Ephrata sweeps Ray Cross Invitational
EPHRATA — The Ephrata boys and girls track teams defended their home turf over the weekend, sweeping the first-place spots at the Ray Cross Invitational.
The Tigers boys and girls teams capitalized on a series of strong individual performances and both teams ran away with decisive victories at Saturday’s invite.
The boys capitalized on strong performances in the field events to total 133.5 points, distancing themselves from second place Riverside Christian (74.5 points) and third-place Moses Lake (67 points). The girls team took advantage of solid performances on the track to capture the title with 137 team points.
Royal senior Blair Collins earned a victory in the 100-meter event, edging out Ephrata junior Cody Mann for first place.
The Tigers had a similar performance in the girls 100-meter race when senior Lexis Lange finished second in the event.
Moses Lake sophomore Magie Munoz finished third in the 100-meters for the Chiefs.
After taking second in the 100-meter race, Mann continued to stay near the top in the final of the 200-meter event. He finished second in the boys 200-meters while Lange rebounded to take the win in the girls 200-meters. Moses Lake’s Munoz again finished third.
Following a pair of third-place finishes in the 100-meters and the 200-meters, Munoz finished first in the 400-meters. Moses Lake swept the 400-meter events when senior Chris Richardson won the event for the Moses Lake boys.
The Ephrata girls team continued their push to first place in the 800-meter race when senior Lisa Heer ran to a third-place finish. Ephrata kept pace in the 1600-meters when sophomore Danielle Friend finished second. Friend improved on her second-place finish in the 1600-meters with a event-winning performance in the 3200-meter event. Royal sophomore Ethan Tonnemaker won the boys 3200-meter event for the Knights.
The Moses Lake boys team had a solid team performance in the 4X400-meter relay when Richardson, Ricardo Gamez, Jordan Wilks and Randy Koon finished second with a time of 3:41.87. However, their performances would not be enough to overcome the Tigers. Ephrata’s Mike Mandeville, Chris Davidson, Austin Gillespie and Mann won the 4X400 in 3:40.16.
The Central Washington Athletic Conference had a solid showing in the boys shot put event. Ephrata’s Ryan Fleenor finished second, Quincy’s Kevin Hille took fifth and Othello’s Adam Garza finished seventh for the Huskies.
The Ephrata boys continued their rise to the top in the high jump with junior Jerome Prescod and senior Wes Chamberlain both clearing six feet to finish first and second, respectively.
Chamberlain won the pole vault, beating out Quincy’s Brandon Kennedy. Koon went on to win the long jump, beating out Collins, Ephrata’s Mike Mandeville and Jerome Prescod. Jerome and Tyrone Prescod finished first and second in the triple jump event, respectively.
Othello junior Tiffany Martinez won the discus event with a throw of 116 feet, four inches.
Varsity Boys - Top 10
1) Ephrata, 133.5; 2) Riverside Christian, 74.5; 3) Moses Lake, 67; 3) Lakeside, 67; 5) Richland, 61; 6) Newport, 41; 7) East Valley, 37; 8) Connell, 36.5; 8) Royal, 36; 10) Toppenish, 31.5. 11) Quincy, 24; 13) Othello, 11. 18) Odessa, 1.
Varsity Girls - Top 10
1) Ephrata, 137; 2) Richland, 71; 3) Connell, 59; 4) Toppenish, 54; 5) Cascade-Leavenworth, 53; 5) East Valley, 53; 7) Okanogan, 33.5; 8) Newport, 30; 8) Lakeside, 30; 10) Riverside Christian, 28; 11) Quincy, 24; 11) Royal, 24; 13) Moses Lake, 23; 14) Othello, 21; 20) Odessa, 3.5.