Bullfrogs prepare for MLL competition with a strong showing at Sky Mote Memorial Invite

With the Mother Lode League track and field season close to beginning, the Bret Harte High School track team looked to take another big step forward in their final preseason invitational before league competition begins.

Bret Harte, along with Amador, Bradshaw Christian, Capital Christian, Chesterton Academy of Sacramento, Cordova, El Dorado, Golden Sierra, Incline, Marysville, Natomas, North Tahoe, Oakmont, Placer, River City, Sheldon, South Tahoe, Union Mine, Vista Del Lago and Whittell took part in the Sky Mote Memorial Invitational on March 25 at Union Mine High School in El Dorado.

In the boys’ division, Bret Harte senior Cooper Oliver placed 11th in the 100-meter dash (12.44); senior Toch Rainier placed 18th (12.94); and junior Ian Bauer placed 21st (13.08). In the 200-meter race, senior Bradley Hall placed fourth (24.50); junior Austin Blodgett placed 11th (26.05); and senior Gio Da Ros placed 17th (27.47). Blodgett placed 16th in the 400-meter race with his time of 1:00.86.

Bret Harte senior Winter Whittle had another strong showing in the 800-, 1600- and 3,200-meter races. In the 800-meter race, Whittle placed fourth in 2:03.01. Whittle had a second-place finish in the 1,600-meter race with a new personal record of 4:31.90. And Whittle also set another personal record, this time in the 3,200-meter race with his third-place time of 10:55.63.

In the 110-meter hurdles, Rainier placed ninth in 20.02. Bret Harte’s 4×100 relay team of Hall, Blodgett, Bauer, and Oliver placed fourth in 46.38.

In the shot put, senior Lucas Sawyer placed 14th (34 feet, 5.25 inches); senior Josh Bragg placed 17th (31 feet, 9.25 inches); and junior Thomas Habschied placed 18th (31 feet, 3.5 inches). In the discus, Habschied had an 11th-place throw of 91 feet, 8 inches; Sawyer placed 12th (88 feet, 7 inches); and Bragg placed 20th (74 feet, 5 inches).

Hall placed first in the high jump by clearing 6 feet, 2 inches. Hall also placed first in the triple jump (43 feet, 2 inches); Blodgett placed fourth (35 feet, 11 inches); and senior Ezra Radabaugh placed 11th (30 feet, 5.5 inches).

Oliver took first in the pole vault (13 feet) and Bauer came in second (12 feet, 6 inches). And in the long jump, Oliver placed second (19 feet, 1.5 inches); Da Ros placed 20th (15 feet, 5 inches); and Radabaugh placed 21st (14 feet, 10 inches).

In the girls’ division, senior sprinter Morgan Greene had a memorable afternoon by taking first in both the 100- and 200-meter race. In the 100-meter race, Greene finished in 13.07; freshman Annelise Zumbach placed fourth (13.72); and junior Bella Perez placed 17th (14.95). In the 200-meter race, Greene placed first in 26.88; Zumbach placed eighth (28.47); and sophomore Caitlin Johnson placed 11th (29.12).

In the 400-meter race, senior Kadyn Rolleri placed fourth with a personal record of 1:06.55 and senior Makayla Nickell placed 14th in 1:20.21. Rolleri placed sixth in the 800-meter race (2:36.12), while junior Skylar Mayers placed 11th (2:46.27). Mayers placed eighth in the 1,600-meter race (6:08.43), while junior teammate Addy Heermance placed 12th (6:10.70).

Junior Talisa Perez placed fourth in the 100-meter hurdles (18.92) and also in the 300-meter hurdles (59.19). Bret Harte’s 4×100-meter relay team of Johnson, senior Aariah Fox, Zumbach and Greene finished first in 51.63.

In the shot put, junior Angela Espejel placed sixth (26 feet, 6.25 inches) and senior CJ DesBouillons placed 14th (21 feet, 8 inches). In the discus, junior Makenna Tutthill had a fifth-place throw of 76 feet; Espejel placed 15th (56 feet, 6 inches); and DesBouillons placed 16th (52 feet, 5 inches).

Senior Emily O’Flinn placed fifth in the pole vault by clearing 6 feet, 6 inches. Fox placed first in the long jump (16 feet, 3.5 inches); Zumbach placed sixth (13 feet, 9 inches); and Bella Perez placed 14th (12 feet, 4.5 inches). And in the triple jump, Fox placed first (35 feet, 2.5 inches) and O’Flinn placed eighth (27 feet, 2.5 inches).

Bret Harte will begin Mother Lode League competition on Thursday at Argonaut High School in Jackson.