Retired veteran Pocahontas County High School track coach Delmos Barb was hired by the board of education to finish out the remainder of the 2011-2012 school year as head boys track coach effective April 25. ﾠOn April 26 Coach Barb and girls head coach Kay Wiley took their teams to an eight-school meet at Elkins High School that was hosted by Tucker County.

Ten minutes before the meet was to start, rain soaked the Elkins track. ﾠThe improving PCHS boys team took their first win of the season by scoring 147 points on a wet track and field, taking first place with 14 boys bringing home medals for first through sixth place finishes. ﾠBoys teams placing in the next seven positions were: ﾠ#2 Tucker County - 137 points, #3 Pendleton County - 98, #4 East Hardy - 70, #5 Elkins - 50, #6 Class AA Petersburg - 13, #7 Tygarts Valley - 10 and #8 Union Grant - 4. ﾠState-ranked #6 Class AAA Elkins did not enter most of their boys who had qualified for the Gazette Relays on Friday and Saturday.

The girls meet was dominated by #4 state-ranked Tucker County who took first place and scored a meet high 230.4 points. ﾠTucker is a young team with only three seniors and nine freshmen of a 23-girl roster, and several freshmen led their events. ﾠPCHS will move to this region next season. ﾠGirls teams placing in the next seven positions at the meet were: ﾠ#2 Class AA Petersburg - 64.4, #3 Pendleton County - 59, #4 Elkins - 54.8, #5 Union - 35, #6 Pocahontas County - 31, #7 East Hardy - 27.4 and #8 Tygarts Valley - 6. ﾠTwelve Lady Warriors brought home medals.

Junior Samantha Walton led the PCHS girls with three medals. ﾠThe PCHS boys were led by five Warriors with the maximum four medals each: ﾠSeniors Curtis Pyles, Jesse Taylor and Bill Kelley and juniors Kyler Doss and Seth Painter. ﾠJuniors Parker White and Clayton Irvine each brought home three medals.
Winning gold in four events for the PCHS boys were: ﾠDoss (100m - 11.82); Irvine (3200m - 11:21.36); and Doss, Pyles, Kelley and Painter (4x100m - 47.08 and 4x200m -1:37.28).
Winning silver in six events were: ﾠPainter (100m - 12.05), Pyles (200m - 23.75), White (800m - 2:28.07), Irvine (1600m - 5:13.18), Taylor (high jump - 5-8), and sophomore Judd Walther (discus - 114-03).

Winning bronze in eight events were: ﾠPainter (200m - 24.05); Taylor (110m hurdles - 17.05 and 300m hurdles - 45.30); sophomore Andrew Morrison, White, and juniors George Faerber and Levi Hefner (4x400m - 4:18.49); Morrison, Faerber, White and Irvine (4x800m - 9:47.63); Pyles, Taylor, Kelley and freshman Stephen Simmons (shuttle hurdles - 1:05.98); Kelley (high jump - 5-04); and sophomore Devin Rose (shot put - 39-09).

Four Warriors won medals for fourth, fifth or sixth place in three events: ﾠDoss, Walther, junior Ryan Cain and Rose.

The highest finishing PCHS girls who won bronze in three events were: ﾠsophomores Rachel McComb, Jessalyn Hamilton, Rebecca Anderson and Linzi Myers (4x400m - 5:38.34); junior Olivia Workman, senior Erin White, Walton and senior Lindsey Kinder (shuttle hurdles - 1:15.88; ﾠand sophomore Fredricah Gardner (discus - 76-07).

Ten Lady Warriors finished in fourth, fifth or sixth place in five events: ﾠWalton, Anderson, Workman, White, Kinder, Myers, senior Erica Rebinski, juniors Ashley Peacock and Emily Gibson, and Gardner.

The RunWV.com Class A Boys and Girls Best Performances for meets held by April 21 and received by April 23 include the following PCHS athletes or relay teams with their top-ten times or distances: #10 girls 4x100m - 56.90, #8 girls shuttle hurdles - 115.70, #9 Gardner in discus - 86-08, #6 boys 4x100m - 46.70, #8 boys shuttle hurdles - 107.90, #4 four-way tie Taylor in high jump - 6.00, and #8 Devin Rose in discus - 118.00. ﾠFor the same period in our region the Richwood girls are ranked #8, Valley Fayette boys #7, and Richwood boys #9. ﾠValley Fayette senior Matthew White is now the #1 ranked boy in Class A, and Richwood's Andrew Shaffer is in a three-way tie for #4. ﾠNo girl in Region 3 is ranked in the top five Class A girls.

The next track meet on the PCHS events calendar is at Richwood on Friday, May 4, at 4 p.m.

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