Kenai jumper, Galena runner steal show at state track championships

PALMER – Like a Major League player who homers in his final at-bat, Kenai Central long jumper Josh Jackman captured his third straight state championship on the final jump of his high school career Friday at the state track and field championships.

Heading into the final round of jumps in the Class 4A boys competition at Machetanz Field, Jackman led with a mark of 21 feet, 7 inches.

But on the second-to-last jump, Colony senior Brandon Nicholson leaped 21-7.25 to steal the lead.

A minute later, Jackman – the only person left in the competition – soared 21-10.50 to regain the lead and three-peat as the state champ.

[State track and field photo gallery]

Needing a big effort on his last jump isn't his favorite method of winning, but Jackman said it has its advantages.

"I don't prefer it," he said, "but it definitely gives you an energy you don't have in regular jumps."

The ninth-inning drama came near the end of a long day that hours earlier produced a blistering run by Galena's Jacob Moos — who despite training without a track became the 10th-fastest 3,200-meter runner in Alaska high school history.

Moos registered the day's most impressive mark by blazing to a time of 9 minutes, 19.66 seconds in the Class 1-2-3A boys race.

The victory made Moos a two-time champ in the event and put him in some pretty fast company.

It puts him 10th on a list of Alaska's 10 fastest boys at the distance, replacing Kodiak's Dylan Anthony, whose personal best was 9:22 in 2010. Topping the list with a PR of 8:45, set at the 2015 New Balance indoor championships in New York, is Kodiak's Levi Thomet.

The list, maintained by Kodiak coach Marcus Dunbar, is a list of the 10 fastest boys, rather than a list of the 10 fastest times. If it was a list of times rather than PRs, Dunbar said, the only runners on it would be Kodiak greats Thomet and Trevor Dunbar and East High star Don Clary.

Moos, who beat his previous best by seven seconds, is Galena's only athlete at this week's state meet. The school doesn't have a track oval, so Moos uses the town's airstrip to do speed work and a bike path for long runs.

"My coach motivates me, but there's no other people to push me," Moos said. "I run with my dog."

Yuki, a black lab who reportedly is in great shape, became Moos' training partner after Kaleb Korta, a four-time state track champ, graduated last year.

For two years Moos and Korta were a two-man team. At last season's state championships, Moos edged Korta to win the 3,200 and the next day the two tied for the 1,600-meter victory.

On Friday, Moos and Anchorage Christian's Blake Bennett ran a series of 70-second splits for the first five laps.

"After five laps we started to slow down, and with 600 meters to go I picked it up, he had no reaction, and I ended up with a good win," Moos said.

It was the fourth time this season Moos ran on a track. He entered a high school meet in Minnesota in April while on vacation, and in Alaska he ran at a regular-season meet in Kodiak, last week's region meet in Homer and this week's meet at Machetanz Field.

"That's twice as many as usual," said Moos, who until this season had only run on tracks at the regional and state meets.

Moos beat Bennett by 11 seconds and was 30 seconds faster than the winner of the Class 4A boys race, Kodiak's Keith Osowski (9:49.34).

Victories in the girls 3,200 races went to West Valley freshman Kendall Kramer (11:04.47) in the Class 4A race and Glennallen's Briahna Gerlach (11:07.42) in the Class 1-2-3A race. The win gave Gerlach her third state title at 3,200 meters.

Kendall, who said she was aiming for a time of 11:10, shaved more than 10 seconds off her previous best and won by 21 seconds.

"I didn't know that would happen," she said. "In the last two laps I had a side cramp and I was in so much pain."

Gerlach won her race by 15 seconds and lapped a couple of runners, but was well off her PR of 10:37.

"I would've liked a faster time but overall it was a solid race," she said. "I don't like running out in front, because I'm not the best at pacing."

The 3,200 was Friday's only running final. In the field events, finals were held in the boys and girls long jump and high jump, boys discus and girls shot put.

Ceil Dunleavy of Wasilla captured her fourth straight title in the Class 4A girls high jump at 5-foot-6. She was the only girl to clear that height and she came close to clearing 5-7 on her third and final attempt but caught her foot on the bar.

"I've been high jumping for eight years and never thought I'd be here, never thought I'd win state," she said. "… It's overwhelming. On my last jump, I felt it coming to an end."

Jackman had no time for such retrospection on the final long jump of his high school career.

Jackman was on deck when Nicholson made his final jump. He heard an official say "21-7" after Nicholson landed, but he couldn't hear if the number was followed by a fraction.

"I had to ask my coach, 'Did he beat me?' " he said. "He shook his head yes, and I said in my head, 'It's go-time.'

"Coach told me, 'Don't stress out about it and just do it.' It's like I dodged a bullet."

ASAA/First National Bank track and field championships
Palmer High School
Class 1-2-3A
Girls
Top 8

3,200 meters — 1) Briahna Gerlach, Glennallen, 11:07.42; 2) Grace Gannon, Grace Christian, 11:23.00; 3) Audrey Rosencrans, Homer, 11:23.84; 4) Ruby Lindquist, Seward, 11:27.85; 5) Lauren Kuhns, Homer, 11:42.05; 6) Mazzy Jackson, Grace Christian, 12:10.53; 7) Grace Annett, Grace Christian, 12:41.08; 8) Melanie Chase, Petersburg, 12:56.70.

High jump — 1) Carol Petrosius, Seward, 5-0; 2) Kassandra Howard, Valdez, 5-0; 3) Gavriella, Stroemer, Sitka, 4-10; 4) Karo Germain, Su Valley, 4-6; 5) Kriziel, Sarmiento, Seward, 4-6; 6) Haley Loper, Su Valley, 4-4; 7) Shelby, Killingsworth, Delta Junction, 4-04; 8) Alex Kirby, Sitka, 4-4.

Long jump — 1) Izabelle Ith, Petersburg, 16-11.25; 2) Laura Ellis, Grace, 15-7; 3) Allison VanPelt, Houston, 15-0.25; 4) Tatum Bayne, Sitka, 14-10.50; 5) Gloria Jacobsen, Glennallen, 14-7.25; 6) Cassidy Matthews, Glennallen, 14-1; 7) Rythm Beckett-Cook, Homer, 13-10.50; 8) Jeyani James, Eielson, 13-6.50.

Shot put — 1) Anna Brock, Homer, 32-8; 2) Jenna Markel, Grace Christian, 32-1.75; 3) Jessica Davis, Sitka, 31-1; 4) Olivia Juhl, Tri-Valley, 30-5.25; 5) Mariah Taylor, Petersburg, 30-2.25; 6) Kaitlyn Johnson, Nikiski, 29-0; 7) Haiely Holland, Redington, 29-7.75; 8) Mikayla Clark, Ninilchik, 27-11.75.

Boys

3,200 — 1) Jacob Moos, Galena, 9:19.66; 2) Blake Bennett, ACS, 9:30.54; 3) Collin Baciocco, Sitka, 10:02.46; 4) Hunter Ktraz, Seward, 10:05.46; 5) Jack Matherly, Hutchison, 10:06.07; 6) Trent Fritzel, Grace Christian, 10:08.33; 7) Bill Rich, Homer, 10:17.56; 8) Dominic Baciocco, Sitka, 10:17.61.

Long jump — 1) Antonio Griffith, Eielson, 20-9; 2) Brogan Nieder, Grace Christian, 20-1; 3) Jack Sullenger, Nikiski, 20-0.75; 4) Axel Vides, Petersburg, 19-6.75; 5) Divon Davis, Monroe Catholic, 19-1; 6) Michael Lucas, Holy Rosary, 19-0.50; 7) Alan mcCay, Petersburg, 17-9.25; 8) Michael Kuentzel, Grace Christian, 17-8.25.

Discus — 1) Ryan Sheldon, Grace, 143-10; 2) Alex Binder, Grace, 141-6; 3) Ian Johnson, Nikiski, 137-9; 4) Ben Bitler, Houston, 127-7; 5) Chris Kilpatrick, Eielson, 123-7; 6) James Coulombe, Grace, 123-4; 7) Eli Davis, Seward, 117-8; 8) Matthew Tua'au, Gustavus, 116-4.

High jump — 1) Joel Carroll, Homer, 6-0; 2) Brogan Nieder, Grace, 5-8; 3) Billy Mackinen, Eielson, 5-6; 4) Dustin Woods, Valdez, 5-6; 5) Jonah Coats, Valdez, 5-4.

Class 4A
Girls
Top 8

3,200 meters — 1) Kendall Kramer, West Valley, 11:04.47; 2) Faith Widman, West Valley, 11:25.57; 3) Grace Fahrney, Service, 11:37.89; 4) Jenna Difolco, West Valley, 11:41.34; 5) Peyton Young, Eagle River, 11:50.64; 6) Riana Boonstra, Kenai Central, 11:54.81; 7) Arielle Himelbloom, Kodiak, 11:56.35; 8) Jill Bowker, Colony, 12:04.30.

Long jump — 1) Emma Nelson, Chugiak, 16-8.75; 2) Madeline Ko, Palmer, 15-11.75; 3) Lily Sessom, Colony, 15-9.75; 4) Jocelyn Chanonto, Service, 15-8; 5) Beatrix Brudie, West, 15-6.75; 6) Elaina Watson, Colony, 15-5.50; 7) Bonita Woods, East, 15-2.25; 8) Olivia Berg, North Pole, 14-11.

High jump — 1) Ceil Dunleavy, Wasilla, 5-6; 2) Zoey Keene, South, 5-3; 3) Emma Nelson, Chugiak, 5-2; 4) Ann Gebauer, Service, 5-0; 5) Eva Heinrichs, West Valley, 4-10; 6) Maris Soland, South, 4-10; 7) Chase Stewart, North Pole, 4-10; 8) Aliann Schmidt, Soldotna, 4-10.

Shot put — 1) Alissa Pili, Dimond, 41-1; 2) Tava Fereti, Dimond, 36-9.75; 3) Ituau Tuisaula, Soldotna, 35-6; 4) Abby Beck, Kenai Central, 35-4.25; 5) Envy Pendergrass, West Valley, 35-2.75; 6) Victoria Malak, Wasilla, 34-8.25; 7) Emma Ushmann, Palmer, 33-11; 8) Lorna-Lie Suaava, Palmer, 32-9.25.

Boys

3,200 — 1) Keith Osowski, Kodiak, 9:49.34; 2) Jonah Penrose, Thunder Mountain, 9:56.58; 3) Daniel Bausch, West, 9:57.31; 4) Ethan Davis, West, 9:57.68; 5) Zephan Ozturgut, East, 9:59.80; 6) Josiah Alverts, Palmer, 10:05.45; 7) Aaron Bravo, West Valley, 10:05.93; 8) Hamish Wolfe, South, 10:07.11.

High jump — 1) Brandon Nicholson, Colony, 6-4; 2) Nathaniel Fromm, Service, 6-4; 3) Alvin Ailey, Thunder Mountain, 6-1; 4) Joquarius Ward, West Valley, 6-0; 5) Terrell Johnson, West Valley, 5-10; 6) Dallas Tellef, Bartlett, 5-8; T7) Andreas Carros, Kodiak, 5-8; T7) Trevor Ortiz, Ketchikan, 5-8.

Long jump — 1) Josh Jackman, Kenai Central, 21-10.50; 2) Brandon Nicholson, Colony, 21-7.25; 3) Nathaniel Fromm, Service, 21-2.75; 4) Gabe Crawford, Thunder Mountain, 20-7; 5) Trevor Ortiz, Ketchikan, 20-5; 6) Josh Cummings, West Valley, 20-0.75; 7) Logan Schrader, Soldotna, 19-9; 8) Nick Johnson, Palmer, 19-4.25.

Discus — 1) Wendell Tuisaula, Soldotna, 156-0; 2) Jake Foshee, West Valley, 147-9; 3) Ralph Toleafoa, East, 146-2; 4) Jonathan Pomrenke, Colony, 136-3; 5) Forest Perish, Chugiak, 135-3; 6) Jarek Shultz, Colony, 133-8; 7) Jay Miranda, Kodiak, 132-8; 8) John Grossl, Kenai Central, 130-2.