Palmer relay teams will be state contenders

PALMER — Although the Colony Knights won the Palmer Invitational and the Palmer Relays this week, four junior Moose proved themselves the fastest 800-meter relay team in the state.

At the Friday invitational, athletes Chase Ferris, Nick Daniels, Tyler Spatz and Jared Layton sprinted to victory in just 1 minute, 33 seconds flat, defeating West Anchorage by 0.25 seconds. According to athletic.net, Fairbanks’ West Valley had the previous record at 1:34.72.

But that wasn’t even the most impressive part. The Moose beat the Knights by 6.49 seconds, a gap almost four times as large as it was at the Colony Invitational the weekend before.

“I’m pretty sure we train the hardest of all the Valley teams,” Layton said.

Judging by the times in the 800-meter relay, that appears to be true. Spatz said the four of them have been running the event every week with the goal of achieving personal records each time, and they’ve pretty much done that, he said.

But “there’s always room for improvement,” Daniels said, which all his teammates echoed.

Ferris appears to be the game changer this year, as he’s new to the track team, but not to sprinting.

“I told him if he wants to be faster in football, he should come out for track,” said boys’ head track coach Tim Popowski.

Fortunately for the Moose, he chose to tackle a “new” sport this season.

“He’s a strong runner and a good leader,” Popowski said, of Ferris. “And they all are — Tyler, Nick, Jared — they’re doing exactly what we ask of them and working hard.”

The fast foursome also runs the 400- and 1,600-meter relays, but they aren’t focusing on those races as much this year since they haven’t been in the running for second or third.

However, they also have individual races to run.

On Friday, Layton took second place for the Moose in the 100-meter run with a time of 11.43 seconds. He lost to Colony’s Hunter Harwood, also a junior, by 0.02 seconds.

Layton also took fourth in the 400 with a time of 54.27. Ferris placed third in that race, led by Spatz in 53.11. Daniels came in eighth at 55.64.

Daniels also claimed fifth place in the 100 and eighth place in the 400.

Spatz and Ferris also went two-three behind Harwood in the 200 in 23.76 and 23.78, respectively.

On the girls’ side, Palmer sophomores Ruby Woodings and Rya Berrigan stole the show with their performances in the 400, taking first and second place with times of 1:02.24 and 1:02.38, respectively. Their teammate, Megan Graham, came in third at 1:03.7.

Woodings and Berrigan did not compete in the 400-meter relay Friday, but they did compete in mixed and medley relays Saturday. Girls’ head coach Kahla Kallam said she expects the girls to do well at regions in Kenai next weekend.

Top finishers for Colony over the weekend were Chase Stevens, who won the 100-meter hurdles and the triple jump for the Lady Knights; Kristina Tennesen, who took second in girls’ discus; Cathelyne Powers, who took second in the 1,600 and third in the 3,200 as the first Valley finisher in each race; and Annie Willardson, who took fourth in the 300 hurdles as the first Valley finisher.

On the boys’ side, Colony won the 3,200 relay in 8:37.34, almost 30 seconds faster than second place; junior Dakota Peterson-Thompson won the 3,200 and took fourth in the 1,600; Brandon Nicholson won the triple jump and the high jump; Isaiah Tira took third in the 300 hurdles, the first in for the Valley; and Alex Alvarado took second in the shot put, followed by Palmer’s Ryker Carrington in third.

Wasilla placed Riley Burroughs in third for the girls’ 800 and fifth for the girls’ 1,600; Sylvia Tuisaula in third for girls’ shot and fifth for disc; and Ceil Dunleavy in first for the girls’ high jump, followed by teammate Chantal Le Bon in second.

For boys, the Warriors saw Wendell Tuisaula win the disc; Dahlton Wasankari take fifth in the shot; Karl Greathouse take second in the 3,200; Quincy Fuller take second in the 800; and Colton Pulver take fifth in the 1,600.

Houston’s John Koenaman also grabbed fourth place for the Hawks in the shot put.

Results from the long jump were not available.

For complete results, check athletic.net.

Contact Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.