This time, however, the competition should be tougher and will include seven of the eight Kaw Valley League track teams.

Friday at the Eudora Invitational, the girls won and the boys placed second to the home team.

It was a sunny afternoon, but runners faced blustery winds as they rounded the final turn and ran the final 100 meters to the finish line.

Girls
Bryce Downey and Laura Korb again paced the Chieftains.

Downey won the pole vault in her first competitive appearance in the event. She also placed first in the high jump and long jump, and she was on the second-place 400-meter relay team.

Korb won the 800-meter and 1,600-meter runs. She ran with the sixth-place 1,600-meter relay.

“It was an outstanding day for Korb,” said Bill Shaw, Tonganoxie girls track coach.

Sammy Hassinger placed in her varsity meet, finishing sixth in the 100-meter dash and third in the 200-meter dash.

Shaw said the team would face stiffer competition Thursday. Of the league teams, only Lansing, a team the Chieftains have already faced, won’t be at the meet.

“We’re starting to get into shape,” Shaw said.

The Chieftains placed 12 times in the eight running events (excluding relays) and nine times in the seven field events.

Injuries, which have slowed the team, also were less of a factor this week. Andrea Korb, who broke her left wrist pole vaulting at Baldwin, could return to action this week, throwing the javelin (she throws with her right hand).

Shaw said almost all of the athlete snow knew the events on which they would focus for the remainder of the year.

“We’ve just about got people placed everywhere,” Shaw said.

Boys
A stronger than expected Eudora team and a dearth of sprinters relegated Tonganoxie to second place Friday at Eudora.

The team continued to perform well in the field events. Joey Holek jumped 21 feet in the long jump, a personal best that was good enough for first place.

In the pole vault, Chieftains placed second, third and fourth and fifth.
Karl Cleavinger, Dustin Schultz, Tyler Wise and Dave Gepner cleared at least 10 feet. Cleavinger and Schultz were second and third at 11 feet, six inches.

Alan Davis paced the runners with a win the 3,200-meter run.

“Alan Davis ran well in the two-mile,” said Phil Williams, Tonganoxie boys track coach.

Tonganoxie placed 17 times in the seven field events and 10 times in the eight running events (excluding relays).

Williams said that will be difficult to repeat Thursday. To improve, Williams is going to have his athletes focus on individual events during the coming week rather than spreading them thin in a several of events.

Up next
The teams run at 4 p.m. on Thursday at the Eudora Cardinal Relays.

The ninth- and 10th-graders will run at 4 p.m. on Monday at Perry-Lecompton.