The Whitharral Panthers and Anton Bulldogs track & field programs competed at the Boys 1A District 5 & 6 Area Championships in Dawson this past Thursday. In every event, the top four finishers advanced to the Regional Championships, which both programs capitalized on, and in the process, the Panthers won the team title by 66 points.
In the 100-meter dash, Brent Robinson (Whitharral) placed runner-up with a time of 11.08 and Greg Johnson placed third with a time of 11.34.
In the 200-meter dash, Xavi Avalos (Anton) placed fourth with a time of 24.59, and in the 400-meter dash, Cooper Burns (Whitharral) placed runner-up with a time of 53.14.
In the 800-meter run, Isaiah Alafa (Anton) placed fourth with a time of 2:20.16.
In the 110-meter hurdles, Damian Rodriguez (Whitharral) was the Area Champion with a time of 15.94 and Avalos placed fourth with a time of 17.10. Rodriguez would also be the Area Champion in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 42.01.
In the 4x100-meter relay, the Panthers team of Robinson, Johnson, Nate Sansom and Ayden Dockery won the Area Championship with a time of 44.72.
In the 4x200-meter relay, the Panthers team of Daniel Rodriguez, Robinson, Johnson and Sansom placed third with a time of 1:34.98.
In the 4x400-meter relay, the Panthers team of Christian Reina, Burns, Damian Rodriguez and Hudson Dobrovolny placed third with a time of 3:44.43.
In the high jump, Daniel Rodriguez was the District Champion with a jump of 6’2” and Damian Rodriguez placed third with a jump of 5’-10”.
In the pole vault, Kaden Starns (Anton) placed runner- up with a vault of 8’-6”.
In the long jump, Robinson was the Area Champion with a jump of 21’-5.50” and Johnson placed runner-up with a jump of 20’-6.25”.
In the triple jump, Robinson was the Area Champion with a jump of 45’-3”, Johnson placed runner-up with a jump of 43’-0.50” and Shooter Campos (Anton) placed fourth with a jump of 39’-5.25”.
In the shot put, Sansom placed runner-up with a throw of 40’-10”, and in the discus, Sansom was the District Champion with a throw of 163’-1”.
In the Area team standings, the Panthers won the Area Championship with 158 total points, towering over the runner-up Borden County’s 92 total points.
“The Panthers had a great showing,” Panthers Head Track & Field Coach Josh Watson said. “Almost all the boys had huge personal records for the season and even their careers. Everyone competed hard and represented Whitharral well. Now onto Regionals to try and claim another Regional Championship to complete a four-peat.”
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs placed eighth out of 12 teams with a total score of 31.
Both teams will return with their regional qualifiers at the 1A Region 1 Championships at South Plains College on May 1-2.