Early April Invitational Brings 24 Teams To Oregon's Sherwood High

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Sherwood High, southwest of Portland, will hold its biggest track meet since the re-opening of the school and its updated athletics facilities less than two years ago. 

The Need For Speed Classic will bring 24 schools to one of the largest meets in Oregon so far this season. 

And the good news for distance running fans is that two of the state's best, James Crabtree of Sherwood and Charlie North of Franklin, are on the entry list for a showdown in the 3,000 meters. 

William Heslam and Abdirizack Hussein from Roosevelt could factor into the race as well.   

A bumper crop of strong boys distance runners in the state this year are gearing up to leave a collective imprint on the state's all-time top 10 list in the 3,000 and 1,500. 

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Crabtree is the Oregon 6A cross country champion and placed 17th at the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships in Alabama. So far this spring he has run a PR 3:58.30 in the 1,500. 

North, second in the state cross country meet, was 15th at the Eastbay Cross Country Championships. He ran a 4:18.32 mile on March 17 in McMinnville. 

Warm weather that brought 80-degree temperatures Thursday has been quickly replaced by colder air and Saturday's meet, which begins at noon, could see temps in the upper 40s. 

Emma Gates of Cascade, one of the country's top high jumpers, is one of the featured athletes in the field events. She placed second at Nike Indoor Nationals with 5 feet, 9 inches (1.75m), but jumped 6 feet (1.82m) at the Husky Indoor Classic in Seattle in February. 

The girls 1,500 meters features a clash of Portland Interscholastic League standouts, with Franklin's Kaiya Robertson, 16th at the Eastbay Cross Country Championships, taking on Charlotte Richman from Ida B. Wells and Riley Cash of Lincoln. 

Lincoln's Kendall York is the top entry in the girls 3,000 and will face Sherwood's Nancy Biegel. 

Valley Catholic's Henry Tierney, who ran 1:55.31 for 800 meters at Lake Oswego on April 1, is the top seed in that event. 

Versatile Clackamas senior Deshanae Norman, who transferred from Gladstone, is entered in both hurdles events as well as the high jump. 

Two of the state's top hurdlers, Nolan Malcomson of Ida B. Wells, the 2021 6A Showcase runner-up, and Barlow's Micah Perry, will go head to head in the 110-meter hurdles.