Junior Warriors excel in Carter
County meet
By Wes Holtsclaw
STAR STAFF
wholtsclaw@starhq.com
Happy Valley High School has always had a sound
track and field program, and from the look of things Thursday,
its squads will be in good hands for years to come.
In the annual Carter County middle school track
and field competition on Warrior Hill, both Warrior boys and
girls squads finished first in the total team competitions.
Happy Valley's girls scored 49 total points,
while Cloudland came in second with 32, Hunter in third with
25, Central in fourth with 15 and Unaka last with 11.
The Warrior boys scored 39 points, Cloudland
and Hunter tied for second with 21, Central had 14 and Unaka
rounded out the group with four points.
It was a successful event this year, with eight
events for boys and girls groups.
In the 880 relay, Happy Valley swept both the
boys and girls competitions. Leading the way for the girls,
Lady Warriors' Lindsey Toney, Samantha Canter, Calla Sanders
and Stacey Williams finished on top.
Hunter finished second place in the event behind
Logan Wagenseller, Jessica Campbell, Brittany Westberry and
Nikki Hyatt. Cloudland was third with Jeri Jones, Shelly Winters,
Jessie Tester and Elisha Pritchard making the rounds.
Nick Payne, Dustin Bardo, Tyler Blevins and Brandon
Whitehead led the Warriors in the boys run.
Cloudland was second with Rodney Hill, Jonathan
Tolley, Michael Shadduck and Michael Lunsford, while Hunter
was third with Hunter Taylor, Brandon Campbell, Cody Smith
and Shane Heaton.
In the mile relay, Cloudland's girls finished
on top behind speedsters Santana Clawson, Tiffany Harrell,
Bethany Bare and Jordan Woodby.
Happy Valley was second with Ashley May, Lindsey
Toney, Kirsty Ramey and Kelly Kincer. Hunter came in third
with Emily Asher, Danielle Buck, Kirsten Davis and Brittany
Westberry.
With the boys mile, Garret Dykes, Adam Black,
Jared Hale and Brandon Whitehead paced Happy Valley to the
victory.
Hunter was second behind Jeff Wilson, Brandon
Campbell, Nick Papantonio and Steven Lapp; Cloudland was third
with Billy Markland, Aaron Guinn, Kyle Heaton and Stacy Fullford.
In the shot put, Hunter's Erica Wilson took the
victory over Cloudland's Stachia Saults and Happy Valley's
Tiffany O'Quinn in the girls competition.
Paul Baker won the boys shot put for Cloudland,
while Hunter's Terry Campbell and Central's Chris Hyatt round
out the event.
Cloudland swept the boys and girls long jump
competitions, as Michael Ashley and K.C. Partington won the
events respectively.
Unaka's Stephanie Keranen and Lady Warrior Betsy
Roper wound out the girls, while Central's Nick Sanders and
Matt Moore were in the top three.
Perhaps the toughest event of the afternoon was
the Wheelbarrow Race. It takes much skill as one competitor
grabs the feet of a person running on their hands up field.
It was the Lady Warriors leading the way on this
event as well with Sydney Skeans and Summer Ward taking the
title. Hunter's Emily Asher and Logan Wagenseller were second,
while Cloudland's Jessi Tester and Hannah Clawson came third.
In the boys event, Happy Valley's Brandon Burchfield
and Garrett Dykes took the win, while Central's Nick Sanders
and Matt Moore took second with Cloudland's Adam Cole and
Kyle Heaton taking third.
Hunter dominated the girls softball throw, with
Erica Wilson and Sallee Taylor finishing one-two and Lady
Warrior Tiffany O'Quinn came in third.
Cloudland's Jonathan Tolley won the boys, while
Spencer Crawford placed in the top three.
The Tug of War event was perhaps the most team
skilled competition of the day and two schools battled their
way to the top.
Both Hunter and Cloudland finished in the top
two of the boys and girls event, with Hunter winning the girls
and Cloudland taking the boys. Happy Valley finished out at
third in both contests.
It was the last chance many of the eighth graders
would get to compete at the Junior High level before moving
up to the high school ranks next season.
A fun time was had by all as the students got
to spend the afternoon together celebrating their move to
the next level.
