2018 Royalty Of The Rings

Faith Christian's Reece Davidson can claim the title of best overall 3A thrower.

Special to Colorado Track XC by Chris Medina

1A Overall          Genoa-Hugo 28, Eads 17

1A Boys               Otis 15, Dove Creek 15, Pikes Peak Christian 15 (tie)

1A Girls                Genoa-Hugo 28, Eads 17 

Seniors Mariah Smith and Heather Graham concluded their career long competition by splitting the discus and shot put titles.  However, Graham's higher finish in her second event and the emergence of her sophomore teammate Ryely Smartt, who finished second in the shot and eighth in the disc, gave Genoa-Hugo the girl's title as well as the overall 1A crown. On the boy's side, Keylan Dracon's victory in the shot put and fifth place finish in the discus gave Otis High just enough points to win the title ahead of the Dove Creek and Pikes Peak Christian.

2A Overall           Meeker 27, Hotchkiss 18

2A Boys               Hotchkiss 18, Crowley County 16

2A Girls                Meeker 23, Burlington 15 

Individual performances were close to being all that was needed to claim a "team" throwing title in 2A. Jacob Tu'ufuli 's victory in the boys shot, Austin Ficken's dual third place finishes, and Lane Walter's discus win and fourth place finish in the shot, put Ellicott, Rangely and Crowley County in title contention on the boys' side. Likewise, on girls' side, the performance by Burlington's Alex Bauer came up just short.  Winning the crown here required a team effort. In capturing the boy's title, Hotchkiss relied on points coming from the various levels of the podium; earning eighteen total points from Darrin Young ,Nolan Egging, and Kevin Chavez. Meeker likewise picked up the girls' title through the efforts of juniors, Megan Shelton and Sydnie Main who went first and second in the disc, and seventh and eighth in the shot. For the overall title Jake Shelton added four points giving the Cowgirls and Cowboy, back-to-back crowns. 


3A Overall           Bayfield 24, Faith Christian 20

3A Boys               Bayfield 22, Faith Christian 20

3A Girls                Berthoud 15, Alamosa 14

Faith Christian's Reece Davidson can claim the title of best overall 3A thrower, winning both of the throwing events in the boy's division. These dual titles were almost good enough win both the boy's throwing title and overall crown as well. However, both of those title, will go to the Wolverines of Bayfield. David Hawkins and Ryan Phelps had to settle for silver medals at the state meet, but their combined performances generated just enough scoring to win the title of Kings of the Ring. They were joined in the scoring for the overall title by Mikayla Barnes. The second and third place finishes by the discus duo of Emily Cavey and Kailey Berry of Berthoud were able to top the individual performances by the classifications' championship finishers, Amaya Atencio and Keena Murphy, and win the girl's title for the Spartans.

4A Overall           Roosevelt 42, Ft. Morgan 20, Pueblo East 20

4A Boys               Roosevelt 22, Pueblo East 20

4A Girls                Roosevelt 20, Valor Christian 15

Logan DeRock, by virtue of her twin titles, was able to bring a girls' team title home to Roosevelt High School. Joy Gerow placing second in the disc and Jane Powers placing third in the shot proved good enough to place Valor Christian second. Like DeRock, Kain Medrano of Pueblo East locked up two individual titles but it was not quite enough to carry the Eagle to a team title because of the efforts Logan's Roughrider teammates. While none of the Roughrider men were able to touch the top of the podium, James HeaterMikey DeRock, and Justin Podojil combined to score twenty-two points earning Roosevelt a rare sweep (boys, girls, and overall) and the most overall points scored in any classification. Fort Morgan's John Hochanadel scored eleven in the boy's division while Haley Lewis scored nine bringing the Mustangs into a tie for second in the overall competition

5A Overall           Highlands Ranch 24, Rocky Mountain 21

5A Boys               Highlands Ranch 18, Fountain Fort Carson 15

5A Girls                Rocky Mountain 21, Mountain Range 9

Jawuan Tate claimed the boy's discus title, but his effort combined with that of teammate Iosua Maika was not enough to win the throwing title. This tandem was bested by the individual effort of Highlands Ranch's Drake Nugent who won the boys' shot put and finished second in the disc. On the girls' side, Gabriella McDonald of Rocky Mountain High School scored back-to-back itles in the disc, and back-to-back-to-back titles in the shot put. Teammate Anna Holland added a point to secure the girls' title for the Lobos. Mountain Ranges' Amber Gustason medaled twice to earn second place in the girls' competition for her school. To claim the overall title, Highlands Ranch's Elena Opp's fourth place finish in the girls' disc, combined with the scoring by Nugent, won it for the Falcons.