Lady Chiefs put on solid showing at home

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake junior Elly Johnson stepped into the circle with the same attention to detail that’s made her one of the top 4A discus throwers in the state this season.

She has the same routine she’s had since she first picked up the disc in middle school. First she envisions her throw, the trajectory, the flight, the mark. Having seen it before she does it, Johnson goes through her pre-throw routine, tapping her feet at the bottom of the circle, swinging her arms twice. Deep breath, then she goes into her spin and lets it rip.

“I just stop thinking right there and do what I know,” Johnson said Thursday after winning the girls discus at the Moses Lake home meet with a mark of 123 feet, 11 inches. “You can definitely overthink this, so I try to concentrate on that I know how to throw. I know my technique well and throw far.”

But it’s that attention to detail that has her the top-ranked thrower in the Columbia Basin Big Nine and third in the 4A state rankings with a mark of 127 feet. Eyes up, don’t over rotate, controlled upper body on the spin. Head up on the release, it’s all of those things with a timed release that will lead to the bigger and better things she’s look for as the Chiefs move into the final stages of the season.

“I need to get my speed up and increase my strength in both my upper and lower body to take it to the next level,” she said.

The Moses Lake girls had another strong showing on Thursday on a perfect day for track and field in the three-team meet with Wenatchee and Eisenhower. Wenatchee won 10 events, but Moses Lake competed at the same level.

Taylor Yamane won the 300-meter intermediate hurdles, defeating the field with a time of 48.77. Pole vaulter Heather Carbon cleared 11-feet to finish second to Wenatchee’s Kathleen Dodge, who won on jumps, also clearing 11-feet. Carbon is currently the top vaulter in the Big Nine and ranked second among 4A vaulters in the state with a height of 11-6. She had another strong day, although she’s gone higher. She’s on pace for something good as her senior season builds to a climax.

“I’ve really improved a lot this year and I’m really happy about that. I came into the year with a personal best of 10-6, and I’ve already gone a foot higher,” Carbon said. “There’s so many details to vaulting — it’s about the take off, trying to get upside down, pushing off the pole. There’s a lot to do, but when you get it right it’s so much fun being able to fly.”

Moses Lake sprinter Asha Watts and Wenatchee’s Ellen Farrell had some excellent races in both the 100 meters and the 200. Farrell won the 100 in 12.91 and the 200 in 27.67, but Watts was right there, finishing second in both races.

“I felt pretty good today. I like the 200 and the relays better than I do the 100,” said Watts, who PR’ed in the 100 with a time of 13.24 and clocked 27.79 in the 200. “I like running the curve in the 200. The 4x200 relay is probably the most complicated race, but once you get the hand-offs down it’s like second nature.”

Wenatchee appears to be the team to beat in the Big Nine with the district meet coming up May 19. Wenatchee won 10 events on Thursday.

Moses Lake sophomore Spencer Kimbro destroyed the 1,600-meter field with a winning time of 4:09.19.

In the field events, senior Jacob Duvall finished second in the shot put with a mark of 48-feet-1 and sophomore Gio Walker placed second in the long jump, going 19-8.

Moses Lake foreign exchange student Abraham Massalay of Liberia, West Africa was a showcase of strength and stamina, competing in four events in a wheelchair. He clocked 2:03.76 in the 200 meters, 4:11.82 in the 1,600, 56.16 in the 400 and turned in 15.78 in the 100 meters.

“I like how I’m giving myself more strength, but I like racing the most,” said Massalay, who’s been in the United States eight months. “When I was back home I didn’t have the opportunities I have here. When I came here, my coaches help me to make the most of my opportunities, because I love to compete.”

For complete results visit www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/MeetResults.aspx?Meet=257008#551.

Ephrata sophomore Quataveous won both the 100 meters (11.57) and the 200 (22.98) to lead the Tiger boys to a sweep over Quincy and Selah Thursday afternoon.

Ephrata beat Quincy 119-26 and held off Selah 87-64.

The Tiger 4x100 relay (Jesse Steffen, Patrick Walker, Anthony Evans, Quataveous Mason) won in 44.88. Junior Malachi Christopherson won the discus with a mark of 130-0.

Quincy’s Tyson Thornton won the high jump, clearing 5-foot-4.

The Tiger girls defeated Quincy 124-25 and topped Selah 95.5-59.5.

Ephrata freshman Mya Spencer won the 100 and the 400. McCall DeChenne won both the 100-meter and 300-intermediate hurdles to lead the Tiger girls.