Potter-Dix sweeps county invite

Potter-Dix swept the team competition, in part thanks to Alexus Rozelle's record-setting performance in the throwing events. Leyton's Jessica Houk again outraced everyone in the sprints. The Creek Valley 4x100 team scored an impressive victory, while Ryan Aurich of Sidney's JV squad set a new meet record in the 3200 meter run-all highlights of the Cheyenne County meet held in Sidney on Friday.

Potter-Dix

"I was hoping to PR," Alexus Rozelle said after throw 37 feet warming up for the shot put competition. When it came to the real thing, the Coyotes' freshman lobbed it 38-04-both a personal mark and a new meet record.

She then went out and broke the event mark in discus, hurling the sphere 113-03.

The throw was a shade off her 117, recorded at the conference tournament. Rozelle was also realistic about the threat posed by rival competitors from Leyton, particularly Kassandra Harris, who fell into an unlikely fourth.

"If she (Harris) has a bad day, I'm competing against my PR," Rozelle noted, waving off praise for her win.

On the strength of several such performances, Potter-Dix captured both the girls and boys team titles by comfortable margins.

Kate Woten took gold in two events, as well. She stretched a 30 second lead over Minatare's Doty Franki in the 1600, outpaced the competition by a greater distance in the 3200 and took a leg in the team's winning 4x800 relay.

Regyn Hicks was another double-winner in the individual events, clearing 5-0 in the high jump and edging Leyton's Shaela Jenkins in the 100 hurdles.

"My times are improving-that's always good," she said of the hurdles. "I'm just not back to the point where I was last year."

The Coyotes conquered the 4x400 and 4x800 fields. And Hope Shepard came within a fraction of the 400 meter top spot, almost chasing down Paxton's Kaylee Carlyle.

"I was trying," Shepard reported. "I thought I might get her by a stride."

On the boys side, Jake Johnson, Kelsey Rozelle, Cooper Hicks and Bryant Knigge ended up at the top of the podium-although Knigge was disappointed, even though his 12-06 broke the meet record in pole vault.

"I won, but it was ugly," he said.

At last week's MAC event, Knigge set a personal best at 13-10. He hopes to notch 14 feet before the end of the year.

The Coyotes managed a sweep of the relays, with only the 4x100 win coming as a surprise. Staked to a big lead, Paxton lost control of their baton in the final transfer spot. Sidney also ran afoul of the regulations. After all the carnage, only Potter-Dix (49.2) and Leyton (49.9) recorded official times.

The 4x800 proved relatively easy. But in the 4x400, the Coyotes sparred with Sidney through all four legs, edging the Raiders by less than four seconds.

"I was just excited we got the lead from Sidney," Sam Bogert said. "We knew we had to beat them."

Cooper Hicks topped Creek Valley's Keegan Michel in the high jump, clearing 5-08 to win by two inches. He gave the credit to a competitive warm up. He came in at a lower height than usual, taking advantage of the shorter jumps to gain some rhythm.

Still, he wasn't entirely pleased with his effort.

"I didn't have a clean jump," Hicks said. "If I could get some form, I'd get some more height."

Kelsey Rozelle returned to competition after missing two events-and did so in fine form. He set a personal best in triple jump, finishing second. And that was after he beat out the long jump field, kicking up dust at 20-0.

He reached 21 feet in practice in the long jump. He also might have added to his triple jump distance with a little nitpicking.

"My best jump I was a foot behind my board," Rozelle said. "I have to work on being consistent."

As is becoming habit, Jake Johnson crossed first in the 1600, outdueling Banner County's Brenton Soule. He also claimed the 800 crown in unusual form. Johnson and teammate Hicks ran shoulder to shoulder to the finish, neither wishing to kick out in front.

Johnson was named the winner by an imperceptible fraction.

Leyton

The Warriors put in an impressive effort, particularly on the girls side. Katy Ernest recorded podium throws in both the shot and discus competition. The 4x100 relay team earned silver. And in the 200, Leyton pulled off a one-two-three, with Jessica Houk, Kaitlyn Berner and BreaHanna Harlow doing the honors.

"It was a photo finish," Harlow said of the race for second behind the increasingly unbeatable Houk. "I need to work on my stride; I didn't have enough power at the end. But I'm proud of my team."

Meanwhile Houk continues to win sprints-and shave tenths off her established time.

"I'm more relaxed," she explained. "I'm not thinking about it."

Berner came back to claim a neat win in the 800. Running out front all alone, however, had consequences.

"Without anyone pushing me I'm two seconds off," she said.

Leyton could point to more pluses on the day. One was the performance of Jacob Ernest, who grabbed silver in the shot put with a throw of 41-09. The other was the return of Shaela Jenkins after a layoff of almost a month.

Jenkins finished second in the 100 meter hurdles, losing out by a few ticks to Potter-Dix's Regyn Hicks.

"I wasn't expecting anything too great," she admitted. "It felt really good."

Creek Valley

"This is one of my worst meets of the year," Mason Low said at the end of the shot put competition. "I don't know what's off about me this week."

Despite Low's low note, the Storm senior still managed bronze in the event. And there were plenty of Creek Valley highlights to make up for any disappointment.

Summer Mueller raced to a personal best time of 50.01 in the 300 hurdles. She also outlasted the pole vault field. Ever the perfectionist, Mueller found room for improvement in both events.

"I really want a 49," she said of the 300. "I need to stop stuttering on the fourth and fifth hurdles."

And of her 8-06 in the vault, besting Potter-Dix rival Ryley Hicks: "I should've gotten higher. I wasn't getting along with my pole."

Jerry Straber, who has been a close also-ran in the sand pits all season long, finally captured a well-deserved first in the triple jump, clipping the earth at 31-03.

"That's the longest I've jumped in a while," she observed. "Hopefully next week"-at districts-"will be a good day."

Perhaps Creek Valley's most surprising accomplishment on Friday came in the 4x100, when the Storm shocked the field-in particularly the expected gold medalists, Leyton.

As Mueller broke the string, Hannah Blackwelder, who ran the third leg, shouted to her teammates across the field and raised both arms in triumph.

"We all kicked it really hard," Blackwelder said. "We cut off two seconds from our time."

Sidney

The Raiders split their squad, sending the bulk of the roster to Bayard for the B-C-D event. But Sidney still make an impression on the Cheyenne County meet.

Kane Taylor held off Paxton's Jordan Loeffler down the home stretch to win the 400 meter dash.

"I definitely felt it," Taylor said of the pressure, pushing him toward the line.

Meanwhile Ryan Aurich broke the meet record in the 3200, eclipsing Creek Valley's Nash Leef by more than a minute in the process.

Aurich ran a steady pace, but slowed on the penultimate lap. Yet he recovered, picking up speed around the final turn as he spied the finish line.

"I aim for the times the coaches yell," he said. "I usually run better when I see competition ahead of me."