HOT SPRINGS — With eight firsts from the eighth grade team and a season-high four firsts from the seventh grade team, the Bryant Blue Hornets of Bethel Middle School concluded the 2018 track season on Monday at Hot Springs Lakeside.
“The track was playing a little fast early in the day but then seemed to settle as the wind died down,” said Hornets coach Colton Bond. “I could not have been any prouder of our group than on Monday.
“We ended up having some new competitors in some events from other schools, who usually run in the ninth grade meets as eighth graders,” he related. “As a coach, I was wanting to see how our group responded to this variable and a little adversity in the unknown. I felt like we responded phenomenally with 12 personal records and beat some of the guys who are going to score points for their schools in the junior high conference meet.
“Our seventh grade group finally got over the hump and recorded four first place finishes with Xalen Curenton, Hayden Meshell, and Blake Ammons all garnering a blue ribbon,” the coach said. “I have said it all year long, to watch out for these young men. At some point their athletic ability is going to catch up with their work ethic and when that happens, watch out. They are a great group of young men.”
Bond named Fabian Torres and Jacob Karp as his eighth grade Subway Student-Athletes of the Week. For the seventh grade, it was Ammons and James Billingsley.
“Fabian is a pleasure to coach and is a great teammate,” he said. “Overall, he has been on the cusp of some standout performances and with Speer going down early in the year he had to step up on our sprint relays. I think what is best about Fabian is he is not afraid to test the unknown in regard to new events. Last year, he approached me about doing shot put and, reluctantly after our qualification days, I put him in the event. What I did not realize was he was putting in the work outside of his sprinting regimen to become a great thrower. I expect big things from this young man in the future.
“Jacob is a great young man who is always the first one here and the last one to leave,” the coach commented. “He comes from a great military family and it shows with the discipline he displays. I have only seen one other student-athlete in my time to possess his deep work ethic and he is doing big things in the professional ranks right now. He aspires to follow the family tradition of being in the military and I know he is going to be a great representative for the school and our country.
Regarding the seventh graders, Bond said, “Blake is a going to be a great athlete for this district. He has the frame and work ethic to be something special in the near future. He is constantly working on his craft to make sure he is going to put forth his best effort and it showed up on Monday with him breaking into the blue-ribbon ranks.
“James Billingsley is probably the best I have ever seen at controlling a pace,” he continued. “Once he gets into his stride, it is like he has tunnel vision and the outside variables do not affect him. He just keeps running his race then makes his move coming out of the curve down the home stretch. Much like Ammons, I feel like his best days are in front of him.”
Reflecting on the season, Bond adde, “Overall, it has been a pleasure to coach this group to a very successful track season. I am grateful for the opportunity the student-athletes’ parents and the district have given me to lead these young men.”
Here are the results from Monday’s meet (times are unofficial):
8th Grade
Long Jump
2nd Place- Blake Everett 17′ 2″
3rd Place- Logan White
4th Place- Dylan Atkinson
Triple Jump
3rd Place- Brandon Gabe 34′ 7″
3rd Place- Andrew Steuve
4th Place- Mason Butler
5th Place- Micheal Rivera
5th Place- Jaxon Holt
Shot Put
1st Place- Fabian Torres 40′
5th Place- Mason Miller
6th Place- Myles Witcher
7th Place- Kobe Perez
Discus
4th Place- Caden Hope 98’5″
7th Place- Matthew Griffe
8th Place- Peyton Page
High Jump
3rd Place- Layton Dickerson
6th Place- Andrew Steuve
4×800
2nd Place- Jackson Meshell, Taj Van Tassel, Drew MacIntire, Jaxon Holt- 9:26
4th Place- Dillon Hoover, Cameron Apel, Jacob Karp, Parker Sikes
100 Hurdles
1st Place- Blake Snyder- 15.06
1st Place- Blake Everett-15.10
3rd Place- Logan White
3rd Place- Luis Garcia
5th Place- Deyvon Brewer
5th Place- Andrew Steuve
100
1st Place- Fabian Torres 12.24
2nd Place- Layton Dickerson
3rd Place- Carson Burnett
4th Place- Andrew Steuve
5th Place- Julian Smith
1600
4th Place- Jackson Meshell- 5:33
5th Place- Drew MacEntire- 5:34
4×100
2nd Place- Blake Everett, Carson Burnett, Layton Dickerson, Fabian Torres
4th Place- Owen Lee, Carson Matson, Hunter Hagan, Jacob Knowlton
400
1st Place- Taj Van Tassel- 58.2
2nd Place- Jacob Karp
3rd Place-Gage Shepard
4th Place- Andrew Steuve
5th Place- Alec Humphreys
5th Place- Braxton Praither
300 Hurdles
1st Place- Blake Everett- 47.25
2nd Place- Blake Snyder
3rd Place- Mason Butler
5th Place- Logan White
6th Place- Dylan Atkinson
800 Meters
3rd Place- Jaxon Holt- 2:18
6th Place- Cameron Apel – 2:26
200 Meters
1st Place- Brandon Gabe 25.7
1st Place- Fabian Torres
2nd Place- Luis Garcia
3rd Place- Layton Dickerson
4×400
2nd Place- Taj Van Tassel, Jacob Karp, Gage Shepard, Blake Everett 4:01
3rd Place- Dillon Hoover, Hayden Upton, Drew MacEntire, Jaxon Holt
7th Grade
Long Jump
3rd Place- James Billingsley
4th Place- Jackson Fluger
5th Place- Joshua Luster
5th Place- Brody Troyer
6th Place- Chaney Crosby
Triple Jump
3rd Place- Sebastian Gough
3rd Place- Blake Ammons
4th Place- Caden Stovall
6th Place- Edwyn Delgadillo
7th Place- Ethan Skiles
High Jump
1st Place- Blake Ammons
5th Place- Aiden Shaw
Discus
4th Place- Hayden Meshell
Shot Put
1st Place- Hayden Meshell 30′
3rd Place- Hayden Samuel
5th Place- Cole Shields
6th Place- Joseph Cerutti
4×800
3rd Place- James Billingsley, Jason Apadoca, George Terry, Gavin Shelby-10:56
7th Place- Edwyn Delgadillo, Mitchell Elmore, Chaney Crosby, Joshua Luster
100 Hurdles
4th Place- Joshua Luster
5th Place- Hayden Meshell
6th Place- Mitchell Elmore
7th Place- Ethan Skiles
8th Place- Hunter Linn
100 Meters
1st Place- Xalen Curenton 12.58
2nd Place- David Vivar
4th Place- Brody Troyer
4th Place- Joshua Luster
6th Place- Mitchell Elmore
200 Meters
1st Place- Xalen Curenton- 27.31
3rd Place- David Vivar
7th Place-Edwyn Delgadillo
8th Place- Chaney Crosby
1600
3rd Place- George Terry- 5:47
4×100
4th Place- James Billingsley, Caden Stovall, Joshua Luster, Xaylen Curenton
5th Place- Sebastian Gough, Evan Lamb, David Vivar, Jackson Fluger
400
2nd Place- Jackson Fluger
3rd Place- Evan Lamb
5th Place- Aiden Shaw
5th Place- Caden Stovall
6th Place- Blake Ammons
300 Hurdles
6th Place- Hunter Ellis
6th Place- Ethan Skiles
6th Place- Joshua Luster
7th Place- Mitchell Elmore
800 Meters
2nd Place- James Billingsley- 2:31
200 Meters
4th Place- Xalen Curenton
5th Place- Brody Troyer
5th Place- David Vivar
4×400 Meters
4th Place- James Billingsley, Evan Lamb, George Terry, Hunter Linn
5th Place- Cole Shields, Joshua Luster, Edwynn Jason Apadoca, Caden Stovall
