Peebles eighth grader Chase Meade won the 1600 Meter Run in a time of 5:52 at Monday’s Adams County Junior High Track Meet, his best time of the spring season. Photo by Mark Carpenter
Peebles eighth grader Chase Meade won the 1600 Meter Run in a time of 5:52 at Monday’s Adams County Junior High Track Meet, his best time of the spring season. Photo by Mark Carpenter

By Mark Carpenter

An all-county battle on the track took place on Monday, May 2 as West Union High School again played host to the annual Adams County Junior High Track Meet, featuring the junior high girls and boys track squads from all four county schools. In the end, it turned out to be a banner day for Coach Rachel Herman and her two squads from Peebles, as the Indians swept both the girls and boys titles for the day.

“We have worked hard every day all season and it is finally coming together for us at the right time,” said Herman. “I have never had such a large group with the work ethic these kids do and I’m glad they are seeing their hard work pay off.”

“If these kids stick with it, they could make it far when they get to high school.”

The day began with the field events and it was Peebles’ Hope Brown winning the Girls Discus with a throw of 71’5” and North Adams’ R.D. Ruggles winning the Boys Discus with an effort of 108’4”. Harley Steed of Peebles took the Girls Shot Put (29’6.5”) with Ruggles taking the Boys Shot (34’6.5”).

The Girls Long Jump crown went to Lilly Gray of Peebles (12’7”) and West Union’s Colt Parker took the boys title with a jump of 16’6”. The Girls High Jump title went to West Union’s Molly Fuller (4’2”) and for the boys, it was Chase Meade of Peebles clearing the bar at 4’2” also, good enough for first place.

The action then shifted to the track where the Girls 100 Meter Hurdles winner was Peebles’ Kierra Stone in a time of 18.92, while North Adams’s Brandon Figgins took the Boys 110 Hurdles in a time of 18.95. West Union’s Fuller took the Girls 100 Meter Dash with a time of 13.76 with Peebles’ Weston Browning taking the Boys 100 in his time of 13.32.

West Union’s Katrina Boldman took the Girls 1600 Meter Run in a time of 6:32, with Peebles’ Meade winning the boys race with a time of 5:52, a season-best.

Peebles took the Girls and Boys 4 x 100 relays and Stone gave the Indians another winner in the Girls 400 Meter Dash with a winning time of 1:07.37.

“Our girls 4 x 100 team (Alisan Behr, Lilly Gray, Kristen Bradford, and Kierra Stone) has improved 11 seconds since the beginning of the season and they are actually less than four seconds off the high school record,” said Coach Herman.

North Adams eighth grader Brandon Figgins easily clears this hurdle on his way to winning the 110 Meter Hurdles at this wek’s Junior High County Meet.  Figgins won the event in a time of 18.95.  Photo by Mark Carpenter
North Adams eighth grader Brandon Figgins easily clears this hurdle on his way to winning the 110 Meter Hurdles at this wek’s Junior High County Meet. Figgins won the event in a time of 18.95. Photo by Mark Carpenter

West Union’s Parker took the Boys 400 Meter race in a time of 1:00.75. West Union won the Girls 4 x 200 relay with Peebles taking the Boys 4 x 200. In the Girls 200 Meter Hurdles, it was first place going to Josie Chamblin of Peebles (34.58) and North Adams’ Donny Pease won the Boys 200 Hurdles (34.21).

“Caramon Smith really stepped up for us today and ran in the 200 Meter Hurdles for the first time ever,” added Herman. “Without any practice, he still placed fourth, giving our team extra points to help pull us ahead.”

Kaitlyn Fulton of West Union won the Girls 800 Meter Run in a time of 3:01.72, with John McIlwain of North Adams taking the Boys 800 with a winning time of 2:34.72. The Girls 200 Meter Dash went to Manchester’s Meghan Stamm (30.50), with Figgins from North Adams taking the Boys 200 (26.44). To close the day, Peebles took the Girls 4 x400 relay with North Adams taking the Boys 4 x 400.

Listed following are the top three finishers in each event:

Girls Discus: 1. Brown (PJH), 2. Collett (NAJH), 3. Medford (MJH)

Boys Discus: 1. Ruggles (NAJH), 2. Purdin (WUJH), 3. Beech-Turner (PJH)

Girls Shot Put: 1. Steed (PJH), 2. Brown (PJH), 3. Collett (NAJH)

Boys Shot Put: 1. Ruggles (NAJH), 2. Campbell (NAJH), 3. Walters (MJH)

Girls Long Jump: 1. Gray (PJH), 2. White (WUJH), 3. Steed (PJH)

Boys Long Jump: 1. Parker (WUJH), 2. Williams (MJH), Lucas (MJH)

Girls High Jump: 1. Fuller (WUJH), 2. Bradford (PJH)

Boys High Jump: 1. Meade (PJH), 2. Barr (WUJH), Jones (WUJH)

Girls 100 M Hurdles: 1. Stone (PJH), 2. Garrison (PJH)

Boys 110 M Hurdles: 1. Figgins (NAJH), 2. Thomas (WUJH), 3. Shoemaker (PJH)

Girls 100 M Dash: 1. Fuller (WUJH), 2. Behr (PJH), 3. Gray (PJH)

Boys 100 M Dash: 1. Browning (PJH), 2. Gabel (PJH), 3. Campbell (NAJH)

Girls 1600 M Run: 1. Boldman (WUJH), 2. Behr (PJH), 3. Chamblin (PJH)

Boys 1600 M Run: 1. Meade (PJH), 2. Taylor (NAJH), 3. Pease (NAJH)

Girls 4 x 100 Relay: 1. Peebles, 2. West Union, 3. Manchester

Boys 4 x 100 Relay: 1. Peebles, 2. West Union, 3. Manchester

Girls 400 M Dash: 1. Stone (PJH), White (WUJH), 3. McClanahan (MJH)

Boys 400 M Dash: 1. Parker (WUJH), 2. Lightner (PJH), Runyan (WUJH)

Girls 4 x 200 Relay: 1. West Union, 2. Peebles

Boys 4 x 200 Relay: 1. Peebles, 2. West Union, 3. Manchester

Girls 200 M Hurdles: 1. Chamblin (PJH), 2. Stephens (PJH), 3. Boldman (WUJH)

Boys 200 M Hurdles: 1. Pease (NAJH), 2. Myers (PJH), 3. Hanson (MJH)

Girls 800 M Run: 1. Fulton (WUJH), Chamblin (PJH), Eldridge (NAJH)

Boys 800 M Run: 1. McIlwain (NAJH), 2. Adams (MJH), 3. Peterson (MJH)

Girls 200 M Dash: 1. Stamm (MJH), 2. Grooms (WUJH), 3. Bradford (PJH)

Boys 200M Dash: 1. Figgins (NAJH), Chamblin (WUJH), 3. Williams (PJH)

Girls 4 x 400 Relay: 1. Peebles

Boys 4 x 400 Relay: 1. North Adams, 2. Peebles, 3. Manchester

Final Girls Team Standings: Peebles 94, West Union 55, Manchester 24, North Adams 16

Final Boys Team Standings: Peebles 66, North Adams 61, West Union 47, Manchester 39