The Amarillo High track and field teams were the highlight on what was a banner afternoon for Amarillo ISD athletes during the District 3-5A/ 4-5A Area track and field meet on Lowrey Field at PlainsCapital Park in Lubbock Friday.
The Sandies and Lady Sandies both captured area team championships and qualified several competitors to next week regional meet. The Sandies team scored 104 points for the team title while the Lady Sandies dominated with 154 points beating second-place Tascosa (96) by 58 points.
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The Lady Sandies scored 50 of those points behind an outstanding relay performance throughout the afternoon. AHS set the tone of the meet from the start with the sprint relay team of Sienna Cavalier, Sofia Quiles, Novia Castleberry and Memori Hibbler won the gold medal with a speedy time of 48.67.
The 800-meter relay team that included Castleberry, Ca’Nia Mitchell, Sophia Webb, and Hibbler earned a silver (1:43.07) but the mile relay team closed the day strong with the group of Quiles, Kylee Costley, and the sister combo of Willow and Sierra Cornell clocking a gold medal time of 3:58.71.
Sierra Cornell along with her sister Willow weren’t through with the medal count quite yet. Sierra was also victorious in the 800-meter race with a 2:14.68 and took silver in the 400-meter run (58.55). Willow had an excellent afternoon sweeping both hurdle events. Willow won the 100-meter hurdles pacing the field with a 14.89 then clocked a 44.61 to get on the gold medal podium once more thanks to a 44.61.
Tascosa’s Saphina Stanley has been having one of heck of a track season as that carried into the area meet Friday. Stanley led all Amarillo ISD competitors qualifying for regionals in five events. The sensational senior started her day setting a new personal-record leaping 39-feet to win the triple jump. She then popped off an 18-5 3/4 to win the long jump for her second gold.
During the running portion, Stanley ran blazed a 12.05 in the 100-meter dash for a silver medal, but bounced back for her third gold in the 400-meter run sprinting to a 57.36. Stanley then closed her meet as a part of the mile relay team that advanced getting silver (4:03.75).
Other local athletes getting gold Friday was Stanley’s teammate Maggie Marhefka. Marhefka threw a 130-5 to win the discus event, and Caprock’s Cailyn Lott cleared 11-6 for the gold medal in the pole vault.
The Sandies used a lot of different avenues to capture the boys title Friday. AHS couldn’t have ended the meet any stronger on the way to the championship leaving the field behind to get gold in the mile relay behind the foursome of Aiden Bailey, Jude Dunavin, Jaelym Glover, and Logan Jackson, who ran an impressive 3:20.98 to hold off Caprock’s team that was silver with a 3:22.79.
While the mile relay team bookended the race, the sprint relay team helped get AHS on the right foot. The team of Bryson Brown, Bailey, Oliver Parsons and Creed Cavalier won a silver medal with a 41.96. Cavalier found the medal stand once more with a silver in the long jump (21-8). Also in the field events, Kenneth Osteen did his part getting AHS points winning the discus event tossing out a 159-9.
AHS wasn’t the only Amarillo ISD school making noise Friday. Palo Duro had a pair of athletes that showed their skill to advance to the regional meet. Kyron Brown punched his ticket by making it a sweep in the hurdle events. Brown was stellar running a 14.25 to win the 110-meter hurdles and then outran the field with a 39 second race in the 300-meter event. Teammate Abdirisak Saidgurhan stole the show in the distance events like he does every time out. Saidgurhan walked out of area with three medals two of those gold. Saidgurhan started the meet winning the 3200-meter race with a 9:35.26. In the afternoon, he grabbed a silver in the 800-meter run (2:00.06) but rallied to win the 1600-meter event with a 4:34.37.
Caprock’s Alhosan Sheriff also had a notable Friday. Sheriff qualified for regionals in two events by getting silver in the triple jump (45-6 3/4) and bronze in the 110-meter hurdles (14.37).
The Region I-5A Track and Field meet is set for April 18-19 back in Lubbock.
For a look at full results from the area meet, please visit https://milesplit.live/meets/669625