Getting the Valley Oak League season underway must have been on the minds of the Sierra High track athletes, after dismantling the Ceres Bulldogs on both levels of completion Wednesday in the VOL opener.
Sierra’s boys (1-0) had little trouble exposing the Bulldogs, getting quality performances from its usual standouts on its way to the victory. Ulysses Knapps was a double-winner, winning the long and triple jump with leaps of 20-feet, 11-inches and 41-feet, 3-inches, respectively.
Grant Widmer took down the high jump with a 5-foot, 8-inch leap, as well as winning the 300-hurdles (44.1) and tying for first in the pole vault. Nick Baker handled the competition in the discus, winning with a toss of 135-feet.
Sierra’s girls (1-0) left nothing to desire in their route of Ceres, getting a pair of wins from Francis Scherry, Shanedra Pitts and Taylor Wilson in the meet.
Scherry took down the mile and the 800-meters, while Pitts raced to victory in the 100 and 200-meter dash’s. Wilson leaped to victory in the long jump (15’6”) and raced to a win in the 400-meters with a time of 1:06. Wilson was also in on both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
Sierra was impressive in its league debut, but the squad has a long way to go before conquering its goals.
“One thing I talked to the team about afterward was getting better,” Sierra head coach Anthony Chapman said. “We’re always trying to get better. We would not be doing our kids any good if we didn’t get them to improve.
“Some of the meets are definitely going to challenge us, but we’re making progress.”
East Union (0-1) got strong showings from Daniel Martz and Stevyn Teeple on the boys side, while Mikayla Valdez, Megan Jordan and Da’Mesha Henderson all shined in events on the girls side.
“I was very pleased with our performance,” Lancer head coach Todd Dunaway said. “We were missing some people today due to injuries, but the kids did their best and they picked up events to help the team out.
“I think we had the best showing out at Oakdale that we’ve had in a long time.”
The Lady Lancers (0-1) got a first place finish from Jordan in the 400-meters and Henderson took down the 100. Valdez was the fastest runner in the 200-meters, winning in 26.7 seconds.
Martz earned the boys some points with his first place finish in the 1600 and the 800-meters, while Teeple was the winner in the long jump (18’11”) and the 110-hurdles.
Sharon Washington had a splendid afternoon in defeat, getting wins in the high jump (4’3”) and the 300-hurdles (59.58), while teammate Brianna Lucas took care of the 400-meter in 1:06.
Vincent Herrera had a quality day for the boys, winning both the 1600 and the 800, while David Nguyen won the long and triple jump for the Buffaloes. Paul Lyons topped all Buffaloes, earning 15-meet points, with wins in the 300-hurdles, 110-hurdles and the high jump.
Sierra’s boys (1-0) had little trouble exposing the Bulldogs, getting quality performances from its usual standouts on its way to the victory. Ulysses Knapps was a double-winner, winning the long and triple jump with leaps of 20-feet, 11-inches and 41-feet, 3-inches, respectively.
Grant Widmer took down the high jump with a 5-foot, 8-inch leap, as well as winning the 300-hurdles (44.1) and tying for first in the pole vault. Nick Baker handled the competition in the discus, winning with a toss of 135-feet.
Sierra’s girls (1-0) left nothing to desire in their route of Ceres, getting a pair of wins from Francis Scherry, Shanedra Pitts and Taylor Wilson in the meet.
Scherry took down the mile and the 800-meters, while Pitts raced to victory in the 100 and 200-meter dash’s. Wilson leaped to victory in the long jump (15’6”) and raced to a win in the 400-meters with a time of 1:06. Wilson was also in on both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
Sierra was impressive in its league debut, but the squad has a long way to go before conquering its goals.
“One thing I talked to the team about afterward was getting better,” Sierra head coach Anthony Chapman said. “We’re always trying to get better. We would not be doing our kids any good if we didn’t get them to improve.
“Some of the meets are definitely going to challenge us, but we’re making progress.”
Oakdale 82, East Union 54 (boys)
Oakdale 95, East Union 39 (girls)
OAKDALE – The Lancers landed a tough draw in their VOL opener, but the squad was able to accomplish some positive feats in their loss to the Mustangs Wednesday.Oakdale 95, East Union 39 (girls)
East Union (0-1) got strong showings from Daniel Martz and Stevyn Teeple on the boys side, while Mikayla Valdez, Megan Jordan and Da’Mesha Henderson all shined in events on the girls side.
“I was very pleased with our performance,” Lancer head coach Todd Dunaway said. “We were missing some people today due to injuries, but the kids did their best and they picked up events to help the team out.
“I think we had the best showing out at Oakdale that we’ve had in a long time.”
The Lady Lancers (0-1) got a first place finish from Jordan in the 400-meters and Henderson took down the 100. Valdez was the fastest runner in the 200-meters, winning in 26.7 seconds.
Martz earned the boys some points with his first place finish in the 1600 and the 800-meters, while Teeple was the winner in the long jump (18’11”) and the 110-hurdles.
Sonora 90, Manteca 45 (boys)
Sonora 73, Manteca 44 (girls)
The Wildcats came to Manteca and took both levels of competition, beating the Buffaloes in both girls and boys action in the VOL opener.Sonora 73, Manteca 44 (girls)
Sharon Washington had a splendid afternoon in defeat, getting wins in the high jump (4’3”) and the 300-hurdles (59.58), while teammate Brianna Lucas took care of the 400-meter in 1:06.
Vincent Herrera had a quality day for the boys, winning both the 1600 and the 800, while David Nguyen won the long and triple jump for the Buffaloes. Paul Lyons topped all Buffaloes, earning 15-meet points, with wins in the 300-hurdles, 110-hurdles and the high jump.
— Jagada Chambers
