Mansfield’s junior high track teams found that the 2A-4 District crowns came in a matched set. At least, that’s how it seemed. For the second consecutive season both the Tigers and Lady Tigers claimed the top conference jewel with convincing wins to end their 2022 season.
The Mansfield thinclads packed the bus for an early afternoon road trip to Acorn on Tuesday, April 19. The trip home was even more congested with a heavy bag of medals, ribbons, and all the trophies offered at the 2A-4 District finals.
The Tiger teams scored almost identical points in similar fashion. Behind fast sprints, hardy relays, and stellar field events the pair posted totals of 253 and 252.2 on their way to the dual championships.
For school wide bragging rights, the girls edged the boys by eight-tenths of a point. However, the boys had the larger margin of victory over rival teams.
Mansfield’s women held off a stubborn and talented Magazine Rattler team fortified by one of the best freshman distance runners in the state. Their team margin of victory closed at 89 points.
The Tiger men tallied a huge lead after the field events and kept their distance most of the afternoon. The defending champs went on to spank Johnson County Westside by 129.6 points.
Leading the way with high point honors were Mansfield natives Laney Wood and Trey Powell.
Powell was impressive for the Tiger men. The freshmen sensation brought home 5 gold and 1 silver medal through an event schedule built on sprints and jumps.
Wood, another Mansfield freshman hailing this time from the Lady Tiger team, did her doctoring through 3 distance races, 2 jumps, and a long sprint relay.
Mansfield’s sprint core destroyed the competition. Take the women’s 4x100m relay as a prime example. The combination of Kayla Bieker, Carter Whiley, Addie Bowman, and Daisy Nelson whisked out of sight 7.47 seconds ahead of the nearest relay team.
That baton pass special of the day was served hot off the grill between a pair of 1-2-3 finishes in the 100m and 200m dashes. Nelson, Whiley, and Bieker set those two delicious desserts on the top shelf well out of reach from league foes.
Equal to the task were the Tiger men. The boys in red served up a similar 7.47 second slice in the 4x400m relay. That punctuated the best of three sprint relay victories for the MHS men none of which were closer than 4 second differentials.
Braxton Bartlett, Josiah Williams, Gunner Williams, and Austin Ruiz peppered that final production. Dawson Robinson, Toby Towe, Dominic Shores, Bartlett, and Powell seasoned the other two dishes.
All the Mansfield players mentioned thus far earned All-District credentials by virtue of their high end performances. Several more Tiger participants also made the All-District team by finishing either first or second in their particular events.
Among those, Ethan Martin and Kaylee Ward won the men’s and women’s shot put respectively. Cadien Ore won the men’s discus competition while Kaylie Lowery came in second in the women’s discus.
Boston Elmore was second to gold medal teammate Ruiz in a near sweep of the men’s pole vault.
Molly Beck, Madison Hearron. Azlynn Stover, and Danielle Lowery added to the relay stronghold as the Lady Tigers also won all three sprint cooperatives.
Trinity Triska was top of the class in the women’s triple jump. Her All-District effort may have turned into even more awards for the dual sport freshman had time constraints forced her home early for an all important conference softball game versus Lavaca.
Jonah Martin, Rylan Nichols, and Joseph Carter made the top tier conference team as part of the second place 4x800m relay squad.
Mansfield Junior High track teams enjoy a double dip of district championships at Acorn on April 19.
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