — 1. S. Oliver, Kod 17.30; 2. S. DeVito, Ken 17.40; 3. B. Bohn, West 17.55; 4. L. Sandahi, Ken 17.57; 5. K. Rust, Was 17.92; 6. S. LeClaire, Ser 18.10; 7. M. Ulen, Sol 18.12; 8. S. Nuss, Was 18.16.

300 hurdles — 1. M. Ulen, Sol 50.78; 2. S. Johansen, Col 52.25; 3. R. Fore, Chu 52.71; 4. S. LeClaire, Ser 52.89; 5. B. Bohn, West 53.16; 6. M. McGimsey, Chu 54.31; 7. K. Rust, Was 54.89; 8. M. Wensley, Ken 55.06.

400 relay — 1. Service 51.97; 2. Palmer 53.21; 3. Kenai 53.44; 4. Chugiak 53.79; 5. Soldotna 54.81; 6. Kodiak 56.25; 7. ACS 56.33; 8. Service B 57.80.

800 relay — 1. Service 1:49.15; 2. Kenai 1:50.16; 3. AS 1:55.65; 4. Grace 1:56.56; 5. Chugiak 1:56.94; 6. Soldotna 1:57.45.

1,600 relay — 1. Grace Christian 4:26.29; 2. Palmer 4:27.50; 3. Kodiak 4:34.03; 4. Soldotna 4:36.18; 5. Chugiak 4:54.98; 6. ACS 5:01.50; 7. Service 5:02.17.

3,200 relay — 1. Chugiak 10:26.20; 2. Grace 10:29.71; 3. Kodiak 10:47.06; 4. Soldotna 10:59.50; 5. Palmer 10:59.87; 6. Service 11:48.63; 7. West 12:02.87.

High jump — 1. V. Kudinova, Ser 5-0; 2. M. Ulen, Sol 4-8; 3. L. Maresh, Col 4-8; 3. (tie) A. Oksaktaruk, Was 4-8; 5. B. Stevenson, SV 4-6; 5. S. James, Hou 4-8; 5. (tie) T. Stewart, Col 4-6; 5. (tie) K. Rust, Was 4-6.

Triple jump — 1. A. Oksaktaruk, Was 33-6.25; 2. K. Rust, Was 32-5.75; 3. D. Simmers, ACS 32-0.75; 4. A. Collins, Chu 31-11.5; 5. J. Bennett, SCS 31-9.25; 6. T. Steart, Col 31-5; 7. C. Gillespie, Hou 31-4.25; 8. L. Maresh, Col 30-10.75.

Shot put — 1. S. Irwin, Col 34-3.5; 2. E. LaMere, Pal 34-2; 3. T. Adelmann, Sew 32-9.25; 4. J. Troisi, Was 32-3.5; 5. M. Nuernberg, Pal 30-11; 6. G. Johansen, Col 30-3.25; 7. C. Ward, Was 30-2.25; 8. S. Oliver, Kod 29-10.75.

Discus — 1. K. French, West 103-3; 2. D. Barney, Hou 101-01; 3. G. Johansen, Col 94-11; 4. J. Duke, Sol 92-2; 5. E. LaMere, Pal 90-8; 6. S. Irwin, Col 89-4; 7. K. Howard, Chu 89-2; 8. K. Pearce, Ser 87-10.

Boys’ team scores:

1. Kodiak 110; 2. Palmer 68; 3. Service 66; 4. Colony 52.5; 5. Wasilla 51.5; 6. West Anchorage 40; 7. Grace Christian 32; 8. Kenai Central 31; 9. Anchorage Christian 25; 10. Soldotna 23; 11. Seward 18; 12. Houston 10.5; 13. Susitna Valley 5; 14. Chugiak 4; 14. (tie) Homer 4; 16. Hertiage 2; 17. Glennallen 0.5.

Boys’ individual results:

100 — 1. J. Scoresby, Pal 11.48 2. M. Jaronik, Col 11.73; 3. J. McCall, Pal 11.74; 4. P. McFarlin, Kod 11.79; 5. W. Sharp, West 11.96; 6. Y. Simmons, Col 11.98; 7. L. Turner, Pal 12.09; 8. T. Owens, Was 12.14.

200 — 1. M. Jaronik, Col 23.70; 2. R. McFarlin, Kod 23.90; 3. L. Turner, Pal 24.29; 4. P. Bennett, Sol 24.32; 5. Y. Simmons, Col 24.41; 6. Y. Owens, Was 24.45; 7. A. Bricker, Col 24.60; 8. G. Cubbedge, Kod 24.64.

400 — 1. C. Mamikunion, Ser 51.02; 2. M. Jaronik, Col 52.58; 3. J. Lane, Ser 52.63; 4. S. Talbot, Ser 52.71; 5. C. Schneider, Sol 53.35; 6. C. Davidson, Kod 53.57; 7. J. Gogle, Kod 53.64; 8. T. Owens, Was 53.97.

800 — 1. B. Kiefer, Ken 2:02.57; 2. D. Anthony, Kod 2:02.70; 3. C. Davidson, Kod 2:04.47; 4. J. Dillon, Grace 2:04.87; 5. J. Osowksi, Kod 2:06.29; 6. P. Hanks, Her 2:06.42; 7. M. Johnston, Was 2:09.42; 8. B. King, Pal 2:10.05.

1,600 – 1. J. Kirk, Grace 4:26.30; 2. D. Antony, Kod 4:27.47; 3. H. Roelle, West 4:28.98; 4. W. Mangelsdorf, Pal 4:31.03; 5. B. Kiefer, Ken 4:42.45; 6. A. Gillespie, Sew 4:42.93; 7. S. Wheeler, West 4:44.78; 8. J. Osowski, Kod 4:44.89.

3,200 — 1. S. Talbot, Ser 9:26.39; 2. D. Anthony, Kod 9:30.20; 3. R. Walgren, Ser 10:00.13; 4. J. Lane, Ser 10:14.87; 5. J. Klein, Grace 10:18.96; 6. C. Osiensky, Pal 10:23.26; 7. C. Christiansen, Kod 10:29.32; 8. M. Baker, ACS 10:35.43.

110 hurdles — 1. K. Schick, Kod 16.06; 2. T. Wilson, Ser 16.76; 3. J. Eisses, West 17.81; 4. A. Bricker, Col 17.88; 5. P. Pena, West 17.41; 6. D. Brandon, ACS 17.65; 7. L. Charters, ACS 17.91; 8. M. Gilbert, Kodi 17.95.

300 hurdles — 1. K. Schick, Kod 41.26; 2. A> Hull, Ken 43.09; 3. J. Day, Pal 44.14; 4. J. Oen, Ser 44.23; 5. D. Brandon, ACS 44.34; 6. L. Charters, ACS 44.62; 7. M. Gilbert, Kod 44.81; 8. M. Curtis, Was 46.62.

400 relay — 1. Palmer 45.28; 2. Kodiak 46.06; 3. Palmer B 47.73; 4. Colony 48.06; 5. Seward 48.30; 6. Susitna Valley 48.50; 7. Homer 48.55; 8. Grace Christian 49.53.

800 relay — 1. Kenai 1:35.97; 2. Palmer 1:36.02; 3. Soldotna 1:37.82; 4. Kodiak 1:38.52; 5. Colony 1:39.03; 6. Susitna Valley 1:39.37; 7. Chugiak 1:41.35; 8. Homer 1:42.24.

1,600 relay — 1. Kodiak 3:38.43; 2. Palmer 2:42.27; 3. Houson 3:46.59; 4. Soldotna 3:47.84; 5. ACS 4:03.62; 6.Grace 4:03.75.

3,200 relay — 1. Grace 8:23.90; 2. Kodiak 8:29.15; 3. Seward 8:34.28; 4. Soldotna 9:40.18; 5. West 9:53.76; 6. Homer 9:55.32; 7. Houston 10:11.64; 8. ACS 10:30.31.

High jump — 1. K. Schick, Kod 6-0; 2. M. Curtis, Was 6-0; 3. T. Enloe, Col 5-6; 4. Ch. Buzby, Hou 5-4; 5. L. Brashears, Was 5-4; 6. A. Simmers, ACS 5-4; 7. J. Fogle, Kod 5-4; 8. E. Rasmussen, Ser 5-4.

Triple jump — 1. S. Talbot, Ser 40-00; 2. M. Curtis, Was 39-11; 3. R. Scott, ACS 39-3.75; 4. A. Yang, Ser 38-7.75; 5. M. Keith, Chu 38-3.75; 6. R. Bergerson, Wes 38-0.75; 7. A. Bricker, Col 37-7.75; 8. A. Kauffman, Sol 37-5.

Shot put — 1. J. Knowles, Was 47-2.25; 2. T. Holtman, West 41-11.5; 3. K. Scheibe, Pal 41-7.25; 4. A. Richwine, ACS 40-11.25; 5. D. Teeling, Was 40-10; 6. D. Walker, Grace 40-01; 7. C. Summers, Col 39-6.5; 7. S. Finau, Glen 39-6.5.

Discus — 1. J. Knowles, Was 166-4; 2. T. Holtman, West 139-11; 3. E. Pullins, Dew 124-11; 4. D. Teeling, Was 123-4; 5. A. Richwine, ACS 112-8; 6. T. Minogue, Sol 108-07; 7. K. Scheibe, Pal 106-10; 8. B. Sears, Grace 1-6-8.