Korbin Traughber and Carly Hansen have been three sport teammates and friends since fifth grade. This fall, the 2013 Butte County High School graduates will take their talent to Idaho State in cross country and track and field. Monte LaOrange / mlaorange@postregister.com

To this day, they remember the first time they went toe to toe.

The childhood showdown between 2013 Butte County High School graduates Korbin Traughber and Carly Hansen occurred at the annual Atomic Days Fun Run in Arco the summer before fifth grade. A boy won the kids’ mile, but the two girls finished in a dead heat for second that they still laugh about.

“It came down to the last 50 yards and me and Korbin were neck and neck and they called it a tie,” Hansen said.

“I don’t think I talked to her afterwards,” Traughber said.

That photo finish fittingly represented two competitive friends who became basketball teammates in fourth grade, traveled as far as Lawrence, Kan., to compete in the Junior Olympics cross-country nationals as seventh-graders and advanced to every cross-country and track state championship meet in high school without a full team to run with.

While graduation often sends high school athletes separate ways, the Traughber-Hansen saga will continue. Both added to their shared history by signing with Idaho State University’s cross-country and track programs two months apart.

“When you look at that record board for track, you might find one dominant athlete every five to 10 years,” said Sam Thorngren, who coached Traughber and Hansen during their first three varsity track seasons. “Those people usually have one or two school records. These two have six. It’s rare.”

‘Lucky to have each other’

Becoming three-sport teammates was no surprise.

The second of four athletic siblings, Hansen started running with her father. The youngest of three and the only daughter, Traughber grew up accompanying oldest brother, Garrett, to his cross-country practices. Their mothers, Carla Hansen and Dawn Traughber, were also Butte County basketball teammates.

“Her mom gave my mom a call and asked me if I wanted to run with Korbin,” Hansen said. “We were just both goofy enough that we fit in together.”

That humor defines them better than their medal and race bib number collection. Hours on the road and in the gym can push athletes apart or bring them closer, but Hansen and Traughber balanced competition with friendship.

“They joke around and they’re sweet kids,” said Jesse Lettington, who taught them in seventh grade and coached them in varsity basketball. “Then you watch them get on the floor and you can see the fire coming out of their eyes. It’s funny to outsiders who watch them. That friendship is still there.”

This was especially true while competing in the same track events.

“In every race after we finished, we’d both go give each other a hug,” Hansen added. “No one knows the hard work that gets put in behind the scenes and I think when we finished at the end of the day, we both know how hard we’ve worked.”

Shared sacrifices also provided strength.

Hansen and Traughber said they are most excited about having a full team at ISU. Before it grew, Hansen and Traughber were the lone representatives of Butte County’s first middle school cross-country program that Dawn Traughber started. They later competed as individuals for Butte’s varsity cross-country program that Traughber’s father, Tim, preserved.

“They were lucky to have each other because they pushed each other,” Thorngren said. “It was a no-excuses deal.”

Arco’s streets and mountains became Hansen’s and Traughber’s training grounds. Thorngren said Butte looked into a Nike sponsorship that would cover half the costs to replace its 440-yard cinder track before Hansen and Traughber graduated, but the community couldn’t come up with the other half.

Those realities made the ISU signings sweeter.

“I can’t tell you how many cement roads and gravel roads I had to find to get my track workout done,” Hansen said. “It’s crazy to believe that two little Butte girls can make it to the Division I level.”

‘Connected for life’

The ISU offers came about differently for Traughber and Hansen.

Traughber, who said she didn’t consider college sports until after her freshman year, is still receiving offers. Her third full-ride offer came from LSU women’s basketball after she signed with ISU, something Thorngren and Lettington wouldn’t let her live down.

“I tried to talk her into it so I could get football tickets,” Thorngren said with a laugh.

Hansen had been in contact with college basketball programs until breaking her foot in November. She was on crutches in January when she visited with ISU’s track and cross-country coaches, and Pocatello felt right.

“I hadn’t really even thought of running in college,” Hansen said. “I went there and it just fit for me.”

Signing with ISU has allowed both young women to reflect. Both said they are grateful for the opportunities they’ve had and new ones ahead.

“Knowing that I have accomplished so much all over the country, it’s surprising, and to have somebody like Carly who I’ve gotten to share it all with knowing that she was at every single one of those races, it’s pretty crazy,” Traughber said.

It’s also added to the irony of their shared careers. While Traughber and Hansen joke about maybe becoming neighbors, their coaches don’t doubt it.

“They’re connected for life, whether they like it or not,” Lettington said with a laugh. “They’ll probably end up marrying guys from the same town.”

Regardless of where they go, their coaches said they look forward to watching them continue to make Arco proud.

“There’s a lot of people who wouldn’t know about Butte County if it wasn’t for those two,” Thorngren said. “They certainly brought a lot more spotlight to us.”

TANDEM TIMELINE

Fourth grade
First year as basketball teammates on a recreation league team

Fifth grade
Finished tied for second in Atomic Days Fun Run kids mile
Started traveling outside Idaho for cross-country, basketball and track
Korbin’s mother, Dawn, starts Butte’s first middle school cross-country program

Sixth grade
Ran at Junior Olympics cross-country nationals in Spokane, Wash.

Seventh grade
Ran at Junior Olympics cross-country nationals in Lawrence, Kan.

Eighth grade
Ran at Nike Cross at Walnut Grove, Calif.
Members of Butte County’s undefeated eighth-grade girls basketball team
Traughber’s and Hansen’s respective times of 5:05.90 and 5:26.00 put them at sixth and 28th on athletic .net’s U.S. middle school 1,500-meter rankings

Ninth grade
Ran at Junior Olympics cross-country Nationals in Reno, Nev.
Called up to Butte County varsity girls basketball team
Hansen finished second, Traughber was fifth at 2A state cross-country meet
Combined for six top-five finishes at 2A state track meet

10th grade
Hansen won 2A girls state cross-country title
Combined for three top-five finishes at state track meet

11th grade
Hansen was 4th, Traughber 7th at 2A state cross-country meet
Basketball district champions, 2A state champions to finish 23-3
Combined for four top-five finishes at 2A state track meet

12th grade
Finished fifth and sixth at 1A state cross-country meet
Basketball went 23-2, won district title, 1A state consolation champs; Traughber surpassed 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds
Hansen won first district track title (3,200)
Teamed with Jessica Bates to give Butte County the 1A state third-place team track trophy, Butte’s first track trophy since 1997
Traughber won first state track titles (800 and 1,600)
Traughber and Hansen signed with Idaho State University to run cross-country and track

The state finals are the last at the high school level in the storied careers of recent graduates Garrett Smith of Madison and Makayla Boots of South Fremont.

Smith enters as a three-time state boys all-around cowboy while Boots is the defending state all-around cowgirl. Both finished atop District 7′s all-around cowboy and cowgirl standings with 424.5 and 368.5 points, respectively.

“The season’s been pretty good for them this year,” District 7 president Carl Anderson said. “Obviously, we’re sending the cream of the crop up to state. We have ultimate faith in Garrett’s ability. We know he’s gonna go far. Same way with Makayla. She’s gonna do really well for us.”

Anderson said District 7 has been especially competitive this year. Tanner Butner, a sophomore from Star Valley, Wyo., is already drawing interest from college programs.

“He’s a top-notch saddle bronc rider,” Anderson said. “He’s going to go a long way for us.”

District 7 will also be represented by Baden Newman, who took runner-up to Smith in the district all-around cowboy standings with 280 points, and Cache Hill, who finished as the district’s top bareback rider with 105.5 points.

Other area cowgirls joining Boots at state are Rigby’s Kara Burns, who finished the regular season as District 7′s top barrel racer with 62 points and Teton’s Brooke Rammell, who took runner-up in the District 7 all-around cowgirl standings with 274 points.

District 4, which includes contestants from Firth, Blackfoot and Snake River high schools, will also be represented at state. Firth’s Rylie Clemens finished atop the district standings in bareback and steer wrestling while Snake River’s Skylerr Valentine returns to state in bareback and bull riding. Valentine, who signed with the College of Southern Idaho’s rodeo program in April, took sixth in the all-around rookie cowboy standings in last year’s National High School Rodeo finals and is the defending state bareback champion.

The state rodeo finals begin with cow cutting at noon today. Competition continues throughout the week with the top 20 from the three go-rounds advancing to Saturday’s championship round.

Braxton Smith of the Shelley Russets cheers on a teammate during Thursday’s Single A American Legion baseball game against the Boise Gems at Hillcrest High School. Pat Sutphin / psutphin@postregister.com

Friday’s opening game of the Idaho Falls Single A American Legion Baseball Tournament at Hillcrest High School marked a milestone for the young men donning red and white uniforms with “Russets” sewn across the jerseys.

Those athletes on the Shelley Russets roster are the first members of a Legion Baseball team based out of Shelley in 10 years, and they’re making the most of the opportunity.

When Russets second baseman Adam Smith found out about the formation of the team, he couldn’t wait to play.

“It’s nice to be able to play these extra games,” said Smith, who plays for Firth High School. “You create friendships you didn’t have before.”

Those friendships have been the product of bringing together players from both the Shelley and Firth high school baseball teams. The chemistry the traditional rivals have formed since joining the Russets has been an added bonus.

“It’s a good feeling,” said Jason Burton, who plays for Shelley. “It’s awesome having them be part of your team.”

Shelley Russets’ second baseman Adam Smith throws the ball to first for an attempted double play during Thursday’s Single A American Legion baseball game against the Boise Gems at Hillcrest High School. Pat Sutphin / psutphin@postregister.com

The team is just as much of a milestone for coach Tom Bean, who knew the potential of the talent he was gaining from this group that consists of several athletes who played on a Babe Ruth league championship team last year. They won’t be the last, either.

“It’s been exciting because this group of kids is still young,” Bean said. “Following this group are several, several groups of young players that are going reinforce what we’ve been trying to instill in them. They know they can compete against the best teams in the area.”

That ability was evident in Friday’s back-and-forth game with the Boise Gems that ended in a 9-8 Russets’ loss. Trailing 2-0 after first inning, the Russets responded with six runs in the top of the second as all nine batters made appearances at the plate. Half of the runs were scored on walks, forcing the Gems to send in Payton Harris to relieve starting pitcher Cris Nolind.

The Gems cut the deficit to 6-4 in the bottom of the third before Justin Streeter hit a fly ball directly to Smith, who made the catch at second to end the frame and leave three runners stranded.

That score held until the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Gems scored four runs to retake the lead. Not to be outdone, the Russets staged a final rally in the top of the seventh. Colt Johnson scored off a Connor Montgomery single and fielder’s choice to cut the deficit to one and Burton cranked a single to score Zach Leal two batters later. The Gems denied the Russets the tie-breaking run when Konnor Gilstrap popped up to end the rally.

A sacrifice fly from Harris drove in Taylor Ducharme for the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh.

The Russets’ effort against the Gems gives Bean and his athletes confidence for the remainder of the tournament.

“I think we’re going pull together more,” Smith said. “We’ll compete, for sure.”

The Russets face the Centennial Cannons at noon today followed by a 2:30 game against the Mountain Home Royals. Both games are at Hillcrest High School.

ELSEWHERE IN THE IDAHO FALLS TOURNAMENT: At Melaleuca Field, the Idaho Falls Bees scored two runs in the top of the seventh to open the Idaho Falls Tournament with a 5-4 victory over the Mountain Home Royals.

With runners on first and third, Idaho Falls’ Mike Chapa stole second base and Conner Witbeck scored from third on the double steal to tie the game. Austin Udy then singled to score the game-winning run.

The Idaho Falls Bees take on the Boise Seminoles and the Boise Gems in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. today at Bonneville High School.

BOISE GEMS 9, SHELLEY RUSSETS 8
Shelley        060    000    2    -    8    12    1
Boise        202    004    1    -    9    13    1
SHELLEY RUSSETS – Leading hitters: Connor Montgomery 3-4 (2 RBI, SB), Adam Smith 1-2 (1 R, SB), Jason Burton 1-2 (RBI), Colt Johnson 2-4 (RBI, 1 R), Braxton Smith 1-3 (RBI, 1 R). Pitchers: Johnson (L) 2 IP, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 0 K; Marcus Gustaveson 5.1 IP, 4 BB, 0 K; Konnor Gilstrap 0.2 IP, 0 BB, 0 K.
BOISE GEMS – Leading hitters: Cole Ducharme 3-5 (2B, 2 R), Alex Reeves 3-4 (2 RBI, 2B, SB), Payton Harris 3-5 (RBI, SF), Trey Steffler 1-4 (RBI, SB). Pitchers: Cris Nolin 1.1 IP, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 0 K; Harris (W) 5.2 IP, 5 BB, 1 HBP, 8 K.

Rigby girls 4×400-meter relay team members Shaina Hansen, Kayla Adams, Elsja Mecham and Kelsie Blanchard are the 2013 Post Register Female Track and Field Athletes of the Year. Pat Sutphin / psutphin@postregister.com

“Life is true to form; records are meant to be broken.”

First said by seven-time Olympic gold medalist Mark Spitz decades ago, that quote is perhaps a fitting analogy for a season of endless accolades for the 2013 Rigby High School girls 4×400-meter relay team.

Early in the school year, seniors Kelsie Blanchard, Kayla Adams and Shaina Hansen all wrote down “break the 4×4 record” in response to an economics class question about goals. The three teammates missed the record by two-tenths of a second in 2012.

“I remember thinking, ‘I have one more year left. Let’s get it next year,’” Hansen said.

That handwritten goal became a telling prediction for those seniors and freshman Elsja Mecham as track season brought milestone after milestone.

Undefeated with nine wins. Tiger-Grizz, YMCA Invitational and 4A District 5-6 champions. Running 3:59.04 to win the 4A state championship and break Rigby’s 4×400 school record for the fourth time in a month.

According to Post Register and IHSAA digital records kept since 1999, no Rigby girls 4×400 team had won a state championship, and no District 6 girls 4×400 team had broken the four-minute barrier before this year.

Because of those record-setting accomplishments, Hansen, Blanchard, Adams and Mecham are the 2013 Post Register Female Track and Field Athletes of the Year. They are the first relay runners to receive Athletes of the Year honors since Idaho Falls High School’s 4×100 and 4×200 members Dan Taylor, Drew Tingey, Marcus Poling, Alex Baker and Camden Fielding, whose 4×200 time of 1:28.91 was the Northwest’s fastest in 2009.

“It’s tough to bring a powerful 4×400 to every meet,” Idaho Falls coach Jeremy Smith said. “They really dominated all season.”

Rigby coach James Parrish said he chose aggressive 800 runner Hansen, upbeat 400 runner Blanchard, consistent hurdler Adams and elite sprinter Mecham for the final 4×400 team in mid-April after all four expressed a desire to break the school record.

As competitive as they were in other events – they earned 104 of Rigby’s 298 district championship points and 88 of the 147 state championship points – they had a rare passion for the 4×400.

“Those girls really carried the team this year,” Parrish said. “It’s just been a blessing to have those three girls for so long and helping me build this up and have Elsja come in and tie it all together.”

Hansen, Adams and Blanchard had previously run relays for Rigby, but the 4×400 was Mecham’s high school relay debut. The freshman and younger sister of state champion hurdler Scott Mecham embraced running the anchor leg.

“I was pretty honored,” Mecham said. “You determine whether the team wins or doesn’t win.”

The much-anticipated record-breaking time came with a 4:05.67 win at Tiger-Grizz, almost three seconds faster than Rigby’s old record.

From then on, Parrish reminded them at every practice about the realistic possibility of running sub-four.

“He would match my stride when I was running and he’d say, ‘Blue, gold. Blue, gold. Blue, gold,’” Hansen said. “It’d get stuck in my head … for the gold medal and the blue trophy.”

Sub-four occurred when the Trojans completed their fourth – and biggest – comeback of the season on the biggest stage at Eagle High School. Mecham received the baton from Adams, passed Bishop Kelly’s anchor runner at the 200 mark and never let up until crossing the finish line for the state championship.

“She ran the fastest 400 of her life,” Parrish said. “I had her at 56.10. I was there looking at my stopwatch and I felt like banging it on the bench to check to see if it was still working.”

The satisfaction of sub-four officially sunk in when they added their names to Rigby’s school record board and their economics papers were returned.

“We just barely got our papers back and looked at it and it was cool to be able to see that we actually did it,” Blanchard said.

Adams and Blanchard will enroll at BYU-Idaho this fall while Hansen plans to serve an LDS mission before attending BYU-Idaho. All three turned down college track offers. They said they look forward to watching Mecham, who won four state gold medals this year, and joked that they will tell people they ran with her in high school if she makes the Olympic team.

“I think track has meant a lot more to all of us than just track,” Adams said. “I think we’ve all learned a lot about life in general and we’ll take that with us.”

Mecham could have plenty of company in returning to the 4×400. This season was just the second time Rigby had sent a girls 4×400 team to state since 2001, and Parrish said athletes have already approached him about running it next year.

“It’s one of those things that’ll become school legend, talking about the great 4×400 team,” Parrish said. “You get those fairy tale seasons and for those four girls, this was a fairy tale season.”

Madison High School multi-event standout Daniel Bruton is the 2013 Post Register Male Track and Field Athlete of the Year. Pat Sutphin / psutphin@postregister.com

Daniel Bruton’s introduction to track came with a bold observation.

Like other seventh-graders, the young Bruton participated in every track event at the annual Rexburg field day. He arrived at high jump with no expectations, but successfully cleared the bar several times.

It caught the attention of the high school students running the high jump, and one of them had something to tell him before he left.

That student was current Utah State heptathlon standout Chari Hawkins, then a junior at Madison.

“She told me, ‘You need to come back to this,’” Bruton said.

Four years later, Bruton made good on Hawkins’ advice as a multi-event athlete for the Bobcats. The junior went undefeated in the high jump this season, repeating as Tiger-Grizz champion in April, winning the event title at the 54-team YMCA Invitational a week later in Boise, winning the 5A District 5-6 championship in May and clearing a personal best 6 feet, 8 inches to win the 5A state boys high jump title. He also won long jump in every meet this season except two and was a member of the Madison boys 4×400 team.

For ruling the runway and becoming the first boys high jump state champion from Madison since 2004, Bruton is the 2013 Post Register Male Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

Technique, consistency and focus are all attributes various District 6 coaches said they admired about Bruton.

“Especially in our area, consistency in track can be difficult because of the weather,” Firth coach Stewart Portela said. “He generally rose to the occasion. He found his best performances at big meets. That’s impressive.”

His versatility has proven to be just as valuable.

“Daniel has just been a vastly improving kid every meet,” Rigby coach James Parrish said. “He’s the kind of athlete if you have him on your team, he can do anything for you.”

Bruton’s accomplishments were no surprise to Madison coach Steve Barrus, who knew what he was capable of early on. The junior lived up to his potential time and time again.

“He was just very determined to win every meet one step at a time,” Barrus said. “At (the) Simplot (Games), he jumped 6-7. He stayed healthy and just jumped very well.”

Bruton’s Simplot mark put him atop Idaho’s all-classification boys high jump rankings on athletic.net, where he remained until Mountain View’s Kenny Webster cleared 6-8 to win the 5A District 3 title.

The top two seeds, Webster and Bruton were among five athletes left after clearing 6-4 at state. It ultimately came down to the two when they were the only ones to clear 6-6, sending the bar two inches higher.

Having hit the bar on his first two attempts, Bruton said he knew he clipped it on his final jump. What he saw upon landing in the pit, however, made the usually reserved athlete stand up with a celebratory grin.

“As soon as I looked up, it was bouncing and I looked at both sides to make sure if it was still on the standard enough,” Bruton said. “At that point, I knew. I don’t know how to describe the feeling.”

Moments later, Bruton was shaking hands with Webster, who hit the bar on his last attempt, and making his way to the podium to receive his first state track gold medal.

Bruton is already preparing for his senior season and potential college career. In July, he will compete in decathlon at the Junior Olympics in Baltimore. Thanks to Hawkins, Bruton said Utah State has expressed interest in him.

Clearing 7 feet is also a goal, which would shatter Madison’s school record of 6-8 1/4.

“Both me and my coach know it’s in me,” Bruton said. “All my credit pretty much goes to my coaches, really. I couldn’t have done any of this without them.”

Barrus has no doubt Bruton will add to his accomplishments as a senior.

“He wants to win and he looks at that bar as a challenge,” Barrus said. “I think he’ll jump higher and work harder and have another great season for us.”

THE ATHLETE: One week after sweeping the 3A District 6 girls distance titles, the junior swept the state titles, including running 5:06.31 to shatter a 33-year-old 3A state record in the 1,600.

Hannah Brown
North Fremont

THE ATHLETE: The junior repeated as 2A District 6 champion in the 100, 200 and 400, won her first career state titles in the 100 (12.39) and 200 (25.68) and was state runner-up in the 400 (58.95).

Korbin Traughber
Butte County

THE ATHLETE: The Idaho State signee concluded an historic career with wins in the 800 (2:22.93) and 1,600 (5:20.31) for her first 1A state titles. She also won district titles in both events and won the 800 at Tiger-Grizz.

Eliza Shippen
Rigby

THE ATHLETE: The junior pole vaulter set four personal records this season, including 11 feet, 1 inch to win Tiger-Grizz; 11-4 to win the Bonneville Invite and 11-6 to win the 4A state title.

Jessica Bates
Butte County

THE ATHLETE: A year after winning 2A state shot put and discus championships, the senior repeated that feat in 1A. The College of Idaho signee set Butte Country records of 122 feet, 10 inches for discus and 41-4 in shot this season.

Emily Taylor
Salmon

THE ATHLETE: The senior threw 119 feet to win the 2A state championship in discus and 33-1 1/2 for third place in shot put. The Air Force commit and school record-holder also three-peated as district champion in both events.

Katelyn Zabriskie
Idaho Falls

THE ATHLETE: The Utah State signee saved her best jump for last, clearing 5 feet, 4 inches at the 5A state meet to become the first girl high jump champion from Idaho Falls since Lisa Bishop in 2007.

Aleena Kugath
Madison

THE ATHLETE: The senior high jumper won Tiger-Grizz, the 5A District 5-6 title and took second at the 5A state championships. Kugath and Zabriskie both cleared 5 feet, 4 inches to finish the season tied for first in Idaho’s 5A state rankings.

James Withers
Snake River

THE ATHLETE: The senior continued his reign in distance events, repeating as 3A District 5 champion and 3A state champion in the 1,600 and 3,200 with times of 4:25.63 and 9:24.21, respectively, at Middleton.

Tanner Jones
Rigby

THE ATHLETE: Consistently a top-three finisher at regular-season meets, the senior cleared 14 feet, 7 inches to win the 4A District 5-6 title and 14-8 to win the 4A state title.

Chase Wightman
Madison

THE ATHLETE: The senior pole vaulter took second at the 5A state championships and won the Tiger-Grizz and 5A District 5-6 titles. His personal best of 14 feet, 7 inches led Idaho’s 5A boys pole vault rankings.

Mitch Orme
Firth

THE ATHLETE: The senior won four medals at state: fourth place as a member of Firth’s 4×200 team, third place in high jump, second place in the 100 and ran 22.90 to win the 200 2A state championship.

JonRyheem Peoples
Rigby

THE ATHLETE: The senior threw 54 feet, 1 1/2 inches to win shot put at Tiger-Grizz, swept the 4A District 5-6 throwing event titles and threw a personal best 55-0 to win the 4A state shot put title.

Nathan Toenjes
North Fremont

THE ATHLETE: The senior swept the 200 and 400 district titles and took third and second in the 200 and 400 with respective times of 23.11 and 51.03 at state to contribute to a program-first second-place trophy for the North Fremont boys.

Gary Skidmore, middle, sits on the bench at Firth High School with his daughter Cassidy during a game in January of 2012. Michael Lycklama / mlycklama@postregister.com

West Jefferson High School didn’t have to go far to fill both basketball head coaching jobs.

West Jefferson athletic director Dee Harrison said Dave Johnson was hired as the boys coach and Gary Skidmore returned as girls coach May 15.

After the boys head coaching position received no applications, Harrison spoke with both Johnson and Skidmore about how best to fill the jobs. Skidmore, who resigned in April after three seasons as head girls basketball coach, told Harrison he would be willing to return if Johnson was offered the boys coaching job and accepted it. Johnson, a longtime assistant coach for Skidmore and former boys coach John Tucker, had been interested in the boys coaching job and accepted the offer to coach the boys.

Johnson and Skidmore are lifelong Terreton natives and West Jefferson graduates, which Harrison said was a big factor in their hires.

This is Johnson’s first head coaching position.

“The boys know him,” Harrison said. “I think he’ll bring that knowledge in. That’s always a good thing to have. It all worked out really well.”

Johnson, a 1990 West Jefferson graduate, has spent 14 years as a junior high coach or high school assistant coach for the Panthers. Fundamentals and transition offense are his points of emphasis.

“I want them to be fundamentally sound,” Johnson said. “I want to hopefully build a program to get the younger kids excited and have the older kids be role models to the younger kids.”

Johnson takes the reigns of a program that went 6-17 in 2012-13 under Kelly Nead, who resigned in March after conflicts with his job schedule and family life. The Panthers won three of its last five games – including a win in the 2A District 6 tournament – after starting the season 0-9.

Building off that and setting postseason goals are also priorities for Johnson.

“Going to state to me is something that should happen every year,” Johnson said. “That may be farfetched, but that’s what I want to instill in the kids is that those goals are possible.”

Skidmore said the girls team already had a few open gyms to prepare for summer tournament action. The 1978 West Jefferson graduate said he wanted to come back and preserve the offensive system the Panthers had set in place from earlier seasons.

“I hated to have them start from scratch all over again,” Skidmore said. “There’s a good group of girls coming up. It’s good to be a part of it.”

Skidmore resigned in April to free up his schedule to watch his son Blake and daughter Cassidy play in their final seasons for Westminster College and the College of Southern Idaho, respectively, next year. Skidmore said he was able to make it to nearly every 2012-13 Westminster and CSI postseason game and a few regular season games. When he could not attend, he would watch online. He plans to continue that same arrangement upon returning as coach for the Panthers.

“They play on Thursdays and Saturdays and most of the times when we don’t have games on Saturday, I can get away and watch them play,” Skidmore said. “The (high school) season ends with the girls and then they (Blake and Cassidy) generally have a month left. That’s when it’s most competitive and fun to watch.”

Rigby freshman Elsja Mecham, center, clears a hurdle while teammate Kayla Adams competes in the next lane from her in the 4A state girls 100-meter hurdles championships Saturday at Eagle High School. Mecham won in 14.40 while Adams took third in 15.02. Katherine Jones/Idaho Statesman

EAGLE — Plenty of maroon and gold made appearances on the medal stands Saturday at the 4A high school state track and field championships at Eagle High School.

Rigby won the 4A girls state team title with 147 points to Bishop Kelly’s 100.5, the first championship for the Trojans girls since 2009, when they completed their three-peat. The boys final team standings came down to the last event, and Rigby took second with 74.75 points to Minico’s 76 — a razor-thin margin from a would-be 4A classification sweep.

The 1-2 finish repeated the Trojans’ feat of 2007, when the boys took second and the girls won their first 4A team title. The girls championship also gives Rigby a total of eight blue trophies in track, putting the Trojans second behind Firth (10) for the most of any District 6 team.

It was the seventh championship in Rigby coach James Parrish’s eight-year tenure, and he credited the Trojans’ journey to a track powerhouse to a quality coaching staff and enthusiastic athletes.

“Rigby wins because Rigby has heart and talent,” Parrish said. “Kids today have a lot of choices. We try to prove to them track’s the best choice.”

The total medal count for Trojans athletes over the weekend — including relay team members and multiple event medalists — was 55. Of those, 36 went to Rigby girls.

Rigby senior JonRyheem Peoples competes in the early flights of the 4A state boys shot put championships Saturday at Eagle High School. Peoples threw 55 feet to win the title. Katherine Jones/Idaho Statesman

Providing an exclamation point to Rigby’s championship was the girls 4×400 team of Shaina Hansen, Kelsie Blanchard, Kayla Adams and Elsja Mecham. Rigby entered the girls 4×400 finals leading the team standings with 137 points to Bishop Kelly’s 97.5, but the Trojans had one last goal to reach before wrapping up the 2013 season: break four minutes and win the state title.

The Trojans trailed Bishop Kelly after the first leg, but senior Kelsie Blanchard gave them a brief lead after the second leg. By the time Kayla Adams handed off to anchor runner Elsja Mecham, Bishop Kelly had pulled ahead again. Mecham closed the gap on Bishop Kelly anchor runner Michaela Piechowski, took the lead with 200 meters remaining and cruised down the straightaway to the finish line, where she pumped her fists and was embraced by her teammates shortly after.

The Trojans ran 3:59.04 in the win — breaking their own school record for the third time this season — and concluded a 9-0 year in the event.

Even while watching from the infield after the final exchange, Mecham’s relay teammates said the win was never in doubt.

“I was nervous, but I knew we could do it,” Blanchard said.

Mecham felt the same way upon receiving the baton and kept telling herself one thing while she ran.

“I was saying to myself, ‘Break 4. Break 4 for the team,’” Mecham said.

In a season that featured a Tiger-Grizz championship, YMCA Invite title and the fastest 4×400 time for any classification in Idaho for a month, the four girls agreed the state title and sub-4-minute win surpassed all their accomplishments. The 4A girls team title was a bonus.

“It’s a great way to leave Rigby High School,” Hansen said.

“It’s what we’ve been working for our whole lives,” Blanchard added. “All the running in rain and wind and snow was worth it.”

By anchoring the winning 4×400 team, Mecham won her fourth gold of the weekend. The freshman ran 14.40 to win the 100 meter hurdles, 25.12 to win the 200 and 57.32 to win the 400 earlier Saturday. Jerome senior Jasmine Nesbitt, who swept the distance events and anchored the 800 sprint medley, accomplished the same feat.

Mecham, who also competed in open-class meets in California and Utah this season, said her varsity track debut accolades still haven’t sunk in. Parrish called her state titles fitting for the work she’s put in early in her career.

“I was stunned at the talent when I first saw her,” Parrish said. “I rarely see a kid of her age that works so hard.”

Mecham’s hurdles title kept it with Rigby for another year, as Adams won it in 2012. Adams took third to Mecham on Saturday, but she said the finish was still sweet.

“It’s really great to not only compete against Elsja, but know she’s gonna carry it on,” Adams said.

Elsewhere for Rigby, senior JonRyheem Peoples threw 55 feet to win the shot put title, and freshman Tori Pinnock ran 5:19.06 to take third in the 1,600. She also took third in Friday’s 3,200.

Bonneville’s Kendra Brown ran 2:25.33 to finish fourth in the 800. Elijah Williams closed the gap in the home stretch to give the Bonneville boys 4×100 a third-place finish of 44.05.

Williams and teammates Shawn Ybarra, Trae Walker and Ephraim Thompson were all glad for yet another top-three finish for the Bees in an upstart season for the program.

“It’s nice to be a part of something that’s been team-oriented and pretty much brothers working hard together every day,” Walker said. “To have it pay off, it’s unbelievable.”

Madison’s Chase Wightman cleared 14 feet to tie for second in 5A boys pole vault, concluding his senior season. Winner Steven Beck of Post Falls cleared 14-6 to win.

“It’s always nice to have competition to push you,” Wightman said. “I’m definitely happy with the success I had.”

Rocky Mountain won the 5A boys title with 156 points while Eagle won the girls title with 102 points.

Class 5A STATE TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Friday and Saturday at Eagle High School

#-indicates all-classification record

*-indicates classification record

Girls team scores:1. Eagle 102; 2. Mountain View 93; 3. Coeur d’Alene 61; 4. Boise 57; 5. Capital 41; 6. Lake City 40; 7. Rocky Mountain 35; 8. Idaho Falls 32; 9. Vallivue 31; 10. Meridian 30; T11. Post Falls 27; T11. Timberline 27; 13. Borah 25.50; 14. Lewiston 23; 15. Centennial 21.50; 16. Madison 21; 17. Skyline 15; 18. Highland 14; 19. Hillcrest 6

Girls individual results
100: 1. Brittany Rawlins, Eagle, 11.95; 2. Maddison Ward, Lake City, 12.16; 3. Andrea Pikes, Mountain View, 12.19; 4. Kai Amos, Idaho Falls, 12.54; 5. Cambree Harbaugh, Mountain View, 12.63; 6. Kylee Coffin, Eagle, 12.70; 7. Victoria Goetz, Coeur d’Alene, 12.72; 8. Kayla Downs, Timberline, 12.84

200: 1. Maddison Ward, Lake City, 24.68; 2. Andrea Pikes, Mountain View, 24.85; 3. Brittany Rawlins, Eagle, 24.87; 4. Brittany Tackett, Coeur d’Alene, 25.82; 5. Kylee Coffin, Eagle, 25.98; 6. Morgan Monks, Meridian, 26.23; 7. Madeline Gere, Boise, 26.36; 8. Maddy Dustin, Eagle, 26.43

400: 1. Kaylee Oyler, Rocky Mountain, 57.40; 2. Madison Lung, Boise, 57.79; 3. Kaylee Widdison, Mountain View, 58.34; 4. Hailey Payne, Eagle, 59.14; 5. Emily Calahan, Coeur d’Alene, 59.39; 6. Lillian Ball, Timberline, 1:00.02; 7. Julia Fretwell, Rocky Mountain, 1:00.77; 8. Robyn Koetter, Centennial, 1:01.21

800: 1. Emily Hamlin, Boise, 2:18.74; 2. Krista Story, Coeur d’Alene, 2:19.26; 3. Lila Klopfenstein, Meridian, 2:19.84; 4. Emily Coleman, Centennial, 2:20.06; 5. Brooke Rawlins, Eagle, 2:21.31; 6. Erin Hagen, Mountain View, 2:21.92; 7. Samantha McKinnon, Mountain View, 2:23.63; 8. Shevaun Ames, Lewiston, 2:23.95

1,600: 1. Sam Mckinnon, Mountain View, 5:01.87; 2. Emily Hamlin, Boise, 5:02.91; 3. Lila Klopfenstein, Meridian, 5:03.74; 4. Sara Christianson, Borah, 5:06.70; 5. Louisa Serpe, Timberline, 5:07.44; 6. Mikayla Malaspina, Vallivue, 5:08.69; 7. Krista Story, Coeur d’Alene, 5:09.06; 8. Cheryn Trapp, Vallivue, 5:10.71

3,200: 1. Lila Klopfenstein, Meridian, 10:49.28*; 2. Mikayla Malaspina, Vallivue, 11:00.55; 3. Sara Christianson, Borah, 11:12.79; 4. Presli Hutchison, Highland, 11:14.55; 5. Paige Dilmore, Rocky Mountain, 11:19.92; 6. Josie Brown, Coeur d’Alene, 11:25.50; 7. Dana Snell, Rocky Mountain, 11:29.25; 8. Megan Gehmlich, Madison, 11:30.06

100 hurdles: 1. Allison Jeffries, Eagle, 14.12; 2. Wednesday Walton, Post Falls, 14.90; 3. Kaitlyn Gunnerson, Coeur d’Alene, 14.91; 4. Megan Ralstin, Lewiston, 15.35; 5. Emilee Schlader, Lewiston, 15.69; 6. Cassidy Cook, Hillcrest, 15.86; 7. Remi Mcwhorter, Madison, 15.89; 8. Kylie George, Mountain View, 16.97

300 hurdles: 1. Wednesday Walton, Post Falls, 44.61; 2. Lillian Ball, Timberline, 45.03; 3. Allison Jeffries, Eagle, 45.44; 4. Jessica Stickney, Centennial, 45.57; 5. Tatyana Jones, Centennial, 46.20; 6. Kaitlyn Gunnerson, Coeur d’Alene, 46.34; 7. Cassidy Cook, Hillcrest, 49.74; 8. Shanae Boully, Borah, 1:16.65

4×100: 1. Eagle 48.14#; 2. Mountain View 49.35; 3. Coeur d’Alene 49.78; 4. Boise 49.93; 5. Rocky Mountain 50.38; 6. Lewiston 51.18; 7. Idaho Falls 51.46; 8. Madison 51.68

4×200: 1. Eagle 1:44.79; 2. Boise 1:44.81; 3. Lake City 1:46.60; 4. Timberline 1:47.05; 5. Post Falls 1:47.83; 6. Rocky Mountain 1:49.60; 7. Madison 1:49.63; 8. Hillcrest 1:51.69

4×400: 1. Eagle 3:58.31; 2. Coeur d’Alene 3:58.41; 3. Lake City 4:05.53; 4. Centennial 4:05.73; 5. Mountain View 4:07.24; 6. Highland 4:13.67; 7. Boise 4:13.80; 8. Skyline 4:16.94

4×800: 1. Rocky Mountain 9:12.07. 2, Mountain View, 9:27.21. 3, Coeur d’Alene, 9:27.66. 4, Boise, 9:36.22. 5, Eagle 9:44.39. 6, Highland 9:45.08. 7, Idaho Falls 9:47.91. 8, Lake City 10:52.09.

High jump: 1, Katelyn Zabriskie, Idaho Falls, 5-04. 2, Aleena Kugath, Madison, J5-04. 3, Tilar Clark, Skyline, 5-02. 4, Danielle Failor, Post Falls, 5-00. 5, Kaitlyn Grady, Highland, J5-00. 5, Maddi Osburn, Vallivue, J5-00. 5, Jenny Stevens, Eagle, J5-00. 8, Brittany Pope, Lake City, J5-00.

Pole vault: 1, Allison Jeffries, Eagle, 12-00. 2, Makayla Strand, CDA, 10-06. 3, Courtney Diehl, Borah, 10-00. 4, Emma Bellan, Boise, J10-00. 4, Aleksei Dingel, Boise, J10-00. 6, Morgan Monks, Meridian, J10-00. 7, Keltie Vance, Borah, 9-06. 7, Alex Michell, Centennial, 9-06.

Long jump: 1, Cambree Harbaugh, Mtn View, 19-04.25. 2, Anna Maki, Capital, 18-00. 3, Megan Ralstin, Lewiston, 17-06. 4, Josie Lawrence, Mtn View, 17-02.50. 5, JaLane Webb, Madison, 17-01.75. 6, Kiera Lins, Timberline, J17-01.75. 7, Aleena Kugath, Madison, 16-10. 8, Karli Stone, Eagle, 16-07.

Triple jump: 1. Josie Lawrence, Mountain View, 39-09.00#; 2. Cambree Harbaugh, Mountain View, 38-02.00; 3. Anna Maki, Capital, 37-10.25; 4. Katelyn Zabriskie, Idaho Falls, 35-10.75; 5. Megan Ralstin, Lewiston, 35-04.50; 6. Kiera Lins, Timberline, 35-03.50; 7. Kasey Widmyer, Lake City, 35-01.50; 8. Karli Stone, Eagle, 35-01.00

Shot Put: 1, Kayla Stephens, Capital, 38-09.50. 2, Brooklyn Daylong, Vallivue, 38-07. 3, Nicole White, Capital, 38-06.75. 4, Shelby Jordan, Idaho Falls, 38-05.25. 5, Hayley Morse, Borah, 38-03. 6, Macy Dye, Skyline, 37-11.25. 7, Meagan Fernau, Meridian, 37-06.75. 8, Mataia Roderick, Madison, 35-02.

Discus: 1. Nicole White, Capital, 128-11; 2. Brooklyn Daylong, Vallivue, 124-02; 3. Kassie Whitcomb, Lake City, 119-00; 4. Macy Dye, Skyline, 118-05; 5. Tess Lebreton, Eagle, 118-01; 6. Shelby Jordan, Idaho Falls, 116-07; 7. Hayley Morse, Borah, 11605; 8. Kayla Stephens, Capital, 113-02

Boys team scores:1 Rocky Mountain 156; 2. Centennial 92; 3. Eagle 68; 4. Boise 54; 5. Meridian 49; 6. Coeur d’Alene 36; 7. Lake City 34; 8. Mountain View 31; 9. Lewiston 29; 10. Post Falls 28; 11. Madison 24; 12. Highland 23; T13. Idaho Falls 18; T13. Timberline 18; T13. Capital 18; T16. Borah 10; T16. Hillcrest 10; T18. Skyline 2; T18: Vallivue 2

Boys individual results
100: 1. Bryson Stout, Meridian, 10.82; 2. Chris Baker, Lake City, 10.92; 3. Karsten Niederer, Borah, 10.98; 4. Bryce Frazee, Idaho Falls, 11.01; 5. Cory Mullanix, Centennial, 11.02; 6. Kody Brock, Centennial, 11.08; 7. Kevin Wang, Rocky Mountain, 11.14; 8. 8. Isaiah Johnson, Rocky Mountain, 11.20

200: 1. Bryson Stout, Meridian, 21.76; 2. Josh Wallin, Rocky Mountain, 22.01; 3. Chris Baker, Lake City, 22.15; 4. Levi Hagen, Rocky Mountain, 22.39; 5. Cory Mullanix, Centennial, 22.47; 6. Isaiah Johnson, Rocky Mountain, 22.61; 7. Addison Johnson, Coeur d’Alene, 22.69; 8. Bret Davide, Post Falls, 22.80

400: 1. James Heckendorn, Eagle, 47.97#; 2. Josh Wallin, Rocky Mountain, 48.56; 3. Bret Davide, Post Falls, 49.75; 4. Edmund Ellis, Eagle, 49.83; 5. Tanner Johnson, Centennial, 50.05; 6. Jacob Wright, Idaho Falls, 50.12; 7. Jerry LouieMcGee, Lake City, 50.18; 8. Tanner Tingey, Highland, 50.76

800: 1. Thomas Rigby, Boise, 1:50.80#; 2. Jordon Wallin, Rocky Mountain, 1:52.95; 3. Mike Dunton, Coeur d’Alenem 1:55.51; 4. Gabe Harm, Eagle, 1:56.57; 5. Bryan Grigg, Highland, 1:57.20; 6. Joe Giese, Rocky Mountain, 1:58.17; 7. Ian Cavey, Rocky Mountain, 1:58.69; 8. Dartanan Kilgore, Highland, 1:59.11

1,600: 1. Thomas Rigby, Boise, 4:18.57; 2. Andrew Rafla, Timberline, 4:19.76; 3. Justin Ross, Rocky Mountain, 4:22.25; 4. Jared Capell, Mountain View, 4:23.56; 5. Kaden Clay, Highland, 4:23.98; 6. Dwain Stucker, Meridian, 4:26.49; 7. Scott Sullivan, Centennial, 4:28.76; 8. Benson Manner, Madison, 4:29.83

3,200: 1, Thomas Rigby, Boise, 9:31.16. 2, Andrew Rafla, Timberline, 9:31.26. 3, Dwain Stucker, Meridian, 9:33.89. 4, Scott Sullivan, Centennial, 9:38.31. 5, Kyler Little, Lake City, 9:43.61. 6, Micah Drew, Centennial, 9:44.59. 7, Jake Finney, Lake City, 9:49.73. 8, Brennen Keen, Timberline, 9:53.41.

110 hurdles: 1. Khalil Oliver, Rocky Mountain, 14.21; 2. Peyton Harris, Boise, 14.40; 3. Zion Stuffle, Lewiston, 14.75; 4. Samuel Lee, Coeur d’Alene, 14.91; 5. Joe Koetter, Centennial, 15.02; 6. Kenny Webster, Mountain View, 15.11; 7. Keenan Marianno, Post Falls, 15.18; 8. Trent Hammond, Post Falls, 15.19

300 hurdles: 1. Zion Stuffle, Lewiston, 38.62; 2. Peyton Harris, Boise, 39.29; 3. Santino Tong, Capital, 39.65; 4. Logan Mills, Mountain View, 40.22; 5. Dakota Baker, Idaho Falls, 40.31; 6. Kyler Howell, Hillcrest, 40.69; 7. Austin Lisonbee, Borah, 40.94; 8. Samuel Lee, Coeur d’Alene, 41.34

4×100: 1 Rocky Mountain 42.60; 2.Eagle 43.13; 3. Centennial 43.32; 4. Coeur d’Alene 43.37; 5. Lake City 43.47; 6. Capital 44.02; 7. Idaho Falls 44.28; 8. Skyline 44.46

4×200: 1. Rocky Mountain 1:28.47; 2. Meridian 1:29.94; 3. Eagle 1:29.99; 4. Lake City 1:30.70; 5. Idaho Falls 1:32.03; 6. Mountain View 1:32.77; 7. Hillcrest 1:33.78; 8. Post Falls 1:34.35

4×400: 1. Rocky Mountain 3:19.00; 2. Eagle 3:19.06; 3. Meridian 3:23.22; 4. Highland 3:27.57; 5. Madison 3:29.38; 6. Lewiston 3:29.44; 7. Mountain View 3:31.52; 8. Coeur d’Alene 3:37.43

4×800: 1, Rocky Mountain 7:41.81. 2, Highland 8:01.11. 3, Meridian 8:04.97. 4, Mountain View 8:11.45. 5, Hillcrest 8:17.03. 6, Capital 8:22.27. 7, Lake City 8:27.38. 8, Lewiston 8:31.44.

High jump: 1, Daniel Bruton, Madison, 6-08. 2, Kenny Webster, Mtn View, 6-06. 3, Tanner Johnson, Centennial, 6-04. 4, Chandler Smith, Post Falls, J6-04. 5, Jake Stevens, Eagle, J6-04. 6, Samuel Lee, Coeur d’Alen, 6-02. 7, Keenan Marianno, Post Falls, 6-00. 8, Andrew Austin, Hillcrest, J6-00.

Pole vault: 1. Steven Beck, Post Falls, 14-6.00; T2. Drake Hagood, Rocky Mountain, 14-00.00; T2. Chase Wightman, Madison, 14-00.00; 4. Adam Jones, Rocky Mountain, J14-00.00; 5. Jake Sterk, Eagle, 13-06.00; 6. Mitch Reeve, Eagle, J13-06.00; T7. Scott Cummings, Lake City, 13-00.00; T7. Cooper Vinson, Skyline, 13-00.00; T7. Colton Mumm, Rocky Mountain, 13-00.00

Long jump: 1, Tanner Johnson, Centennial, 22-10.50. 2, Peyton Harris, Boise, 22-10. 3, Kody Brock, Centennial, 22-08. 4, Jake Gyer, Centennial, 22-05. 5, Makenzie Baker, Coeur d’Alen, 22-04. 6, Khalil Oliver, Rocky Mounta, 21-06.50. 7, Daniel Bruton, Madison, 21-04.25. 8, Marcell King, Capital, 21-03.75.

Triple jump: 1. Jake Gyer, Centennial, 46-07.50; 2. Khalil Oliver, Rocky Mountain, 46-02.50; 3. Kiana Walker, Centennial, 44-01.50; 4. Marcell King, Capital, 43-08.00; 5. Mason Schumaker, Lewiston, J43-08.00; 6. Makenzie Baker, Coeur d’Alene, 42-10.50; 7. Jake Stevens, Eagle, 42-09.50; 8. Eric Vice, Timberline, J42-09.50

Shot put: 1, Eli McCullough, Rocky Mounta, 58-02.25. 2, Adam Lewis, Rocky Mounta, 53-11.25. 3, John VanBeuren, Centennial, 51-06.50. 4, Jalmer Ludwig, Centennial, 50-02.75. 5, Jeremiah Hazaard, Coeur d’Alen, 49-08.50. 6, Juan Medina-Cuenca, Eagle, 49-04.50. 7, Nick Reagan, Borah, 49-02. 8, Ali Garcia, Vallivue, 48-01.50.

Discus: 1. Adam Lewis, Rocky Mountain, 179-02; 2. James Tucker, Rocky Mountain, 155-00; 3. Kevin Kettlering, Eagle, 151-05; 4. Cole Zacha, Lewiston, 147-08; 5. Juan MedinaCuenca, Eagle, 147-06; 6. Jalmer Ludwig, Centennial, 139-04; 7. Cameron Domingez, Coeur d’Alene, 136-01; 8. Ali Garcia, Vallivue, 135-08

Class 4A STATE TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Friday and Saturday at Eagle High School

Girls team scores:1. Rigby 147; 2. Bishop Kelly 100.50; 3. Jerome 71.50; 4. Canyon Ridge 46; 5. Sandpoint 43; 6. Columbia 33; 7. Emmett 31; 8. Century 30; 9. Moscow 27; 10. Preston 22; T11. Pocatello 19; T11. Twin Falls 19; T13. Minico 18; T13. Kuna 18; T15. Lakeland 13; T15. Wood River 13; T15. Bonneville 13; 18. Mountain Home 11; 19. Caldwell 10; 20. Middleton 9; 21. Skyview 6; 22. Nampa 2

Girls individual results
100: 1. Rhianna Birch, Columbia, 12.47; 2. Mikaela Sawyer, Bishop Kelly, 12.48; 3. Jhorie Kelly, Mountain Home, 12.68; 4. Madelyn Minnaert, Bishop Kelly, 12.73; 5. Chayse Eames, Rigby, 12.74; 6. Keanne Alston, Rigby, 12.88; 7. Joelle Stephens, Moscow, 12.97; 8. Olivia Seamons, Preston, 13.03

200: 1. Elsja Mecham, Rigby, 25.12; 2. Rhianna Birch, Columbia, 25.47; 3. Michaela Piechowski, Bishop Kelly, 25.95; 4. Olivia Seamons, Preston, 26.07; 5. Lily DeAragon, Sandpoint, 26.14; 6. Madelyn Minnaert, Bishop Kelly, 26.17; 7. Keanne Alston, Rigby, 26.33; 8. Mckenzie Wasden, Kuna, 26.90

400: 1. Elsja Mecham, Rigby, 57.32; 2. Michaela Piechowski, Bishop Kelly, 58.89; 3. Lily DeAragon, Sandpoint, 59.13; 4. Jordan Mogensen, Jerome, 59.68; 5. Kelsie Blanchard, Rigby, 59.84; 6. Melissa McMaster, Bonneville, 1:00.27; 7. Ashlyn Aardema, Twin Falls, 1:00.97; 8. Courtney Covey, Century, 1:01.38

800: 1. Jasmine Nesbitt, Jerome, 2:20.05; 2. Hannah McInturff, Century, 2:23.24; 3. McKenzie Mangun, Caldwell, 2:23.57; 4. Kendra Brown, Bonneville, 2:25.33; 5. Shaina Hansen, Rigby, 2:25.77; 6. Hayley Montgomery, Wood River, 2:26.83; 7. Savannah Ho’opi’i, Nampa, 2:28.30; 8. Kenya Schott, Wood River, 2:30.08

1,600: 1. Jasmine Nesbitt, Jerome, 5:13.58; 2. Mikhaela Woodward, Sandpoint, 5:16.35; 3. Tori Pinnock, Rigby, 5:19.06; 4. Alyssa Brann, Twin Falls, 5:21.98; 5. Hannah McInturff, Century, 5:23.23; 6. Maggie Haener, Bishop Kelly, 5:26.86; 7. Brittany Thornock, Bonneville, 5:27.52; 8. Natalie McDaniel, Moscow, 5:28.85

3,200: 1, Jasmine Nesbitt, Jerome, 11:30.76. 2, Mikhaela Woodward, Sandpoint, 11:35.27. 3, Tori Pinnock, Rigby, 11:39.82. 4, Lindsey Rayborn, Century, 11:40.58. 5, Chandra Smith, Emmett, 11:52.60. 6, Hayley Montgomery, Wood River, 11:53.45. 7, Katie Stubbers, Moscow, 11:54.59. 8, Kathleen Miraz, Middleton, 11:55.16.

100 hurdles: 1. Elsja Mecham, Rigby, 14.40; 2. Mikaela Sawyer, Bishop Kelly, 14.67; 3. Kayla Adams, Rigby, 15.02; 4. Randi Sturtz, Emmett, 15.56; 5. Rebecca Child, Minico, 15.58; 6. Jordan Ward, Lakeland, 15.67; 7. Kenidee Hyde, Preston, 16.15; 8. Jhorie Kelly, Mountain Home, 16.26

300 hurdles: 1. Mikaela Sawyer, Bishop Kelly, 44.52; 2. Kayla Adams, Rigby, 47.07; 3. Rebecca Child, Minico, 47.41; 4. Georgia Filler, Moscow, 47.76; 5. Randi Sturtz, Emmett, 48.06; 6. Ellie Packham, Canyon Ridge, 48.60; 7. Savannah Lott, Jerome, 49.38; 8. Raquelle Mouw, Bishop Kelly, 52.51

4×100: 1. Rigby 49.63*; 2. Canyon Ridge 50.11; 3. Columbia 50.30; 4. Moscow 50.54; 5. Emmett 51.09; 6. Jerome 51.22; 7. Mountain Home 51.22; 8. Bonneville 51.56

4×200: 1. Bishop Kelly 1:44.02; 2. Rigby 1:44.94; 3. Moscow 1:45.92; 4. Jerome 1:46.88; 5. Twin Falls 1:47.09; 6. Kuna 1:48.02; 7. Emmett 1:48.48; 8. Bonneville 1:49.20

4×400: 1. Rigby 3:59.04; 2. Bishop Kelly 4:01.26; 3. Century 4:07.76; 4. Jerome 4:10.02; 5. Twin Falls 4:10.48; 6. Moscow 4:11.57; 7. Emmett 4:12.37; 8. Middleton 4:21.89

800 sprint medley: 1, Jerome 1:51.28. 2, Rigby 1:52.29. 3, Century 1:52.93. 4, Canyon Ridge 1:52.94. 5, Columbia 1:53.02. 6, Moscow 1:55.08. 7, Emmett 1:55.76. 8, Kuna 1:56.19.

High jump: 1. Jordan Ward, Lakeland, 5-07.50*; 2. Emily Bell, Canyon Ridge, 5-00.00; 3. Sara Lichtenberg, Wood River, J5-00.00; 4. Sierra Anderson, Rigby, J5-00.00; 5. Maddie Suppigger, Sandpoint, J5-00.00; T6. Hannah Shippen, Rigby, 4-10.00; T6. Bayli Clayton, Rigby, 4-10.00; 8. Taeja Davis, Bonneville, J4-10.00

Pole vault: 1, Eliza Shippen, Rigby, 11-06. 2, Jaydon Wilkerson, Emmett, J11-06. 3, Kenidee Hyde, Preston, 10-06. 4, Gabby Borrayo, Jerome, J10-06. 5, Erinn Evans, Rigby, 9-06. 6, Allison Cossins, Middleton, J9-06. 7, Shayla Graham, Jerome, 9-00. 7, Elisa Danthinne, Bishop Kelly, 9-00.

Long jump: 1. Madelyn Minnaert, Bishop Kelly, 18-10.50*; 2. Kayla Lee, Canyon Ridge, 17-08.25; 3. Raquelle Mouw, Bishop Kelly, 17-02.00; 4. Jaimee Hancock, Rigby, 16-08.75; 5. Erin Quigg, Rigby, 16-08.50; 6. McKena Wood, Rigby, 16-03.00; 7. Savannah Lott, Jerome, 16-02.50; 8. Angelica Sena, Twin Falls, 16-01.00

Triple Jump: 1, Kayla Lee, Canyon Ridge, 37-08. 2, Olivia Seamons, Preston, 36-08. 3, Raquelle Mouw, Bishop Kelly, 36-04. 4, Jennifer Peters, Columbia, 35-10.25. 5, Emily Neufeld, Caldwell, 34-05.75. 6, Madi Ford, Twin Falls, 34-00.50. 7, Sierra Anderson, Rigby, 33-10.50. 8, Savannah Lott, Jerome, 33-09.75.

Shot put: 1. Shelby Izler, Pocatello, 37-00.75; 2. Macy Vail, Minico, 36-05.25; 3. Jordan Childs, Pocatello, 36-05.00; 4. Liz Garcia, Kuna, 35-09.50; 5. Ashley Elam, Middleton, 34-10.50; 6. Nikole Alamillo, Sandpoint, 34-08.00; 7. Payton Pfautsch, Bishop Kelly, 34-07.50; 8. Jessalynn Garnett, Jerome, 33-01.50

Discus: 1, Nikole Alamillo, Sandpoint, 119-01. 2, Liz Garcia, Kuna, 117-00. 3, Lupi Vasi, Skyview, 113-09. 4, Sophia Adams, Bishop Kelly, 112-11. 5, Caitlyn Joslin, Canyon Ridge, 107-01. 6, Jordan Childs, Pocatello, 106-11. 7, Kristen Kreutzer, Mtn Home, 101-08. 8, Jessalynn Garnett, Jerome, 101-00.

Boys team scores:1. Minico 76; 2. Rigby 74.75; 3. Kuna 68; 4. Pocatello 66.75; 5. Bishop Kelly 62.75; 6. Moscow 53; 7. Sandpoint 39.50; 8. Jerome 31.75; 9. Twin Falls 31; 10. Caldwell 23.75; T11. Emmett 20; T11. Skyview 20; T11. Wood River 20; 14. Nampa 19; 15. Mountain Home 18.75; 16. Preston 13.50; 17. Middleton 13; 18. Bonneville 12; 19. Canyon Ridge 9.75; 20. Lakeland 8; 21. Columbia 6.75; 22. Burley 6; 23. Century 5

Boys individual results
100: 1. Ian Keys, Wood River, 10.85; 2. Chase Lanham, Moscow, 11.07; 3. Taylor Seaton, Minico, 11.17; 4. Jordan Browning, Minico, 11.20; 5. Seiji Wood, Pocatello, 11.27; 6. Malik Whitfield, Mountain Home, 11.50; 7. Jaxon Pryor, Skyview, 11.56

200: 1. Ian Keys, Wood River, 22.07; 2. Caleb Worley, Minico, 22.32; 3. Jordan Browning, Minico, 22.48; 4. Chase Lanham, Moscow, 22.78; 5. Ryan Carlson, Twin Falls, 22.80; 6. Leki Syddall, Rigby, 22.99; 7. Reed Ericson, Kuna, 23.02; 8. Tyler Souza, Bishop Kelly, 23.08

400: 1. Reed Ericson, Kuna, 49.99; 2. Tim Prummer, Sandpoint, 50.14; 3. Caleb Worley, Minico, 50.33; 4. Nate Youngclaus, Skyview, 50.66; 5. Ryan Carlson, Twin Falls, 51.03; 6. Matt Dean, Bishop Kelly, 51.21; 7. Cameron Hansen, Rigby, 51.97; 8. Dante Carter, Nampa, 52.49

800: 1. Daniel Garz, Emmett, 1:57.12; 2. Elijah Armstrong, Pocatello, 1:58.04; 3. Dillon Hughes, Nampa, 1:58.26; 4. Eric Albertson, Bishop Kelly, 1:58.62; 5. Paul Perry, Rigby, 1:58.75; 6. Matthew Burgstahler, Sandpoint, 1:58.89; 7. Erik Barfuss, Columbia, 2:00.65; 8. Tom Parry, Bishop Kelly, 2:00.68

1,600: 1. Elijah Armstrong, Pocatello, 4:15.35*; 2. Sam Levora, Sandpoint, 4:21.22; 3. Michael Cunningham, Kuna, 4:27.24; 4. Jeremy Stark, Twin Falls, 4:27.30; 5. Jerry Cook, Moscow, 4:30.27; 6. Haydin Herndon, Pocatello, 4:30.32; 7. Ryden Crowther, Preston, 4:33.05; 8. Tom Parry, Bishop Kelly, 4:33.19

3,200: 1, Elijah Armstrong, Pocatello, 9:15.82. 2, Sam Levora, Sandpoint, 9:32.59. 3, Haydin Herndon, Pocatello, 9:37.41. 4, Austin Fred, Middleton, 9:47.72. 5, Michael Cunningham, Kuna, 9:47.90. 6, Ryden Crowther, Preston, 9:48.58. 7, Andrew Burgess, Kuna, 9:55.86. 8, Brock Thompson, Kuna, 10:01.96.

100 hurdles: 1. Brooks Ney, Caldwell, 14.63; 2. Michael Olsen, Lakeland, 15.46; 3. Ryan Eckstrom, Mountain Home, 15.53; 4. Cody Bowden, Rigby, 15.65; 5. Dakota Anderson, Rigby, 15.69; 6. Nicholas Deluna, Minico, 15.75; 7. Nathan Schwartz, Sandpoint, 15.88; 8. Haziel Ledezma, Jerome, 15.89

300 hurdles: 1. Brooks Ney, Caldwell, 39.24; 2. Colton Belnap, Pocatello, 39.39; 3. Clay Oliver, Bishop Kelly, 40.53; 4. Cody Bowden, Rigby, 41.04; 5. Christian Carter, Nampa, 41.13; 6. Bryan Johnson, Caldwell, 41.46; 7. Luke Burgett, Twin Falls, 41.96; 8. Haziel Ledezma, Jerome, 42.06

4×100: 1. Minico 43.43; 2. Bishop Kelly 43.94; 3. Bonneville 44.05; 4. Mountain Home 44.13; 5. Rigby 44.29; 6. Moscow 44.43; 7. Skyview 44.71; 8. Twin Falls 44.85

4×200: 1. Minico 1:30.12; 2. Pocatello 1:31.06; 3. Bishop Kelly 1:31.36; 4. Moscow 1:32.25; 5. Jerome 1:32.41; 6. Mountain Home 1:32.66; 7. Rigby 1:33.07; 8. Columbia 1:33.95

4×400: 1. Kuna 3:25.42; 2. Rigby 3:25.50; 3. Emmett 3:29.64; 4. Pocatello 3:30.30; 5. Bishop Kelly 3:31.76; 6. Canyon Ridge 3:33.82; 7. Minico 3:37.75

Sprint medley: 1, Moscow 3:32.34. 2, Nampa 3:34.22. 3, Bishop Kelly 3:35.27. 4, Twin Falls 3:37.79. 5, Emmett 3:39.75. 6, Preston 3:45.86. 7, Jerome 3:49.29.

High jump: 1. Ryan Carlson, Twin Falls, 6-04.00; 2. Keagan Adams, Middleton, 6-00.00; 3. Karsten Hinckley, Burley, 5-10.00; 4. Boone Bartlome, Kuna, J5-10.00; T5. Matthew Willard, Preston, 5-08.00; T5. Grant Kennaly, Sandpoint, 5-08.00; T7. Dexter Gunter, Pocatello, J5-08.00; T7. Max Weitz, Caldwell, J5-08.00; T7. Robert Ryder, Jerome, J5-08.00; T7. Preston Poulter, Rigby, J5-08.00

Pole vault: 1, Tanner Jones, Rigby, 14-08. 2, Alex Lawrence, Kuna, 13-06. 3, Tyler Holenbeck, Bonneville, 12-06. 4, Colton Anderson, Jerome, J12-06. 5, Grant Kennaly, Sandpoint, J12-06. 6, Cameron Hansen, Rigby, J12-06. 7, Ryan Eckstrom, Mtn Home, 12-00. 7, Scott Warner, Canyon Ridge, 12-00. 7, Ben Reimer, Bishop Kelly, 12-00. 7, Sterling Jones, Columbia, 12-00.

Long jump: 1. Boone Bartlome, Kuna, 22-00.25; 2. Kolton Parsons, Jerome, 21-10.50; 3. Scott Warner, Canyon Ridge, 21-04.50; 4. Alex Lewis, Moscow, 21-00.50; 5. Colton Wetzel, Rigby, 20-11.00; 6. Colton Storrs, Columbia, 20-07.50; 7. Vinicius Silva, Preston, 20-06.25; 8. Cory Brady, Bishop Kelly, 20-02.00

Triple jump: 1, Kolton Parsons, Jerome, 43-07.75. 2, Alex Lewis, Moscow, 42-08.25. 3, Talin Davis, Skyview, 42-08. 4, Joe Miller, Skyview, 42-07.75. 5, Dexter Gunter, Pocatello, 42-03. 6, E.J. Prince, Century, 42-00. 7, Ethan Rogers, Century, 41-08.50. 8, Michael Daniels, Mtn Home, 41-06.75.

Shot put: 1 JonRyheem Peoples, Rigby, 55-00.00; 2. Neal Murphy, Bishop Kelly, 51-02.50; 3. Brett Thompson, Minico, 50-04.00; 4. Josh Barclay, Minico, 49-10.25; 5. Austin Harper, Rigby, 49-00.00; 6. Todd Pays, Sandpoint, 46-00.00; 7. Shea Seigert, Bishop Kelly, 45-10.00; 8. Reed Kilgore, Kuna, 43-10.50

Discus: 1, Neal Murphy, Bishop Kelly, 151-02. 2, Brett Thompson, Minico, 150-06. 3, Dillon Dunn, Kuna, 147-11. 4, Briar Adona, Moscow, 147-09. 5, JonRyheem Peoples, Rigby, 144-05. 6, Cody Owens, Kuna, 142-07. 7, Austin Harper, Rigby, 139-10. 8, Jonathan Valero, Minico, 139-02.

EAGLE – To win a state title is an impressive accomplishment for any track and field athlete and coach.

For Rigby High School’s Eliza Shippen and Idaho Falls’ Katelyn Zabriskie, Friday’s career-first wins at the 5A/4A state track and field championships at Eagle High School were extra special.

Shippen cleared a personal-best 11 feet, six inches to win the 4A state pole vault title in a loaded field that came down to a tiebreaker with Emmett’s Jayden Wilkinson.

Upon clearing the winning height, the 5-foot-3 Shippen was walking tall as cheers erupted from Rigby onlookers behind the pit. The junior had plenty more reasons to smile minutes later.

Former Idaho State University standout and 2000 Olympic gold medalist Stacy Dragila, currently a volunteer coach for Rocky Mountain High School track, was present Friday to distribute the girls pole vault medals. After giving Shippen hers, the Olympian and newly crowned state champion shared a hug.

“It felt awesome,” a visibly giddy Shippen said shortly after stepping off the podium. “I had no idea she was giving the medals. I met her at YMCA (Invite) and Simplot. She’s super nice.”

Just as meaningful for Shippen was the embrace she shared with her coach and father, Troy Shippen, after learning the title was hers. The two have been a team since she started vaulting as a freshman.

“It’s been really great because he’s been there throughout my entire career and he’s the one who’s taught me everything I know,” Eliza Shippen said.

Arguably the only person more excited than Eliza was Troy Shippen, who shared the 4A boys team title and 4A boys basketball championship with his son, Austin, last season.

“It’s emotional,” he said. “I think that’s always been one of her goals – to medal at state. She performed her best today.”

Zabriskie cleared 5 feet, 4 inches to win the 5A girls high jump title earlier in the day. Watching from the infield, Idaho Falls coach Jeremy Smith let out a loud cheer and clapped when she landed in the pit. The senior paused to take in the moment before running in Smith’s direction with a smile spreading across her face.

“I was ecstatic,” Zabriskie said. “It’s been a struggle all season to clear 5-4 and I finally did it when it mattered most.”

Smith, who has coached Zabriskie since she was a seventh-grader at Taylorview, was choked up after her win. The Utah State-bound senior took second two years ago and was sixth last year.

“I’ve seen her ups and seen her downs,” Smith said. “I’ve known how hard she’s worked to win this. To see a kid reach their dream, it’s indescribable.”

Zabriskie was part of a 1-2-3 finish for District 6, as Madison’s Aleena Kugath and Skyline’s Tilar Clark joined her on the podium in second and third, respectively.

“Those girls are fabulous and they deserve those positions,” Zabriskie said.

Rigby senior Tanner Jones cleared a personal best 14-8 to win the 4A state title and complete the Trojans sweep in pole vault. Teammate Kyle Searle won the title last year.

“Right before I pushed off the pole, I looked down at the bar and knew I cleared it,” Jones said. “There’s no other feeling like it.”

Madison junior Daniel Bruton prevailed in a stacked 5A boys high jump competition, clearing a personal best 6-8 to win. Mountain View’s Kenny Webster, who entered Friday with Idaho’s top mark of 6-8, took second.

“I’m happy with it,” Bruton said. “This was the most calm I’ve ever been at a meet, ever.”

Rigby leads the 4A girls standings with 30 points to Jerome’s 28, while the Trojans boys are fourth after Day 1 with 19 points. Capital leads the 5A girls standings with 24 points while Centennial’s 46 points lead the 5A boys standings.

Elsewhere on the track at 5A/4A, Rigby freshman Elsja Mecham secured the top seed for today’s finals in the 100 hurdles, the 200 and 400 with top times in all three from Friday’s preliminaries. Mecham’s time of 14.66 in the hurdles prelims broke a 4A state meet record. Fellow freshman Tori Pinnock ran 11:39.82 for third place in the girls 3,200, which was won by Jerome’s Jasmine Nesbitt in 11:30.76.

Idaho Falls’ Shelby Jordan threw 38-5.25 for fourth in 5A girls shot put, while Macy Dye of Skyline threw 37-11.25 for sixth place.

For as many rallies as the Madison High School baseball team has completed since early April, the Bobcats proved Thursday that they still have more comebacks left in them.

Madison left fielder Chase McWhorter stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded and the game tied 1-1. McWhorter’s infield hit was enough to score Will Evans, giving the Bobcats a 2-1 win over Borah at Memorial Stadium.

Moments later, the senior was lost in a sea of red jerseys as the dugout emptied to celebrate Madison’s first advancement to the state baseball semifinals since 2006.

It ultimately continued Madison’s Cinderella run, and McWhorter and his teammates were at a loss for words to describe the victory.

“I knew we were gonna win,” said senior designated hitter Marc Snell, who finished the day 2 for 3 with an RBI. “It’s a majestic thing. It’s amazing.”

Majestic, amazing and never in doubt, according to first-year Madison coach Luke Mecham. When a scoreless pitcher’s duel suddenly turned into a 1-0 deficit, Mecham said the Bobcats still knew they could win entering the bottom of the seventh.

“The kids, they’re peaking at the right time,” Mecham said. “This is a special group. They work harder than anybody else.”

The Bobcats personified Mecham’s attributions Thursday. Clutch defensive plays ruled through the first five innings as both teams backed up their pitchers. Madison’s Brigham Wilson was strong, allowing eight hits and a walk while striking out two in seven innings.

The tide turned in the top of the sixth. Borah’s Montana Bilger drove in Austin Burgess with a triple to left field to give the Lions a 1-0 lead.

The Bobcats collected no hits in the bottom of the sixth, then held the Lions (17-9) scoreless in the top of the seventh.

Shade Boice began Madison’s rally with a single to center field and Josh Lords came in as pinch runner. Evans jacked a double to deep left field in the next at-bat and Snell followed that with a single past the shortstop to score Lords and tie the game. Borah intentionally walked Cody Klingler to load the bases, setting up McWhorter’s heroics.

“In the bottom of the seventh, we got a sense of urgency,” McWhorter said. “I knew if I got up there and did my job, we’d win the game.”

The win pits Madison (11-12) against Couer d’Alene (20-5) in tonight’s 7:15 p.m. semifinal game. McWhorter credited the recent success of the Bobcats, who began the season 0-7, to unshakable faith in each other.

“Our team has a lot of heart,” he said. “If the game’s close or out of reach, we know we can string together runs. We’re brothers.”

While in Boise, Mecham said the Bobcats also want to make a statement.

“It’s time to bring baseball back to our side of the state instead of being dominated by the Boise schools,” Mecham said.

MADISON 2, BORAH 1
Borah 000 001 0 – 1 8 0
Madison 000 000 2 – 2 11 1
BORAH – Leading hitters: Shane Layman 1-4 (SB), Sam O’Neill 1-4 (2B), Montana Bilger 2-3 (RBI, 2 3Bs). Pitcher: Cole Skinner (L) 7 IP, 2 BB, 2 K.
MADISON – Leading hitters: Dallas Crane 2-3, Will Evans 3-3 (2B), Marc Snell 2-3 (RBI), Chase McWhorter 1-3 (RBI). Pitcher: Brigham Wilson (W) 7 IP, 1 BB, 2 K.