For the first time this season, the Mansfield junior girls track team scored in all 17 contested events. Five of those scores were wins. That along with the elevated efforts of a rising core of seventh and eighth grade track savants coupled with the excellence of a single, spectacular freshman, Mansfield turned its timely production into the runner-up team plaque at Mena’s Junior Bearcat Relays.
The April 15 showdown down south saw a bevy of track schools in attendance. Mena, the host, was among the contenders. Mansfield, Mt. Ida, and Heavener, Oklahoma were also tagged for competitive nights among a list of 10 different scoring schools.
When the dust cleared, Mena came out on top. Mansfield claimed second, and the other highly regarded schools finished near their pre-meet expectations.
Mansfield had its most competitive evening of the season. Likely under slightly different circumstances, they might have easily taken the first place trophy home had its full roster been available.
Payton Meyers, Mansfield’s only full time freshman track athlete, was out of the lineup with tendonitis. That left Rylan Jones, a dual sport ninth grader, as the only upperclassman to compete at the junior high meet for the Lady Tigers. All other MHS freshmen were on the active roster of a different sport as they participated in a conference softball game in Lavaca on the same evening
“Rylan once again stepped it up,” noted Mansfield’s part time, active head coach John Mackey. “She got things rolling with two huge personal records in the throws and contributed to a season best 4x800m relay grouping for another win.
“And, you have to admire how the younger athletes rallied around her, and really focused on the task at hand,” Mansfield’s elder statesman continued. “The younger kids from the eighth grade and a few seventh graders as well have taken on much responsibility and delivered. They are building real momentum and showing much determination going into the district championship.”
Jones whirled the discus 83’ 1”, a personal record, for first place in the opening field event. She backed that up with an incredible 38’ 3” landing of the shot put. This, her second PR of the evening, was almost six feet further than the next closest competitor for another blue ribbon. In addition, the versatile track weapon joined Hadley Shores, Lillianna Porter, and Allie Hattabaugh for an opening race victory in the 4x800m relay. That trademark victory was eight seconds ahead of race favorite Danville, an up and coming cross country power.
“Those three young girls; Shores, Porter, and Hattabaugh were outstanding along with Jones,” said Mackey. “Together, they are giving this particular Mansfield team an identity through the distance events and the throws.
“Allie (Hattabaugh) was incredible winning the 800m run (2:46.90),” the coach continued. “And, Lillianna and Hadley just kept pushing the pace, scoring high marks in three of the longer races at the meet.”
Adding to that young core were Bentley Hoover, Bethany Mounts, and Mayce Phillips. All three, just eighth graders as well, gave solid production helping the team total 147.5 points on the night. That total, as it turns out, was only 9.5 points away from Mena’s first place team total of 157 points.
Hoover loaded up with five scoring events. The eighth grader took first in the 4x400m relay, a second in the 4x100m relay, thirds in the triple jump and 400m run, and followed up with a fourth place 200m dash.
Mounts gave value as one of the faster Mansfield underclassmen. She joined Hoover in both previously mentioned relays, was fifth in the 100m dash, and seventh in the 400m dash.
Phillips took on a maxed out running schedule when Meyers went to the bench. The tough minded Tiger led off both the 4x200m relay and the 4x100m relay. Those two separately run relays gave Mansfield 14 solid points. Phillips also added tallies in two hurdle events garnering another six points towards the Lady Tiger cause.
Natalee Moore, another eighth grader, anchored both sprint relays. She also turned in a personal record in the triple jump with a leap of 28’ 10”.
Kamryn Bolin and Paris Cervantes, both seventh graders, rose to the challenge giving Mansfield even more value through their particular disciplines.
Bolin boosted her throws portfolio with a pair of personal records in the shot and discus. Her shot carried 32’ 5” for second place, Her discus landed individually best at 75’ 8” for third place.
Cervantes, a newcomer to the sport, found her way with four scoring events. The high jump, 100m hurdles, 4x200m relay, and 200m dash all saw her place inside the top eight.
Mt. Ida finished third in the team rankings at 92 points. Heavener sprinted their way to fourth with 87 points. Danville rallied for fifth with 67.5 total team points behind their efficiency in the distance races.
The Mena meet closed out the regular season for Mansfield. The 2025 track schedule shows the Lady Tigers are up next at the 3A-4 District Championships, scheduled for noon on April 22 at Tiger Stadium.
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