Total team effort
Red Raiders top Falcons, Mustangs to remain undefeated
After spending the first month of the season in less-than-ideal conditions, Thursday’s track & field tri-meet provided the athletes with a picture-perfect day at Mustang Field, as host Laurel Highlands welcomed Connellsville and Uniontown for a Section 2-3A showdown.
While track & field is known in most circles as an individual sport, the Red Raiders shared the wealth in defeating their cross-town rivals, 103-47, and the Falcons, 99-51, while Connellsville topped LH, 100-50.
Uniontown improved to 4-0 in the section and 5-0 overall. The Falcons fell to 2-2 in section and overall play. The Mustangs are 0-2 and 1-2.
The Red Raiders’ Steele Stash won the 200-meter dash in 23.58 and was the first leg on Uniontown’s 400-relay team that crossed the finish line first in 45.44. Stash had an identical time in the 100 as teammate Zyon Hopes, with both reaching the finish line in 11.57, but Hopes broke the “tape” first.
Tayshawn Jackson and Vigil Yarbrough joined Hopes and Stash in the 4×100.
Stash, a sophomore, wasn’t completely satisfied with his performance, especially in getting out of the starting blocks to begin the 100, but was happy to be able to help his team defeat two country rivals.
“I had a little bit of an error in the 100,” Stash said. “The blocks, unfortunately, didn’t have a spike on it, so when my teammate was holding the block, it slipped a little bit, but I’m not making excuses.
“I had a better start in the 200. I got out pretty quick, but on the curve, I wasn’t going fast enough. I knew I had to give it all I had in the last 100. We had really nice weather today, so I felt pretty good about that.”
Stephen Chapley provided Uniontown with five team points in winning the 400 with a time of 54.17. Chapley, a junior, is the defending Fayette County Coaches Association (FCCA) champion in the event after finishing in 52.37 last year while competing for Calvary Chapel Christian School.
Chapley wasn’t pleased with his time on Thursday, however, he is confident it will drop over the course of the next few weeks. Chapley was joined by David Settles, Lachlan McCune and Willow Smith in winning the 1,600 relay in 3:48.53.
Chapley was second to Stash in the 200 with a time of 23.66. Chapley had a setback in the early part of the season, which he is working his way back from.
“At the beginning of the season, I pulled my hamstring, so I was doing workouts about half-and-half for about a month and didn’t get the best training in during that time,” Chapley said. “I’m still bouncing back from it. I was really confident in us winning the 4×400 relay. I also ran cross country in the fall, which really helps with the 400. I was very close to qualifying for the WPIAL meet last year, so I hope this time around I can.”
The Red Raiders swept the relays, as the quartet of Matthew Page, Ezra Batovsky, Logan Davis and Ethan Syner took their turn at running the 800 to finish the event in a time of 8:52.60. Connellsville was on Uniontown’s heels in 8:56.87.
Syner took an early lead in the 3,200 and never looked back in winning the race in 10:35.40.
The Falcons’ Jake Pritts topped the field in the 800 and 1,600 in 2:12.75 and 4:51.51.
Settles earned an individual victory in the 110-hurdles after finishing in a time of 15.66. Teammate Chase White won the 300 hurdles in 45.55.
The Red Raiders’ Kylar Tibbe won the discus with a throw of 126-8.
Connellsville and Laurel Highlands split victories in the remaining field events, as both teams won three events apiece.
The Mustangs’ Cole Radcliffe won the long and triple jumps with leaps of 20-0 and 42-8. Teammate Grant Brambley topped the field in the javelin with a throw of 148-1.
The Falcons’ Zachary Franks earned top honors in the pole vault (13-4). Teammate Tyler Burkus cleared 6-0 to win the high jump.
Connellsville’s Glen Strickler launched the shot put 50-9 for the victory.