The Whitharral Panthers and Anton Bulldogs competed in the Boys 1A Region 1 Track & Field Championships this past Friday and Saturday at South Plains College, resulting in the Panthers winning their fourth consecutive Regional Championship.
To qualify for the State Championships, the competitor or relay had to place top two in the meet, but third place had a chance based on the marks of the other three regions. Eight quali- fiers come from the top two of each region, and the ninth and final qualifier is the in dividual/relay with the best mark in that event.
In the high jump, Daniel Rodriguez (Whitharral) was the Regional Champion with a jump of 6’-4”.
In the triple jump, Greg Johnson (Whitharral) was the Regional Champion with a jump of 42’-2” and Brent Robinson (Whitharral) was the runner-up with a jump of 42’-0.25”. In the long jump, Johnson was also the Regional Champion with a jump of 21’-4”.
In the discus, Nate Sansom (Whitharral) was the Regional Champion with a throw of 162’-10”.
In the 4x200-meter relay, the Panthers relay of Johnson, Sansom, Ayden Dockery and Robinson placed third with a time of 1:33.93.
In the 4x100-meter relay, the Panthers relay of Robinson, Dockery, Johnson and Sansom placed fourth with a time of 45.01.
In the 110-meter hurdles, Damian Rodriguez placed third with a time of 16.05 and Xavi Avalos (Anton) initially placed fourth with a time of 16.68 but finished eighth following a disquali- fication. Rodriguez also placed fourth in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 41.59.
In the 100-meter dash, Johnson placed fifth with a time of 11.57, and in the 400-meter dash, Cooper Burns (Whitharral) placed sixth with a time of 53.25.
In the 4x400-meter relay, the Panthers team of Hudson Prowell, Daniel Rodriguez, Burns and Damian Rodriguez placed sixth with a time of 3:40.89.
Following yet another team title, Panthers Head Track & Field Coach Josh Watson talked about their success.
“The boys did a good job competing at Regionals this year. They were able to complete the four-peat as Regional Champs,” Coach Watson said. “We had all three relays go to finals.
We had guys make the top six this year in finals. We had Daniel, Brent, Nate and Greg all advance to State again. Greg and Daniel had some big personal records, Greg in long jump and Daniel in high jump. I’m proud of all the guys.”
All the qualifiers will enjoy a week off before competing at the 1A State Championships from May 14-16 at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.