3A Track and Field | Prentice gets kick in 3,200 victory

PASCO — Ryan Prentice looked up, and for the first time in 2,600 meters, he had someone in front of him.

So he waited.

He let Lakes senior Seth Bridges cruise with the lead for another lap. Four years of experience taught Prentice he had time.

Like a gust cutting through Edgar Brown Stadium, Prentice blew by Bridges in the last 200 meters.

"Please don't have a kick," he thought to himself down the stretch.

But the only kick anyone noticed was Prentice's as he won the boys 3,200, his first Class 3A track championship in three years he has qualified for Star Track.

With a time of 9 minutes, 16.42 seconds, the Mount Rainier senior won by more than two seconds despite dealing with a pulled muscle in his side. Prentice actually ran a faster time last year — 9:06.58 — but lost by almost four seconds to Seattle Prep senior Max O'Donoghue.

"I saw this as my year to win state," Prentice said.

Prentice, the state cross-country champion, could leave Pasco with a pair of golds. He's the favorite in today's 1,600.

Kirsten Smith could leave a double-winner, too. For only the second time in her four years at Everett, Smith managed to out-throw Arlington's Kjirsten Jensen, a WesCo North rival and the defending state shot and discus champion. Smith won with a throw of 39 feet, ¼ inch, more than 14 inches better than Jensen.

"She usually beats me, so I wasn't really expecting it," Smith said. "I knew I could throw 39, but I really didn't think I could win state. I'm still in complete shock."

She'll have an opportunity today to steal another title from Jensen in the discus. Smith owns the best 3A throw, 134-0, this season.

Enumclaw's Connor Larned was more fortunate than Jensen in defending his title in the boys discus. He had one goal Friday — "don't choke" — and he stopped worrying about that after his first throw, which sailed 177-6.

Although he scratched on a pair of later throws — including one that hit the right bar of the cage but still went about 120 feet — no one came within 11 feet of his first throw.

"It's nice to get a good mark off first to start your day off," he said.

West Seattle senior Christian Crain won the boys long jump with an effort of 23 feet, 7-¾ inches, the longest 3A jump in two years and just two inches short of the 22-year old state record. For Crain, it was a personal record by almost 9 inches. Immediately after the jump, he ran a leg of West Seattle's 4A relay, which qualified first for today's final.

"Going into today, I thought, 'Whatever I do, I want to win by a foot,' " Crain said.

The next-best jump, by Franklin Pierce's Julian Bardwell, was 22-5-½.

Notes

• With the crowd cheering her on, Newport junior Natty Plunkett came just short of catching Squalicum senior Bronwyn Crossman down the stretch of the girls 3,200. Crossman won in 10:59.37, 33-hundredths of a second ahead of Plunkett.

• Mercer Island junior Bryce Borer won the pole in 15-3, beating his PR by 9 inches.

"I've had good luck at this meet," said Borer, who took eighth a year ago. "I guess it's the nice weather."

• Enumclaw's Mikela Grager won the girls javelin with a throw of 134-9.

• Prentice helped Mount Rainier take the boys team lead through four events with 15 points. Kamiakin led the girls with 31 points.

• In preliminaries, North Central's David Butler ran the 110 hurdles in 14.52, the fastest time in 3A this year. Everett senior J Hopkins, the defending champion, was only three-hundredths of a second behind him at 14.55.