The Thunder Mountain High School upperclassmen and Juneau-Douglas High School underclassmen excelled in the Ketchikan Invitational this past weekend. The invitational was the first official meet of the high school season, now in full-swing with meets every coming weekend until the end of May.<\/p>\n
Both teams head to Sitka this weekend for the Sitka Invitational before TMHS hosts the Capital City Invite May 5-6 in Juneau.<\/p>\n
The TMHS boys (164 points) and Petersburg girls (155 points) won their respective sides in the meet. The Falcons scored big in the sprints and relays despite missing senior Aiden Hildebrand, the only returner on last year\u2019s state champion-winning 4×100-meter relay team. Hildebrand is expected to join the team after the cheer season concludes.<\/p>\n
The Falcon boys won every relay in the meet while the TMHS girls won all but one of the relays they competed in (4×200).<\/p>\n
TMHS junior Erick Whisenant ran a breakout meet, helping both the 4×100 and 4×200 relays to first place while also winning his individual events in the 100 and 200-meter dash. He finished the 100-meter dash in 11.71 seconds and 200-meter dash in 23.85 seconds.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was so amazing, honestly,\u201d Whisenant said at practice Monday evening at TMHS. \u201cI felt so good, I was so excited. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever gotten first but this week, it was like, \u2018Yeah, this is my year.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Whisenant is thrilled to be one of the three replacements on last year\u2019s state championship-winning 4×100 team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI finally get to be part of this relay whose actually really, really good. Heck yeah, I\u2019ve been waiting three years for this,\u201d Whisenant said.<\/p>\n
Other TMHS upperclassmen with first or second-place individual finishes included: Erin Wallace (800, 1600, 3200) Garth Tupou (discus, shot put), Gabe Crawford (triple and long jump, 110 hurdles), Jonah Penrose (1600), Ally Heaton (100) and Alvin Ailey (400, high jump).<\/p>\n
Ailey, a newcomer to TMHS with high-jumping experience in Oregon, suprised himself in the 400 meter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really suprised by the 400 [win] because in the prelims I had gotten third,\u201d Ailey said. \u201cIt\u2019s one of my favorite events, but not my best,\u201d Ailey said.<\/p>\n
Juneau-Douglas finished fourth and fifth respectively in the team scores, not bad for the small but potent batch of 23 Crimson Bears that competed at the Ketchikan Invite.<\/p>\n
The boys and girls 1600 meter races best highlighted the youth and speed of JDHS.<\/p>\n