Grizzlies find success at Greybull, prepare for home meet on Saturday

Boys 100 meter Relay team claims first place as Grizz compete against a field of smaller schools

Competing against more schools their own size, the Rocky Mountain High School track team turned in a strong showing Saturday at the Greybull Invitational, highlighted by a first-place finish in the boys 4x100 relay.

Teams in attendance included Arapahoe Charter, Burlington, Greybull, Lovell, Riverside, Rocky Mountain, St. Stephens, Tongue River, Wind River and Worland, giving the Grizzlies a good look at regional 1A and 2A competition.

“It’s a better reflection of what you’re going to face at regionals and state,” head coach Tobee Christiansen said.

The top highlight of the meet came from the boys sprint relay, which featured a mix of youth and experience. Freshman Jaxx May teamed with sophomores Mason Moss and Cooper Ward and senior William Watts to take first place in 45.64.

“It was the first time the group had run together this season, and they’re already within striking distance of the school record,” coach Christiansen said.

May also had an impressive individual day, placing third in the 400 meters in 55.87 and adding eighth-place finishes in both the 100 (12.31) and 200 (25.00).

“He’s got some speed and some grit,” Christiansen said. “His ceiling’s pretty high.”

In the distance events, Leah Haslem placed ninth in the 800 meters (2:46.65) after focusing solely on that race for the meet.

“She’s one of those kids that’s a self-motivator and isn’t afraid to do the workouts,” Christiansen said.

Evynn Alvarez and Ellie Alvarez continued their steady improvement in the 1,600 meters, finishing ninth (7:27.61) and 10th (7:54.63), respectively.

“They’ve been fun to watch over the last four years, just seeing their progression,” Christiansen noted.

Zach Unruh placed eighth in the 400 (1:02.06) and ninth in the 800 (2:29.69), while Ward added a seventh-place finish in the long jump (17-9).

In the sprints, Moss placed fifth in the 100 meters (12.09), while Watts finished sixth (12.12), May was eighth (12.31) and Ward took 10th (12.54), giving Rocky four runners in the top 10.

In the throwing events, Cooper Winland recorded a personal-best mark to take fourth in the shot put (40-9.5). John Mader placed sixth in the discus (116-0), and Kellan Jackson was seventh (110-2), highlighting continued depth in the Grizzlies’ throwing group.

“There’s a whole group of those throwers, and Coach Pat (Winland) is doing a really good job with them,” Christiansen said.

Rocky Mountain was without a couple of key contributors, as Sawyer Bassett sat out with a back injury and Avery Thomas was away for personal reasons.

For several Rocky Mountain athletes, the meet brought some frustration as Greybull did not offer pole vault. Vault coach Hanusa said the team looked for another meet in the Big Horn Basin that included the event but was unable to find one due to weather-related cancellations.

The Grizzlies return to action Saturday, hosting their home meet in Cowley. Field events begin at 9:30 a.m., with most running events set for 10:15 a.m., as Christiansen balances both coaching and meet director responsibilities.

“It’s always good for kids to compete on their home turf,” Christiansen said. “There’s a familiarity with everything.”

Additional Rocky Mountain results:

Bailey Gifford earned an 11th-place finish in the 400 (1:11.46), while adding 14th in both the 200 (31.29) and long jump (12-8). Evynn Alvarez placed 24th in the 100 (17.75) and 30th in the shot put (11-6.25), while Layla Gardner took 19th in the 200 (33.15) and 18th in the long jump (11-9). Ellie Alvarez added a 19th-place finish in the long jump.

On the boys side, Landon Pruett placed 13th in both the 100 (12.79) and 200 (25.64), while Cache Thompson was 16th in the 100 (12.80), 15th in the 200 (26.01) and 16th in the long jump (15-10). Cameron Minchow added a 21st-place finish in the long jump (15-7).

In the boys throwing events, Kellan Jackson placed 12th in the shot put (35-2.5), followed by Evin Clendenen (13th, 34-11.75), John Mader (16th, 33-11), Alex Walker (18th, 33-1.5) and Paul Shetler (28th, 30-7.25). In the discus, Winland placed 15th (98-7), with Walker (22nd), Shetler (26th) and Clendenen (31st) also competing.