Cardinals Making Sure They Stay On Track

WAITSBURG - You may have the best team in the state when it comes to speed, endurance and agility, but if your athletes don't manage to perform within the tight rules for track and field, you're going to get knocked out of the competition.

That was this week's focus for Cardinals track and field head coach Jeff Bartlow as he and his team prepared for the sub district qualifiers, which determines which athletes go on to the district meet.

The Cardinals were scheduled to head for the qualifiers Wednesday, after practising the relay protocol in particular, following a mishap at the last meet in Clarkston last week.

Bartlow declined to dwell on the incident in which two men relay runners made the handoff outside the designated zone by about a step or so. Yet such a faux pas is enough to disqualify the team when it counts.

"We need a safe handoff," he said Tuesday morning before practice. "They'll work hard on that today."

The rest of the meet went well, with Eshom Estes and Kristin Potter scoring three firsts, the men's team winning first place overall and the women's team placing second behind the much more populated Asotin team.

The men's 4x4 relay team is now ranked the best in the state and Bartlow predicts scores of Cardinals, individually and in running teams, will qualify for districts with some having to chose between several events in which they excell.

During the meet with nine other teams, WP's James Thompkins won first in the 100 meters while his older brother Antonio placed fourth. James Thompkins also placed first in the 200 meters. Jared Morris won second in the 400 meters.

The number of Thompkins' firsts was eclipsed by Potter, who won first in the 100 meters, the 200 meters and the 400 meters. Estes achieved a similar triple crown in shot, discus and javelin.

Seth Deal topped the field in the 3,200 meters, the same race in which Isabel Benito placed second. Ronnie Hulce shot to first in the 110-meter hurdles, while placing second in the 300 meters.

The men's relay team was disqualified, but the women placed second with a team that included Hulce, Krystal Harris, Kristin Potter and a recovered Kayla Huxoll.

" With Kayla running again, we're tough," Bartlow said about the Cardinal who was speared in the foot by an accidental javelin throw in Milton-Freewater several weeks ago. She placed fifth in javelin at last week's meet.

As Bartlow discussed the stakes Wednesday, getting his team ready for districts in Walla Walla on May 19 and 20, he began checking off the events at which he felt confident his team would sent competitors. He stopped after a while since the list included almost every track and field activity.

For the season, Hulce is the women's undisupted points leader with 227, followed by Potter with 190, Huxoll with 68 and Harris with 65.5. Estes leads the men in points with 200 so far, followed by Deal with 152, Antonio Thompkins with 99.5 and James Thompkins with 98.5.

Cardinals

Points Leaders

Men: Eshom Estes 200; Seth Deal 152; A.

Thompkins 99.5; J. Thompkins 98.5; Billy Brown

88; Jared Morris 81

Women: Ronnie Hulce 227; Kristin Potter

190; Kayla Huxoll 68; Krystal Harris 65.5; Isabel

Benito 58