Middletown athletes have big day as their respective teams top field
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LOWER LAKE >> It was a good day to be Hayden Xavier and Isa Barnes, which means it was a good for the Middletown High School tracks teams Friday during the annual Lake County Meet in Lower Lake.
Middletown won three of the four team divisions – varsity boys, varsity girls and frosh-soph boys – to retain its standing as the county’s top track and field school. One of those battles, in the varsity boys division, went down to the wire as the Mustangs edged Lower Lake’s Trojans 113-112.
In the other divisions, Middletown beat Lower Lake 97-75 to take the varsity girls title, Middletown’s frosh-soph boys squad defeated Lower Lake 111-81, and Lower Lake’s frosh-soph girls team defeated Kelseyville 106-46.
“It’s always great to get all the county teams together for this meet,” Middletown head coach Wyatt Hall said. “Lower Lake’s coaching staff put on a great meet that ran smoothly.”
While there was no shortage of individual standouts, Xavier and Barnes were right up there. Xaiver won the varsity boys 100 (10.79 seconds) and 200 (22.47) in school-record times, beating out Lower Lake’s Roy Percoats (second) and Middletown’s Jamisen Jackson (third) in both races. Xavier also won the long jump (20 feet, 1 inches), and he ran the final leg on Middletown’s 4×100 relay team, joining teammates Jackson, Tyler Galamay and Esteban Muniz to finish first in 44 seconds flat, a new school record.
“This was Xavier’s first traditional track meet and in his first races of his career he is breaking records that have stood for over a decade,” Hall said. “He also took first place in the long jump and is close to our school record there as well.”
Added Hall, “The varsity boys 4×100 relay team all ran an amazing race. Jamisen Jackson had a near-perfect start to set up Tyler Galamay with the lead. Lower Lake was able to pull even as Esteban Muniz handed to Xavier, but Xavier was able to secure the win.”
Barnes won both hurdle events – the 100 (17.43) and 300 (53.71) – and also the triple jump (30-9 ½). Like Xavier, she also ran a leg on Middletown’s winning 4×100 relay team (53.71) that featured Thira Hoages, Casi Padilla and Avery Peterson.
“Isa Barnes finished first in every one of her events,” Hall said. “We were missing a few girls at this meet, so Isa stepped into the 4×100 and ran a great leg to help the team win the event.”
Varsity boys
Lower Lake’s Jeremiah Lopez won the 400 meters (57.18) while teammate Daniel Zamora captured the 800 (2 minutes, 33.21 seconds).
In the distance events, Middletown’s Landon Pisraro (5:16) won the 1,600 in front of Clear Lake’s Copper Garrity (5:28.54), but it was Garrity crossing the finish line first in the 3,200 (12:05.17) as he edged out Middletown’s Isael Haro (12:06.09) by less than a second.
Hurdle firsts went to Middletown’s Luke Mace in the 100 hurdles (19.020 and Lower Lake’s Christian Rincon in the 300 hurdles (46.41).
Kelseyville won the 4×400 relay as the team of Izayah Zavala, Maverick Watson, Angel Ruiz and Luke Sousa finished in 4:10.35.
Lower Lake’s Alfonso Rones helped Lower Lake add to its point total with firsts in the shotput (40-5 ½) and discus (130-2).
Kelseyville’s Jacob Parker cleared 5-2 on the fewest attempts to win the high jump while Lower Lake’s Ashton Hartmann won the triple jump (39-3). Hartmann also finished second to Middletown’s Xavier in the long jump (18-11).
Middletown’s Dylan Caviness won the pole vault (9-6) while Daniel Garner (8-6) of Lower Lake was the runner-up.
Varsity girls
While Middletown’s Barnes won three individual events, double-event winners included Lower Lake’s Mary Watson, who was first in the 100 (13.41) and 200 (27.92), and Middletown’s Sophie Yebra in the 1,600 (6:23.37) and 3,200 (14:35.20). Kelseyville’s Liz Erlandson also had a strong showing, winning the high jump (4-9), running a leg on Kelseyville’s first-place 4×400 relay team (4:37.24) that also included Estefany Munoz, Dakotah Burton and Kylee Denham, running a leg on the Knights’ runner-up 4×100 relay team, and taking second in the 200 (28.18) behind Lower Lake’s Watson.
Middletown’s Peterson won the 400 (1:04.29), Kelseyville’s Denham ran first in the 800 (2:51.35), Upper Lake’s Angelina Bendure was first in the shotput (26-1) and Middletown’s Crystal Duval won the discus (81-2).
“Peterson is a freshman with tons of potential,” Hall said. “Sophie Yebra battled through the heat to win both the 1,600 and 3,200 events.”
Other firsts went to Lower Lake’s Jordan Stark in the pole vault (5-6) and to Upper Lake’s Saphira Hughes in the long jump (14-3).
Frosh-soph boys
Colin Ingram of Clear Lake won the 100 (12.45), 200 (26.14) and long jump (16-8), joining Lower Lake’s Logan Case and Middletown’s Owen Hawkins as triple-event winners. Case won the 1,600 (5:52.35), 3,200 (12:16.94) and pole vault (7-0) while Hawkins finished first in the 110 hurdles (24.13) and 300 hurdles (54.73). He also ran the anchor leg on Middletown’s winning 4×400 relay team (4:09.08) that included Ruben Velazques, Ryder Roudebush and Kai Sooy. Hawkins finished second in the long jump (15-6 ½) behind Ingram.
“While many of my frosh/soph boys performed well, if I had to highlight one athlete it would be Owen Hawkins,” Hall said. “Hawkins is a sophomore that is progressing excellently. He won both hurdle events and took second in the long jump. He was the anchor for the 4×400 relay team and, because we had the frosh/soph team, they raced against the varsity teams. Hawkins received the baton in second place The Kelseyville varsity team had a 10-meter lead on him, but he was able to make up the deficit and cross the finish line first.”
Other event winners were Kelseyville’s George Kline in the 400 (1:02.45), Lower Lake’s Emiliano Rivera in the 800 (2:31.97), the Kelseyville 4×100 relay team (54.71) of Kline, Enrique Gonzalez, Dylan Marquardt and Ori Quetlah, Lower Lake’s Bryan Gonzalez in both the shotput (35-9 ¾) and discus (97-6), and Middletown’s Hudson Kelley in the high jump (5-2).
Frosh/soph girls
Lower Lake dominated the frosh/soph girls division led by the likes of Riley Givens, Layla Naredo and Lorena Inong, who combined for seven individual firsts.
Givens was the only triple-event winner as she placed first in the 100 hurdles (19.90), the 300 hurdles (56.00) and the triple jump (28-11 ½). Naredo’s firsts came in the 100 (13.90) and 200 (29.75) while Inong topped the field in the 400 (1:18.10) and 3,200 (19:20.62).
Kenzie Foley of Upper Lake won the 800 (3:13.82), Ximena Herren of Kelseyville was first in the shotput (22-0) and Lower Lake’s Neveah Myer won the discus (64-1).
Other event winners were Eleyna McTeague of Lower Lake in the high jump (3-10) and Dakotah Burton of Kelseyville in the long jump (12-3).
The Clear Lake team of Ava Gamble, Aliyah Valadez, Jasmine Buglion-Schuman and Chloe Windle won the 4×100 relay in 1:00.95.
Middletown’s Emma Stark finished second in both hurdle events, setting personal-best times in both, while also taking second in the long jump.
“Emma Stark had a strong meet,” Hall said.
