Senior Jesse Taylor wins gold in four events

Both the #7 ranked Richwood boys and the #10 ranked Lady Lumberjacks (three-way tie) finished first ahead of the two second-place Pocahontas County Track Teams at the Coalfield Conference Class A Championships on Thursday, May 3, at Richwood. The meet was originally scheduled for Tuesday which turned out to be a perfect day to hold the meet and much cooler than Thursday. The Lumberjacks took back the Coalfield Conference crown this year after the #7 ranked 2011 Warriors upset the #6 ranked Richwood boys 193.5 to 177 last year. The Richwood and Pocahontas girls have finished 1-2 the for at least the last three years in this meet. The Richwood boys also took first place in 2010.

The placement and scoring of the six boys teams was: #1 Richwood - 167, #2 PCHS - 122, #3 Fayetteville - 89.5, #4 Midland Trail - 79.5, #5 Valley Fayette - 40 and #6 Meadow Bridge - 14. The Class A Boys Individual Power Rankings for meets held by April 28 and received by April 30 have Region 3's Matthew White, of Valley, at #1 in West Virginia with 31 points and Andrew Shaffer, of Richwood, #2 with 29. The Valley boys team dropped from #7 to #9 this week in the team rankings.
The girls team results were: #1 Richwood - 199, #2 PCHS - 102, #3 Fayetteville - 52, #4 Valley Fayette - 46, #5 Midland Trail - 32 and #6 Meadow Bridge - 12. This meet should be a predictor of the Region 3 meet results in Charleston on Friday, May 11, since the same schools will be competing.

Sixteen Warriors and 14 Lady Warriors placed in the individual events. Senior Jesse Taylor was PCHS high scorer with four gold medals including three individual events (110 hurdles - 17.06, 300 hurdles - 43.86, high jump - 5.10 and shuttle hurdles - 1.05.06). Taylor matched Shaffer with each winning three individual gold medals. Other members of the shuttle hurdles relay team are Curtis Pyles, Bill Kelley and Stephen Simmons). Sophomore Fredricah Gardner was the girls PCHS high scorer with two gold medals in individual events (shot put - 28.07 and discus - 90.02). Sophomore Devin Rose won gold in discus - 122.09. Other PCHS relay teams winning gold were: Olivia Workman, Sam Walton, Erin White and Lindsey Kinder - 4x100 (55.48); Kyler Doss, Pyles, Kelley, and Seth Painter - 4x100 (46.46) and 4x200 (1.36.4).

Bringing home individual silver medals were: Sara Jonese - shot put (27.11) and discus (65.04), Clayton Irvine - 1600 (5.10) and 3200 (11.27), Judd Walther - shot put (40.03.5) and discus (122.08) and Bill Kelley - high jump (5.08). Relay teams winning silver were: Erica Rebinski, Ashley Peacock, Lindsey Myers and Emily Gibson - 4x200 (2.11.6); Workman, White, Walton and Kinder - shuttle hurdles (1.14.16); and Andrew Morrison, Parker White, Georg Faeber and Irvine - 4x800 (9.35.54).
PCHS won only three individual bronze medals: Rachel McComb - 1600 (7.31), Rebeka Anderson - 800 (3.27) and Peacock - shot put (27.0). Relay teams taking bronze were: McComb, Jessalyn Hamilton, Anderson and Myers - 4x400 (5.29); and Morrison, Faueber, White and Levi Hefner - 4x400 (4.01).

The Warriors won seven individual fourth and fifth places, and the Lady Warriors took 10 third through sixth places.
There were several very close finishes for PCHS. The girls shuttle hurdles quad lost to Richwood by 0.23 seconds. The boys 4x800 team lost to Richwood by .01 second. Devin Rose nipped Judd Walther in the discus by one inch. These close finishes will only get closer at regionals and states.

PCHS athletes still in the state top-10 in their events for meets held by April 28 and received by April 30 are: #4 (three-way tie) Jesse Taylor - high jump (6.0), #5 boys 4x200 team (137.30), #6 (three-way tie) boys 4x100 team (46.70), #6 (tie) boys shuttle hurdles (106.00), #8 Devin Rose - discus (118.04), and #9 (four-way tie) Bill Kelley - high jump (5.08), #9 Fredricah Gardner - discus (86.08), #9 girls shuttle hurdles (115.70), and #10 girls 4x100 (56.90).

PCHS travels to Laidley Field in Charleston for the Region 3 track meet on Friday, May 11. Contact PCHS for the meet starting time. The state track meet is also held at Laidley Field and is scheduled for Friday, May 18, with a 2 p.m. start, and Saturday, May 19, with a 9 a.m. start.

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