By Marcus Hill
Brandon Hills' eyes oscillated between his teammates' conversation and meet officials awaiting results for the boys 100 meter finals.
The Vista Ridge senior had just finished the race and eagerly waited to hear his final time at Garry Berry during the Doherty Spartan Invitational on May 6.
Hills explained that he felt great during his race, but was unsure if he set a personal record or added another 10.6-something to his collection.
The anticipation reached a paramount as Hills hopped in place while attempting, and failing, to contain his excitement.
Finally, a race official waved Hills toward the start line.
"10.54," the official said.
Hills bolted back toward his team and coaches to inform everyone of his record-setting performance.
Hills' time bested the old meet record of 10.63 previously held by Pueblo East's Luc Andrada, and it's a state-leading mark.
Fellow coaches and athletes and even coaches from other schools approached Hills to shake his hand and praise his race.
The 100 meter finals featured five sprinters, including Hills, who ran better than 10.8 this season including Grandview's Luke Trinrud (season best of 10.77); Air Academy's Simeon Whitaker (10.76); and Grandview's David Maldonado (10.72).
Lutheran's Joseph Ciccio's best time of the year, 10.60, was .06 faster than Hills' previous PR of 10.66.
To set the stage for the stacked finals, competitors needed to advance from prelims, which all finalists did with at least a 10-meter lead in their respective preliminary races.
Saturday's 100 likely served as a prelude to the State meet with the speed featured in the event. Hills seized the moment to display his talent.
Hills gradually pulled away from the field and crossed the finish line .19 seconds ahead of second place Ciccio.
Competitors dapped one another before returning to their respective areas on the field.
All except Hills, who remained perched in the end zone at Garry Berry, awaiting his final time.
"Ten. Five. Four," Hills shouted and signaled with his hands toward Vista Ridge supporters in the audience after learning his time.
"This was the perfect day to set a PR," Hills said. "Now I just have to keep that momentum going."
On The Cusp
Anyone who didn't know Mitchell's Tamia John set a PR in the triple jump certainly realized her accomplishment after Marauders coaches Josh Browning and Tracy Babers shouted their approval of her mark.
The duo celebrated the sophomore's triple jump of 34-10 with hugs and compliments as John smiled at their gestures.
John's jump, her first of the day, gave her a share of second place with Pine Creek's Allison Lee.
"Whenever I tense up I tend to mess up and overthink. So I just relaxed as best I could before I took off," John said. "I knew if I could make my coaches proud, my mom proud and myself proud, I could stay relaxed."
Pine Creek's Joy Nnantah earned first place in the girls triple jump and set the meet record at 38-03, an inch better than Fountain-Fort Carson's Kiana Jackson's mark of 38-02.
While Nnantah handily won gold in the event, other competitors sought to climb the charts with State on the loom.
Such was the case for John, who had a rollercoaster day in Lakewood last week, making this meet vital for the Marauders' triple jumper.
At the Ram Charger Invitational at Jeffco Stadium on April 29, John jumped a 33-08 to move to 17th on the triple jump State rankings.
The top 18 qualify for the meet, which left John on the fringe.
However, as John celebrated with her coaches, Fort Morgan's Rachel Siegling jumped a 33-09, taking John's slot at 17 and dropping the Marauder to 21st and briefly out of State contention.
After last weekend's meets concluded, John dropped to 28th.
Babers said John "felt a little down" after the competition but also remained positive knowing she had time to improve.
Fast forward to the Spartan Invite where John set a personal best to, at the time of the Spartan Invite, catapulted from 28th to 11th in girls triple jump rankings.
"It's unbelievable and you have to give all glory to God," John said. "I'm trying to stay humble because anything can happen. But I'm grateful that as a sophomore I'm able to do this and know that I can push myself to go further next year."
Meanwhile, Mitchell and Palmer Ridge jockeyed for the final spot in the boys 4x100 relay, hoping to bump Riverdale Ridge out of 18th.
Palmer Ridge, which entered the race 29th with a PR of 45.14, and Mitchell, which was 25th at 44.98, needed their best performances of the year for the final relay position at State.
Both teams broke their previous bests with the Bears finishing sixth overall at 44.36 and the Marauders seventh with a time of 44.39.
"All season our handoffs were the only thing keeping us off [qualifying times]," said Mitchell's Kuron Reed. "We all have the speed, but at this point, it's more about technique and trust. We had both in this race."
Depending on the rest of the 4x1 races in the State, the Bears hold a .03-second edge over the Marauders for the last 4x1 relay spot.
Girls 4x100 Relays Put On Notice
Entering Saturday, Mesa Ridge (49.45), Air Academy (50.76) and Sierra (50.98) each had sub-51s in the 4x1.
On paper, it was the tightest relay of the meet with the trio of quartets separated by less than 1.6 seconds.
Although Air Academy did not run its girls 4x1, the Stallions and Pine Creek, which held a previous season-best mark of 51.69, could still challenge the Grizzlies' relay.
One handoff could tilt the race in any team's favor and boost the winner's confidence before the State meet.
The Grizzlies ensured that Class 4A recognized their relay remains the gold standard.
Mesa Ridge completed three clean exchanges and set a meet record, previously a 48.80 held by Eaglecrest, with a season-best 48.43 to earn first place and remain atop all 4A girls' 4x1 relay teams.
Pine Creek cut more than a second from its previous best to earn second at 50.54.
Sierra completed the relay at 51.37 to finish third in the relay.