Othello boys, girls track teams flex some muscle at CWAC meet

OTHELLO — The Othello youth movement flexed some muscle on Thursday at the CWAC track and field meet at Husky Stadium.

The Othello boys and girls teams both swept Grandview and Toppenish, enjoying a little home cookin’ in the process.

The Othello boys won seven events, including both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, while the Huskies girls won eight events, sweeping all three relays.

Freshman Isaiah Perez, who competed well at the Pasco Invite earlier in the season, led a Huskies to a one-two-three sweep in the discus with a winning mark of 123 feet. Elijah Roylance (117-0) and Steven Aubrey (96-4) were second and third, respectively.

“I’m making progress. It seems like I was throwing better earlier when I threw 141-6,” Perez said. “To be a good thrower, you have to have everything (the spin, the release, the follow through) together. If you can get the spin perfect, that’s where all the power is. I’m working hard to concentrate on all aspects.”

On the track, freshman David Maldonado won the 3200 meters (11:24.98) and finished second in the 1600 (5:06.24). He’s coming off a strong showing in cross country and now learning how to race on the track. He and Grandview’s Bryce DeLaRosa had a nice race in the 1600 before DeLaRosa pulled away in the last 200 meters to win in 5:02.16.

“On the track, it requires a lot more form with your running, your arms and your legs,” he said. “Right now, I think I like the 3200 better because it’s a similar distance to cross country. I like running longer distances. My goal is to break the five-minute mile and get under 11 minutes in the 3200.”

Freshman Bridger Lawson won the 110-meter high hurdles (20.79) with a solid race. Senior Ulises Neponuceno showcased his sprinting skills. He too benefited from his experience at the Pasco Invite going against the learning curve of the best runners in a four-state region. On Thursday, he was the learning curve, winning the 400 meters (55.08) and leading the Huskies one-two-three in the 100. Neponuceno (11.83) won and Francisco Alonzo (11.86) and Brayan Garza (12.0) were second and third respectively.

He broke the stagger in the 400 meters with a strong push coming off the the curve in the first 100 meters. Despite running into a headwind down the backside, he controlled the race from start-to-finish.

“It’s real important to break the stagger early,” said Neponuceno, whose personal best is 51 seconds. “I was working on my start today and it was pretty good. The middle part of my race and the finish are OK, so today I was working on the first 50 meters and felt very good with that.”

In the girls meet, senior Crystal Arreola is struggling with a groin pull, but managed a mark of 81-10 to defeat the field. Brisaiva Vega (3-8) won the high jump and Giselle Barragan (6-0) won the pole vault.

“I wish I would have taken up the javelin earlier, it’s a lot of fun, but there’s so much to learn technique wise,” said Arreola, who is in her second season throwing the javelin. “When I was down at Pasco (Invite) I spent a lot of time watching how they were throwing. I learned quite a bit. My PR is 108-7 which I threw last year. I’ve only gone 99-6 this year, but my goal is to make it to the regional meet again and see if I can’t get to state my last year.”

The Othello girls had some strong efforts on the track. Leslie Rodriguez (6:44.35) won the 1600 meters. Lori Gomez (18.14) and Allison Garza (19.26) gave the Huskies a one-two finish in the 100-meter hurdles. Othello also won the 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relays.

For the complete results log on to athletic.net.

Boys team scores

Othello 96, Toppenish 43

Grandview 74, Toppenish 52

Othello 73, Grandview 66

Girls team scores

Othello 97, Toppenish 44

Grandview 72, Toppenish 48

Othello 92, Grandview 50