By Carl Holcomb
Moorefield Examiner
Hardy County showed tremendous determination persevering through a torrential downpour and battling through a myriad of events to elevate 38 athletes to punch tickets to the WVSSAC State Track Meet from the Class A Region II Track Championship held in West Union.
Moorefield Track will be sending 23 athletes to the state meet with six Yellow Jackets competing in four events led by Class A Region II Track 200 meter dash champion Parvatee Snyder (200, 4×100, 4×200, shuttles) along with LeeAnne Coon (4×100, 4×200, 4×400, shuttles), Sydney Rumer (4×100, 4×200, 4×400, 4×800), LaTanya Redman (4×100), 4×200, 4×400, shuttles), Caden Fertig (100, 200, 4×100, 4×200) and Matthew McDonald (400, 4×200, 4×400, 4×800).
The Yellow Jackets kept the buzzing loud and clear making state track meet berths: Schanica Barthelemy (100, 200), Jocelyn Wagner (4×400, shuttles), Chloe Leroux (4×800), Molly Molen (4×800), Madelyn Baker (4×800), Jeshua Mazariego (4×100, 4×200, shuttles), Javier Acosta (4×200, shuttles), Brayden Sackett-Williams (4×400, 4×800), Camden Laughlin (4×100), Josiah Howard (4×100), Jordan Fields (4×400), William Wojtowicz (4×400, 4×800), Chernet Ansani (4×800), Riley Pillus (shuttles), Jhon Paul (shuttles), Trace Pope (shot put) and Ethan Eye (discus).
East Hardy Track had 15 athletes qualify for the state meet led by four-event competitors Madison Kerr (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, 4×400, shuttles) and Gideon Good (110 hurdles, shuttles, high jump, discus).
The Cougars pounced for more state representation with the following athletes: Morganne Miller (300 hurdles, 4×400, shuttles), Kelly Flynn (4×200, 4×400, 4×800), Aubrey Cowgill (4×200, 4×800, shuttles), Alexis McKinney (4×200), Sierra Loulis (4×200, 4×400, shuttles), Brianna Hamilton (4×800), Gracie Heishman (4×800), Evan Hamilton (100, 4×100, 4×200), Nehemiah Graham (100, 4×100, 4×200), Chase Rexrode (4×100, 4×200, shuttles), Khristian Bauserman (4×100, 4×200, shuttles), Angelo Loulis (shuttles) and Korbin Miller (discus).
After the torrential downpour, the Doddridge County staff utilized leaf blowers to dry off the shot put and discus areas, but a huge puddle remained in the shot put dirt pit causing a comical splash for those throwing in that direction and a towel was needed for the next competitor using the equipment.
The long jump area felt more like mud after that rain, but still made for interesting landings with the clumped sand flying around.
The preliminaries were exciting to watch with the quickness and the spikes helped to limit the number of slips around the track, however, clearing the hurdles became more of a challenge as some athletes crashed over them.
It was good that the weather eventually cleared up and started to get warmer to help with the track conditions towards the end of the meet.
The top two individuals or relay teams earn automatic state berths, but the next remaining spots are determined by fastest time and distances from around the state.
East Hardy twin brothers Evan and Mason Hamilton advanced in the 100 meter dash preliminaries with times of 11.59 (3rd) and 11.69 (8th), respectively.
Mason Hamilton had recently returned after recovering from an injury, but elected to forego the finals.
Evan Hamilton earned a state bid with a silver medal finals time of 10.91.
Moorefield’s Caden Fertig took the bronze medal in the 100 dash finals with a time of 11.33 to advance tot he state meet.
East Hardy’s Nehemiah Graham garnered fourth place in the 100 dash to punch a ticket to the state meet in a time of 11.58.
Moorefield’s Josiah Howard was just .17 seconds shy of gaining an at large state bid with a seventh place finish in the 100 meter dash in 12 seconds flat.
The sprinting was good for the Hardy County contingent.
Fertig collected fourth place in the 200 meter dash finals in 23.40 to reach the state meet.
Evan Hamilton collected a fourth place time in the prelims at 23.14, but decided to not compete in the finals and saved energy for the relay races which would qualify for the state meet.
Moorefield’s Schanica Barthelemy notched a fifth place finish in the 100 meter dash finals in 13.66 and received an at large state bid.
Snyder followed suit winning the 200 meter dash regional gold medal in a school record time of 26.09 and Barthelemy added another at large state berth in fourth place at 28.24.
“I didn’t really think I was going to win. When I realized I PR’d in the 200, it just made my day. I really pushed my self and when that one girl was right there with me, I just opened my shot and ran as fast as I could. I amorally excited about going toe Tate and I am only a freshman, so I can just get faster from here,” Class A Region II 200 meter dash champion Parvatee Snyder remarked.
Snyder was thrilled to win the championship and jumped up into the arms of coach Seth Wilson, who was just expecting a hug and was able to maintain balance in the whimsical moment of joy.
East Hardy’s Madison Kerr sat a new Class A Region II Championship record for the 100 meter hurdles in the preliminary round with a time of 15.48.
Kerr collected a silver medal in the 100 hurdles finals with a time of 15.65, behind Paw Paw champion Shayla Tanouye.
East Hardy’s Morganne Miller just missed out on an at large bid in that event by .02 seconds with at time of 17.92.
Tanouye won the gold medal in the 300 hurdles at 48.31.
East Hardy’s Kerr and Miller garnered at large state bids in fourth (52.93) and fifth place (53.55).
Moorefield Girls 4×100 (53.26) and 4×200 (1:51.06) snatched the silver medals in the regionals to advance to the state meet with Coon, Redman, Rumer and Snyder.
Rumer was stoked about going to state in the first two relay events and shouted to volunteer support coach Larry Foster with a huge smile while holding up two fingers.
East Hardy Girls 4×200 relay team received an at large state bid in seventh place with a time of 2:04.78 competing with Flynn, Cowgill, McKinney and Loulis.
The good fortune of at large state bids continued as the Yellow Jackets Girls and Cougars Girls 4×400 relay had their names called to state in fifth (MHS 4:40.08 Coon, Redman, Rumer, Wagner) and sixth place (EHHS 4:40.64 Flynn, Loulis, Kerr, Miller), respectively.
Moorefield and East Hardy Girls 4×800 relay teams collected state bids by at large times in fifth and sixth places: MHS 12:10.84 Baker, Leroux, Molen, Rumer; EHHS 12:23.23 Flynn, Cowgill, Hamilton, Heishman.
“To end my career with four ribbons at regionals and definitely going to state in two events and probably two more with at large bids is great. I am just so glad I got to run and have this experience my senior year,” Moorefield state bound senior Sydney Rumer stated.
Moorefield Girls shuttle hurdles grabbed a bronze medal to advance to the state meet in 1:12.33 with Coon, Snyder, Redman, Wagner.
“I am very excited. Everybody represented themselves very well today. They pushed themselves today. Parvatee got a 26.09 and I am pretty sure that’s a school record. I am very proud of her and very proud of everybody. [Snyder leap] I was just expecting a hug and I am just glad I caught her. Our relay teams worked very hard all year long and every week they got better. Some meets they didn’t get the times they wanted and got back in the lab and pushed themselves,” Moorefield Girls Track coach Seth Wilson commented.
East Hardy Girls shuttle hurdles took an at large state bid in fifth place at 1:13.77 with Kerr, Cowgill, Loulis, Miller.
Moorefield Boys Track’s Matthew McDonald collected a sixth place ribbon in the 400 meter dash and earned an at large bid in a time of 53.72.
East Hardy Boys Track’s Gideon Good placed fifth overall in the 110 high hurdles earning an at large state berth with a time of 16.90.
East Hardy Boys Track 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams snatched the silver medals at the regionals for the automatic state berths in times of 45.02 and 1:34.58, respectively with the same quartet of Evan Hamilton (anchor), Khristian Bauserman, Chase Rexrode and Nehemiah Graham.
Moorefield Boys Track 4×100 and 4×200 relay trams took the bronze medals and at large bids for the state meet with times of 46.06 and 1:34.67.
The Yellow Jackets 4×100 quartet included Jeshua Mazariego, Josiah Howard, Camden Laughlin and Caden Fertig (anchor, while the 4×200 team featured Mazariego, Matthew McDonald, Javier Acosta and Fertig.
Diego Taylor and Jhon Paul will be alternates for the Yellow Jackets relay teams.
Moorefield Boys Track 4×400 relay squad finished in fifth place at 3:50.30, but earned an at large state bid with Brayden Sackett-Williams, Jordan Fields, William Wojtowicz and Matthew McDonald.
The Yellow Jackets Boys Track 4×800 relay team collected fourth place in a time of 9:02.33 and was awarded an at large state bid with Chernet Ansani, Wojtowicz, Sackett-Williams and McDonald.
Moorefield Boys Track shuttle hurdles team leapt to a silver medal (1:04.14) and the Cougars collected the bronze medal (1:05.86) despite a stumble with each team punching a ticket to the state meet.
Moorefield shuttles team included Riley Pillus, Javier Acosta, Jeshua Mazariego and Jhon Paul.
East Hardy shuttles team included Khristian Bauserman, Chase Rexrode, Angelo Loulis and Gideon Good.
Moorefield senior Trace Pope earned an at large state bid in the shot put with a fourth place throw distance of 37’6”.
Moorefield senior Ethan Eye garnered the bronze medal in the discus with a distance throw of 127’6” which earned an at large state ticket.
East Hardy junior Korbin Miller and sophomore Gideon Good earned at large state bids in the discus with fifth and sixth place finishes, respectively.
Miller threw the discus a distance of 118’6” and good tossed the discus 113’4”.
As a team, Moorefield Girls Track finished in fourth place overall with 51 points at the Class A Region II Track Championships and East Hardy was in eighth place with 30 points.
Doddridge County Girls and Boys Track teams won the Class A Region II Championships.
Moorefield Boys Track placed fourth overall as a team with 73 points and East Hardy finished in fifth place with 57 points.
“I am so proud of this team and excited to see these state qualifiers compete at the state meet. Madison also set the new regional meet record with her preliminary time,” East Hardy Track coach Rachel Schetrom noted.
The WVSSAC state track meet will be held at the University of Charleston’s Laidley Field this Friday and Saturday.
