By Lev Rourke
Photos: Kim Spir
MONMOUTH – Coulter Mastenbroek was given his assignment: Skip the relays, try to win four individual events for the Scio Loggers and help them win the boys’ state 2A team title. A senior running perhaps his final track races, he did everything and more – four victories, all by big margins, two of them state-meet records. But it was not enough for a team championship. Scio lost to Portland Christian, 83-70, as the two-day state 1A-2A-3A “small school” championships wrapped up on a chilly, blustery day in front of a packed house at Western Oregon University.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, not to run the relays,” Mastenbroek said. “I’ve done everything with 
those guys – football, wrestling, track. But Coach Peck – he’s new this year, he’s been great – he said, ‘You guys want to win a state title? This is what you need to do.’”
Mastenbroek, a senior destined for the gridiron right here at WOU, a stone’s throw from Scio, was brilliant and got his 40 – a sweep of the three dashes, in 11.18 for the 100, 22.81 for the 200 and a meet-record 49.22 in the 400, followed by a dominant run in the 300 hurdles, another meet record, 38.45. None of them was even close. Half an hour after the IH, he said, “What’s next? I’m ready to go!” But even if he had been permitted a fifth event under the rules, a victory in the 4x4 would not have been enough. Portland Christian, led by Preston Dace’s wins in the highs and triple jump, had too much.
The PC girls scored plenty as well -- 78 ½ in 2A – but they were no match for the dynasty at St. Mary’s of Medford, who repeated as champions with an all-time point total of 120 ½. “We were shooting for more than 95 points,” said Morgan Martin, who won the 800 for the third year in a row. “That was last year’s record. (She is #821).
“We not only want to win, but do our very best in everything. We want to set records that will stand for years to come.”
Martin broke the meet record in the 800, running 2:16.09, and led off the winning 4x4 in 57.9, yet still there seemed to be disappointment in the air. “It’s a PR,” she said of the 800, “but I really wanted to run 2:13. It’s hard with no one in front, but I’m 
happy.”
In the 4x4, in advance of the race, Martin said, “We’re hoping to go under 4:00. No one’s ever done that before. It’s going to be emotional.” As it was, they ran 4:00.92, a state record for 2A by several seconds, remarkable considering that the anchor, sophomore Sarah Bennion, ran over from the pole vault, ran her leg, then returned to the vault, which was still being contested.
Sarah’s older sister, Mary Bennion (#10), the defending state champion in the 1,500, was defeated by Ashley Baldovino of Lakeview, just as she had been a day earlier in the 3,000. At the bell, Baldovino made a push and opened a 10-yard lead, but Bennion was gaining with every stride at the end. Baldovino, who had won the race two years ago as a sophomore, won it 4:54.89 to 4:56.05. “I expected to win,” Bennion said. “I knew it would come down to the last lap. I could have caught her. I waited too long (to kick).
“It’s a bummer. It’s my last year. I gave it my all.” Bennion plans to attend the 
University of San Francisco in the fall.
GIRLS 1A
Crane defeated Damascus Christian, 80-77, on the broad shoulders of the multitalented senior September O’Crowley (#177), who won the 400, the 300 hurdles and the pole vault and brought Crane from behind to win the concluding 4x400. That was enough to overcome the four individual victories of sophomore Kristan Holding (#220), who won the 100 hurdles and all three jumps for DC.
Sophomore Laura Grube of Crowe repeated as javelin champion, winning by 2 inches. The winner of the 1,500 was a ninth-grader, Abi Wynn of Triangle Lake, who broke 5 minutes for the first time in her young career, running 4:58.98.
“I thought I could win it,” said the 15-year-old Wynn. “People were telling me, you’re really good, you can do it.”
Wynn (#880) has been running since 6th grade, when she joined the team at Triangle Lake Middle School at the encouragement of her mother, a runner herself at Oakridge when her name was Paige Hemmele. “My mom’s best time in school was 4:45,” Wynn said. “I still have three years left to get that.”
GIRLS 2A
Alexis Arnold won the shot put and high hurdles and placed second in the 100 for Portland Christian. St. Mary’s had points from many places, including two sprint places by Abby Steinsiek, a win in the long jump by Mackenzie Krieser, a win in the high jump by Alexi Provost-Shean and a win in the pole vault by another sophomore, Linnea Fong. Sarah Bennion also placed 2nd in the 300 hurdles and 3rd in the vault.
Erica Drake of Pilot Rock swept the sprints, running a meet-record 12.68 in the 100. Sami DeVore of Scio repeated as javelin champion, throwing 124-4.
GIRLS 3A
Catlin Gabel turned back Burns, 85-69, as distance runner Leah Thompson and jumper Eloise Miller won two events apiece. CG got Saturday off with a bang, turning back Burns in the 4x1, 50.34 to 50.50, and they were on their way.
Burns’s Jamie Higle got two second places, losing to Kayla Nagunst in Rainier in the 400 and 800, and ran a leg on the winning 4x4. Her teammate Madeline Dinsmore swept the sprints in 12.74/25.92, repeating the 200 victory recorded by her older 
sister Jaela in 2008.
Junior Victoria Rodriguez of Nyssa had a big win in the shot, putting 41-10 ¾ (#548).
BOYS 1A
In a tight team race, Southwest Christian of Portland prevailed over Crane and New Hope Christian, 57-50-47, in spite of a tremendous meet by senior Eli Cunningham of New Hope.
Cunningham won the 400 in 50.48, came from behind over the final two hurdles to win the IH in 40.33, finished 2nd in the highs, and anchored the winning 4x4.
Crane was led by jumper Blake Steeves, who placed in the long and triple jumps.
Southwest Christian won it in the distances, going 1-3 in the 800, 3-5 in the 1,500 and 2-3-6 in the 3k.
Stephen Larlee of South Wasco County won a stirring triple jump competition from Steeves, 46-0 to 45-9 ¼, as both were well behind the old state-meet record, but then was beaten in the 300H by Cunningham.
BOYS 2A
In addition to Mastenbroek, Scio also got a 1-3 finish in the 800 from Eric Holmberg and Micah Massari. “It feels good to get it over with,” Mastenbroek said. “I’m tired of track. I’m a football guy for sure.
“When the 300 hurdles came along, I had nothing. But then the official made me take off my bracelet. My girlfriend gave me a bracelet to wear, so in my last race ever, they told me to rip it off. That got me fired up. I thought, ‘I don’t want to hear it from my girlfriend.’”
For Mastenbroek, it’s on to Western Oregon and a return to football. “They didn’t give me a scholarship in track. But if they do, I’ll be doing that, too.”
BOYS 3A
The star Cole Watson wasn’t enough for Rogue River, as Horizon Christian prevailed, 59-53. Watson, who won the 400-800-1500 triple a year ago, settled for the 1500-3k this year. On Saturday he broke the meet record in the 1,500, running 3:55.76 during the worst weather of the afternoon, a cold, wind-driven rain squall. “This was my last race” in high school, said Watson, who has accepted a scholarship to attend the University of Oregon. “I wanted to do something for people to remember me by.
“But I ran that race with my heart, not with my legs. I was looking for 64s. I just started running with my guts.”
Watson was wistful about the end of his high school days. “All my friends are here,” he said. “There’s tons of people. They just drove up, 20 or 30 of my best friends. Some of them are just sleeping in their cars. I really appreciate that.”
Hurdler Tony Dubenko and jumper Adam Ford won events for HC. Austin Collins ran 1:56.86 to win the 800 for Colton, Ismael Osorio of Reedsport repeated as shot put champion at 53-5, and Carraig Colahan of Burns won the discus at 168-6.