Spikes are being laced, throwing implements are covered in mud, and the Beaver Area track team has finally started their season.
Due to stormy spring weather and cold temperatures, every track meet this season so far has been postponed.
The season opener against Central Valley and Avonworth was originally scheduled for March 26 but had to be moved to March 27 after a long day of rain. Despite the delay, the Bobcats still were able to fit in a full practice the day before to prepare for the tough section battle coming up.
Multiple key wins were scattered throughout events to propel the girls to a slim victory against both the Warriors and Antelopes.
Junior Sydney Chontos beat all Central Valley runners in the 200 with a time of 30.27 seconds. Freshmen Bella Churovia and Madyson Uphold secured first and second in the 400 in front of the Avonworth runners with times of 1:10 and 1:12.
The Bobcat girls dominated the 3200 with senior Madeline Boser, freshman Peyton Teapole, and junior Rylie Teapole taking first through third respectively. Boser, Teapole, and Teapole also took second through fourth in the 1600 meter run.
Senior Lizzy Michael and Chontos took second places against Avonworth in the 100 meter hurdles and 300 meter hurdles.
On the field for the girls, Beaver Area continued to dominate. Freshman Grace Kenney won triple jump with a best jump of 27 feet 8 inches.
Bobcat girls took second and third in the high jump with heights of 4 feet 6 inches and 4 feet 4 inches. Senior Amara Stewart took second place in pole vault with a final height of 6 feet. Michael took second in the long jump with a best distance of 15 feet 3 inches.
Senior Delaney Thomas and junior Chloe Tooch went one-two in shot put, discus, and javelin, securing major points for the team’s first two section wins.
The boys track team produced similar, if not even closer, results from the tri-meet. Avonworth has a fast distance team to rival Beaver Area’s, and the Warriors often produce top WPIAL sprinters.
The meet started as expected with a win by the Bobcat 4 by 800 relay team with a time of 9:06.69. Junior Qualan Cain followed that relay with a first place against Central Valley and second against Avonworth in the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.13 seconds.
Seniors Dom Bumblis and Eli Bechdel took first and second respectively in the mile race. The boys 4 by 100 relay team took second place against Central Valley with a time of 47.18 seconds. Sophomore Bechdel won the 800 meter and 3200 meter races to finish the meet on the track side.
In the guys’ field events, the Bobcats won almost every jumping event except for long jump. Senior Jacob Harris won high jump with a height of 5 feet 2 inches. Sophomore Junior Marino won triple jump with a distance of 38 feet 9 inches, four feet further than the second place jumper.
The throwers also had multiple top-three finishes, with junior Luke Townsend taking third in discus, senior Luke Paskey taking second in shot put, and senior Louie Rabatin winning javelin.
The next meet for the track team came almost two weeks later after even more postponements and juggling in the schedule. April 9, Beaver Area and Blackhawk competed in an important section match up. The two teams are very familiar with one another and some athletes even train with one another, so races were guaranteed to be close.
The start of the meet for the girls was like most others with a win in the 4 by 800 meter relay by Boser, G. Churovia, B. Churovia, and sophomore Esa Tate. Michael and Chontos followed up the relay with a second and third respectively in the 100 meter hurdles.
For the rest of the afternoon, Beaver Area and Blackhawk girls traded wins back and forth between the two teams. On the track, wins included Peyton Teapole in the 800 meter, Chontos in the 300 meter hurdles, and a commanding win by the 4 by 100 meter relay of Michael, Chontos, junior Alex Slipko, and junior Lillia Battalini.
In the field, Blackhawk proved to be a tougher opponent. The only field events won by the Cats were a one-two finish in javelin by Tooch and Thomas and a Michael win in the pole vault. This unfortunately resulted in the first section loss for the girls’ team this season 79.5 to 70.5.
This outcome is not detrimental to the teams’ section champions goal, however, as Blackhawk lost to Avonworth and therefore the two teams are tied in section standings.
The Beaver Area-Blackhawk boys’ meet proved to be less of a nail biter than the girls’ meet. After winning the 3200 meter relay and sweeping the 100 meter hurdles, the Cougars took the lead and didn’t relent.
Beaver Area still managed some points largely thanks to the distance team. Bechdel and junior Tyler Biss placed first and third in the 1600 meter run, along with a one-two finish in the slightly controversial nine-lap 3200 meter race by Bechdel and Bumblis. Sophomore Brayden Cosky won the 400 meter run. The Bobcats also won the 4 by 400 meter relay.
The field events were almost a complete sweep for the Cougars with the exception of Rabatin, sophomore Boyce Hill, and senior Isaac Miller placing top three in javelin and Townsend winning discus.
The final score for the boys was an 89-61 loss.
Despite only having two section meets, multiple big meets are upcoming for the Bobcats. Beaver County Championships will take place at Riverside April 13. This meet is a stepping stone for the larger invitationals in the following weeks like MAC Championships, the Butler Invite, and eventually WPIALs/states. Many upperclassmen athletes are looking forward to this push for the postseason and are excited about the potential the team is showing.
“I think this season is going pretty well so far. We’ve gained a lot of throwers this year. Everyone has been putting in a lot of work, and we’ve seen a lot of improvements in every meet thus far. I’m very excited for the upcoming invitationals this year!” said senior captain Thomas.
Senior night will take place at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow April 16, so be sure to show up to support your favorite senior track stars!