Safford sweeps 3A South regional track titles

By Brian Wright
Sports Editor

Oscar Valadez of Safford runs his leg of the 4X100 relay earlier this season. Valadez won the 3A South regional title in the triple jump Friday with a distance of 41-0.75. Photo by Preston Lindsey

The Safford boys track and field team was certainly favored to win regionals, and the Bulldogs came through in emphatic fashion.

Safford (263.5) more than doubled the score of runner-up Empire (122.5) at the 3A South regional meet in Safford on Friday.

The boys won nine individual events and the 4X400 relay (3:30.71). Individual winners included Derek Vriezelaar in the 400 (50.50); Nathan Ball in the 800 (2:06.41) and 1,600 (4:44.01); Justin Smith in the 110- (15.29) and 300-meter hurdles (39.62); Rylan Sturm in the high jump (6-2); Dalen McRae in the pole vault (12-6), Oscar Valadez in the triple jump (41-0.75) and Darryl Thomas in the shot put (48-0.5).

The Lady Bulldogs (171) finished 40 points ahead of runner-up Fountain Hills to win the girls regional title.

Junior Annalisa Loevenguth won regional titles in the 800 (2:32.77) and 1,600 (5:44.25); Breanna Kempton won the 100 hurdles (17.48); Eddy Soto took the title in the high jump (5-0); Jennifer Patzke won the pole vault (8-3), and senior Lauren Wilson (30-5.5) finished first in the triple jump. Patzke and Wilson had season-best results in victory.

In the 2A East regional meet, the Thatcher boys finished fourth, and the girls took third place.

Benson won the girls meet by one point (148-147) over Morenci, and Canyon State Academy (187) won the boys meet handily over runner-up Tombstone (102).

The Lady Eagles had two individual regional champions in Abby Bolting-house and Rachel Orr. Boltinghouse won the 1,600 with a time of 6:04.78 and Orr finished first in the high jump with a leap of 5-0.

A.J. Peete was the lone regional champion for the Thatcher boys, but he brought home first place in two events — the long jump (20-8) and the triple jump (40-10.5).

In the 1A meet, Pima’s boys and girls teams finished second. St. Augustine won the boys and girls meets.

Elliot Smith (100-meter dash, high jump and long jump) Dillon Goodman (110-meter hurdles, 300 hurdles and triple jump) and Porter Beus (shot put, discus) all won multiple events for the Roughrid-ers.

Individual winners for the Lady ‘Riders included senior Brooke Bingham in the 200 (29.98), Jessica Stiles-Culver in the 1,600 (6:17.01) and the pole vault (7-9) and Laurissa Beus in the 100 hurdles (18.71).