Area high-schoolers shine at state track meet

WICHITA — Iola High’s Emery Driskel saw her decorated high school athletic career come to an end Saturday, on a cool, windy day at Wichita State University’s Cessna Stadium at the state track meet.
Driskel, who qualified for the finals of the 4A girls 100-meter intermediate hurdles by a scant .002 the day before, brought home the eighth-place medal Saturday, with a time of 16.05 seconds.
Driskel, who also brought home honors for her exploits on the volleyball and basketball courts in high school, was a three-time state qualifier and two-time medalist. (The top eight spots earn state medals.)
Iola’s only other participants, the boys 4×800 relay team, also competed Saturday.
Chase Regehr, Travis Hermstein, Ethan Holloway and Kohl Endicott teamed to finish the relay in 9 minutes, 28.17 seconds.
The race allowed Endicott to complete a rare double over the weekend. Not only did he anchor the relay team, he also suited up for the Mustangs in the Class 4A State Baseball Tournament matchup on Sunday with Baxter Springs.

HUMBOLDT High athletes brought home three pieces of hardware in Saturday’s state track action in Class 3A.
The foursome of Andrew Keazer, Ethan Bartlett, Anthony Doran and Joe Kline brought home the bronze medal in the boys 4×800, finishing in 8:27.06 in a hotly contested race that saw the top three teams separated by two seconds.
Meanwhile, Bryce Isaac, Justin Meins, Doran and Bartlett teamed up to take fifth in the 4×400 relay, finishing in 3:31.09.
Kline also brought home the only individual medal for Humboldt on Saturday, finishing eighth in the 1600 meters in 4:40.76.
Isaac, meanwhile, took 11th in the triple jump, traveling 20 feet.
Humboldt’s Kaitlin Carpenter, Annalise Whitcomb, Cara Bartlett and Haylie Yost teamed to finish 16th in their girls 4×800 race, finishing in 11:48.15.

YATES Center High’s Kal Hamm added two more state medals to his lengthy track resume.
After finishing fourth in the 2A boys high jump on Friday, Hamm pulled in second in the 110-meter high hurdles, finishing in 15.38 seconds; and fourth in the 300-meter hurdles, in 41.95 seconds.
In other action Saturday, Yates Center’s Michael Bruner, Hayden Splechter, Jordan Smith and Brett Holloway teamed to take 10th in the boys 4×800 in 8:49.42.
Holloway placed 13th in the triple jump at 40’4.75”. Bruner finished 15th in the boys 800 meters in 2:08.33.

CREST High’s Rene Rodriguez capped his third and final appearance at the state meet with another sprinting medal in Class 1A.
Rodriguez finished in sixth in the boys 100 meters, in 11.26 seconds adding to the 100 medal he earned in 2014.
Crest’s Evan Godderz competed in the javelin, placing 16th at 140’4”.

SOUTHERN Coffey County freshman Adina Ratzlaff pulled in her first ever state medal in the 1A girls 400 meters. She finished in 61.69 seconds, good for third.
Meanwhile, the Titans’ Walker Harred wound up just short of his goal of winning a third state throwing medal in 2015 when he placed 11th in the javelin, at 151 feet. Previously, Harred won the boys discus — his second consecutive state title — and placed second in the shot put.
Hunter Pankey finished 11th in the long jump at 19’5.25”. Bryson Meats took 13th in the 1600 meters, at 5:08.93.

MARMATON Valley High’s girls 4×800-meter relay team of Misty Storrer, Shelby Yoho, Megan Ensminger and Kyla Drake — all of whom are freshmen or sophomores — took 15th in the Class 1A finals, finishing in 11:31.85.