Valley teams ready for regions

WASILLA — The 2013 spring season has tested the creativity, and the patience, of local track and field coaches and athletes. After a season’s worth of indoor practices and watching idly as meets are crossed off the schedule, the two-week sprint through the high school postseason starts today.

And as Valley squads ready for the Region III Championships, which begin this afternoon at Nikiski High School, coaches can only hope the unusual spring has allowed athletes enough preparation for the region meet and next week’s state championships.

“You always feel like you’re scrambling to do enough, but the hay’s in the barn now,” Wasilla coach Leslie Varys said with a laugh during the Last Chance Qualifier Monday at WHS.

Varys’ Warriors enter today’s meet in search of a fourth straight Region III girls title. Last season, Wasilla finished with nearly twice as many points as runner-up Soldotna in the girls standings. The Warriors graduated superstar Morgan Dampier, who won four individual titles last season. But five athletes who ran on a pair of first-place relay teams are back. Senior Alysha Devine is the defending champion in the 300 hurdles.

“I have all the pieces. I have to just put them in the right spot,” Varys said. “I’m confident in how tough we are, how competitive we are. Our times look good. I feel good about the team. I feel like we’ve done everything we can.”

In addition to her win in the 300 hurdles, Devine joined Jenna Ford, Mariah Burroughs and Riley Burroughs to win the 3,200 relay last year. Ford, Burroughs and Peggy Mathis return from Wasilla’s 2012 region championship 1,600-meter relay team.

Mathis could be key in the points race for Wasilla. The sophomore is currently ranked first in the region in the 100 and 200, second in the 400 and third in the 800.

“She loves those events,” Varys said of Mathis. “It’s easy to run when you love them.”

Colony is also expected to contend for a girls title.

“We’re really confident we can give Wasilla a run for their money,” Colony coach Mark Strabel said by cellphone as the Knights made the trip to Nikiski Thursday afternoon.

Like Wasilla, Colony has athletes with the potential to collect mass points for their team. Senior Audrey Michaelson currently sports the state’s top time in 400 and 800-meter races.

Last season, Michaelson — a three-time state champion — won the 1,600 and 3,200 during the region meet. Michealson is currently ranked second to Kenai sophomore Allie Ostrander in both the 1,600 and 3,200.

Freshman Chase Stephens could also be big for Colony. Stephens currently has the top marks in the region in the long jump and triple jump.

Senior Taylor Blake is among the Palmer athletes in search of a girls’ title. Blake currently leads the state in the shot put with a throw of 39 feet, 1.5 inches. Blake was second in the region meet last year. Palmer freshman Leya DePriest is ranked third in the region in the discus.

The Houston Hawks will be battling for a top spot in the Region III-3A Championships, which are also held at Nikiski High this weekend. After winning the Seward Invitational last week — a meet that included 3A rivals Anchorage Christian, Grace Christian and Seward — Houston head coach Pat Egelus has reason to be optimistic about his team’s potential to make a splash this weekend.

“Looking at where everyone is sitting, I think we’re going to be in the chase,” Egelus said after the win at Seward. “That’s a fun thing for our kids, something to build for.”

Seniors Charlie Buzby (100 and 200) and Ben Bayne (110 hurdles and 300 hurdles) both won two events, and were part of two winning relay teams at Seward. As a junior, Bayne swept the hurdles events at the Region III-4A Championships last year. Buzby was second in both the 100 and 200 at regions last year, Houston’s final year as a 4A team before dropping to 3A after the school year.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.