What was supposed to be a battle for the 3A-4 Junior High District Track and Field Championships, turned out to be a simple rout for the dominating Mansfield Lady Tigers.
Mansfield’s junior girls scored a sizzling 253 total points to run away with the league title in a battle of eight competing schools on April 22 at Tiger Stadium. Scoring in all 17 contested events, Mansfield placed first or second in fifteen.
“You could kind of get a sense that this team was peaking at the right time,” said interim head coach John Mackey of Mansfield. “These last couple of meets the pieces were beginning to really fit. It was work, mind you, but these kids really wanted to win and put themselves in position to do so with grit and a lot of heart.”
Mansfield dominated in the throws, long distance, vertical jumps, and hurdles. Mostly, they dominated in nearly every facet of the track and field spectrum.
Mansfield freshman Abby Smith reeled off a cool 40 points in part time work. The dual sport workhorse won the pole vault, high jump, long jump, and 100m hurdles before busing off to play a pair of conference softball games in Paris.
Teammate Rylan Jones was spectacular as well, coming away with 33 points of her own. Also a dual sport player, Jones elected to stay on the race track to run two late races as well as win the shot and discus. A good decision on her part, as the freshman established a personal record in the discus at 86’ 3”.
All together 15 Lady Tigers earned All-District recognition by placing first or second in their respective disciplines at the conference showdown. Mansfield freshmen with such acclaim were Miley Clopton, Adeline Godwin, Addison Howard, Rylan Jones, and Abby Smith. Eighth grade Lady Tigers recipients included Abbigail Adams, Bentley Hoover, Natalee Moore, Bethany Mounts, Mayce Phillips, Lillianna Porter, and Hadley Shores. Then, three MMS seventh graders joined the fray with Kamryn Bolin, Paris Cervantes and Allie Hattabaugh.
Clopton was the 100m champion. Shores won the 1600m run. Hattabaugh blistered the field in the 800m run.
Shores, Porter, Jones, and Hattabaugh dominated the 4x800m relay by a wide margin. Similarly, Mounts, Shores, Jones, and Hattabaugh cruised in the 4x400m relay.
Phillips, Mounts, Hoover, and Moore were not challenged in the 4x100m sprint relay. Oddly enough, this was Mansfield’s all eighth grade unit as the usually faster ninth grade combination exited early for the rescheduled conference softball game.
“We had the numbers to absorb some of the sports conflicts,” noted a member of the Mansfield track staff. “It’s the reason why we give kids an opportunity to prove themselves throughout the season. They gained confidence and were ready when called upon.”
You could get a sense that Mansfield really wanted to win the district meet despite some late season injuries and the doubled up sport calendar. Taking a cue from eighth grader Bentley Hoover as evidence gives you the mindset of the team.
“I just really want to win,” cried Hoover when she was told not to run her last two races. The multi-talented athlete suffered a minor knee sprain in the 400m dash and was pulled from the meet by her head coach for precautionary reasons.
“We had the championship well in hand, and we didn’t want to risk her any more,“ said Mackey. “Bentley was so focused on doing her part that she didn’t know we were that far ahead. She would have run on one leg had we let her. She was not about to disappoint me or anyone else. She really exemplified the ‘give all you can give’ mentality of this entire team.
“You can say the same thing for Adeline (Godwin). This was her first meet back since a week one injury. She did not disappoint either.”
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