Andrew Kaler led a 1-2-3 Camas sweep Wednesday in the 3,200 meters. Not that he expected anything less.
“That was the game plan; that’s always the game plan. I hope that doesn’t sound cocky,” Kaler said after leading teammates Andrew Duffy and Alex Pien across the finish line at the Class 3A district track and field meet at McKenzie Stadium.
“We just want to compete and get good times. It’s always good to know there’s going to be somebody with you, that you won’t be running alone.”
Kaler finished in 9 minutes, 43.14 seconds, with Duffy running a 9:46.51 and Pien a 9:51.08.
That led a strong Camas showing in the first day of the district meet, which concludes today.
The top five finishers in each 3A event advance to next week’s regional meet at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma, where berths for the state meet will be determined.
Camas also got a victory in the 400 meters from Joshua Golden, who chased down Mountain View’s Ryan Hite down the stretch.
“I thought I’d get him,” said Golden, who finished in 51.17 to Hite’s 51.31. “I’m faster in the 100.”
Hite also finished second in the triple jump behind Marcus Ekeya of Columbia River.
In other 3A highlights:
• Tucker Boyd led a 1-2-4-5 Camas finish in the 800 meters, winning the race in 2:03.63 while teammate John Doyle was second in 2:03.90.
Papermakers Austin Vaughan and Jackson Cutler also advanced to the regional meet by finishing fourth and fifth. Columbia River’s Miles Park was third.
• Johna McEllrath of Prairie won the discus with a mark of 117 feet, 11 inches. She also finished second in the javelin behind Keela Rupe of Kelso.
• Alexa Efraimson of Camas won a battle between two of the top 800-meter runners in the state. She finished in 2:14.17, while Mountain View’s Lynelle Decker was second in 2:17.44.
According to athletic.net, Efraimson has the top 800 time in the state among all classifications, 2:08.92.
• Darius Raiford of Columbia River won a nail-biting 100 meters, finishing in 11.11 while Prairie’s Colton Prestwich was second in 11.12. Grayson Anderson of Mountain View was third, and Marcus Gaylord of Columbia River was fourth, with the top four finishing within .05 seconds of each other.
• Emily Morgan of Columbia River won the 100 meters in 12.54 and anchored a victory for the Chieftains in the 400-meter relay.
