Peetz goal: Medals at state meet

Before the Colorado 1A North Central League Track and Field Championships at Sterling High School last week, Peetz High junior Garrin Cox needed the throw of his life in the shot put to qualify for state.

By launchiung the shot put better that 40 feet for the first time in his career, Cox opened up a seat for himself on the bus to state with inches to spare. Cox will join 10 of his teammates who have qualified for this week's state meet at Jefferson County Stadium in Lakewood, Colo.

The meet begins on Thursday and runs through Saturday.

"We're all kind of excited to get down there to see what we can do," said Bulldogs' head coach Scott Sorensen. "It's a privilege just to have a meet for 1A when for years we would have to compete against much larger schools in 2A."

Unlike many states where athletes qualify for state at a single season-ending meet, in Colorado 1A they qualify by virtue of their best performance throughout the season. While there are league and district meets, they serve only to determine local champions with a final chance to qualfiy for the big dance.

Besdies Cox, the Bulldogs send two others in individual events and five relay teams. Sophomore Cody Wilson, the school record holder at 400 meters, was already a likely qualifier before the league meet on May 5. On the girls' side, freshman Abby White, who holds the school mark at 1,600 meters, also qualified.

The boys will send four relay teams: the 4x100, 4x200, 4x400 and 4x800. The girls also qualified in the 4x800. The same foursome will make up the boys' three shorter relays with Casey Barrett, Bradey Holtz, Cole White and Wilson. Wolf Wenneker, Logan Sircy, Holtz and Cole will take on the competition in the 4x800.

Wenneker, who has also ran in the 1,600 relay during the season, will serve as a backup in that race. Cox will serve to back up the 4x100 and 4x200 teams. Though six names are allowed to be entered for a relay squad, Sorensen has never had to go to a backup runner in any previous state meet.

The girls' 3,200-meter relay will include Jennifer Gutierrez, Whitney Christian, Payton Swedlund and White.

"The real goal for us is to chase one of those top medals – a gold, silver or bronze," Sorrensen said. "But really, they've all medaled just by getting there."

Unlike the four other classes that are all comprised from larger schools, there are no preliminaries in the Class 1A meet. Jefferson County Stadium has nine lanes, allowing for nine qualifiers in the sprint races. In field events and races beyond 400 meters, there are 10 to 12 qualifiers for each event.

Among the individuals, Wilson looks like a big threat for a high placing. His time qualified as the third fastest at 51.42. He will run in lane seven with the two faster qualifiers to his inside. The quickest times were set by Mark Waters from Pikes Peak (50.61), Jordan Cherin of Shining Mountain (51.34) and Wilson.

"I think Cody is capable of running a 50 flat and that would put him in very good shape to possibly win the race," Sorensen said.

As for Cox, his put of 40-4.50 at the league meet qualified him ninth in the field of 10. Prior to last week's effort, he had never even reached 39 feet.

"That was a pleasant surprise, but now we know he's capable of going beyond 40 feet," Sorensen said.

White, who was on the bubble in the girls' mile during the latter part of the season, qualified 12th in the field of 12. Though Ginger Hutton of Shining Mountain has far and away the best qualifying time (5:13.92), more than half the field qualified in a time between 5:50 and 6:00.

In the boys' relays, nine qualify in each of the shorter races and 12 make up the field in the 4x800. The Bulldogs qualified ninth in the 400, seventh in the 800, seventh in the 1,600 and 11th in the 3,200.

"The 4x100 will be difficult running from that outside lane, " Sorensen said. "But I think we have a chance to get a top-three medal in the others."

In the girls' 3,200-meter relay, the Bulldogs qualified 10th in the field of 12.

The first to compete for Peetz will be Cox in the shot put. That competition gets underway on Thurdsay at 4 p.m. On Friday, the boys will compete in the 4x200. Both the girls and boys take on the 4x800 on Friday. All other events in which the Bulldogs are involved are scheduled for Saturday.