By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

First-round summaries: BOYS | GIRLS

Second-round summaries: BOYS | GIRLS

TOURNAMENT BRACKETS

WEST REGIONAL

Corner Canyon UT 78.5, Mountain View Mesa AZ 62.5

The Utah state champion earned a spot in the regional finals by using its superior distance running and relays to get past the Arizona champion. In three contested relay events, Corner Canyon beat Mountain View in the 4x100 (41.92 to 42.29), the 4x400 (3:16.55 to 3:20.60) and the 4x800 (7:54.19 to 7:57.91). That 15-0 advantage was the deciding factor in a meet that was otherwise fairly even. Corner Canyon held some advantages on the track, with a 1-2 finish for juniors Tate Kjar and Preston Rasmussen in the 400 meters and another 1-2 in the 1,600 with Connor Whatcott and Jefferey Lewis. Zack Gaumont of Mountain View Mesa split the sprint races against Corner Canyon’s Aiden McDonald. Gaumont won the 100-meter dash, McDonald the 200. The 800 meters might have been the best race of the virtual meet, with Connor Chaffee of Mountain View Mesa running 1:51.43 to beat Whatcott (1:53.46) and Lewis (1:55.82). Corner Canyon also swept the 3,200. In the field events, Mountain View Mesa made a charge by winning four of six, including a sweep of the pole vault and a 16-2 advantage in the shot put and discus. The teams split the high jump points.

Catholic (Baton Rouge) LA 80, Rock Bridge MO 75

The Louisiana and Missouri state champions stood toe to toe and threw haymakers at one another in a clash for a spot in the regional finals. There were very few events that were closely contested. In most cases, one team or the other dominated each and every event. On the track, each team won four events apiece and then also split four contested relays. The Rock Bridge duo of Casey Hood and Drevyn Seamon went 1-2 in both the 100 and 200 meters. Winston DeCuir led Catholic to a rout of the 400 and 800 meters. Ian Kemey and Andrew Hauser led Rock Bridge domination of the distance events. Louis Rudge and James Archer countered by scoring big points for Catholic in the hurdles events. Rock Bridge won the 4x100 and 4x200. Catholic stormed to victory in the 4x400 and won an important 4x800 by a 7:53.79 to 7:55.13 margin. The shot put and discus, and the long jump, were the only three events where first and second place weren’t achieved by the same team. Catholic got another important surge with a 9-0 sweep of the javelin, led by a 201-9 effort from Paul Catalanatto Jr. Cayden Jones and Isaiah Stokes also helped with a 1-2 finish in the high jump.

EAST REGIONAL

Hoover AL 89, Niceville FL 56

In a high-quality matchup between the Alabama and Florida state champions, Hoover placed no worse than second in every event on its way to a fourth regional final appearance since 2018. There were some incredible matchups in this one, but Hoover had a knack for meeting strength with strength. In the 400 meters, sophomore DeMarion Gardner’s 47.92 beat Niceville’s Eon Morris (48.65). In a fantastic 4x400 relay, Hoover ran 3:14.64 to Niceville’s 3:16.53. Joseph Hanson (shot put), Terrance Powe (discus) and Aidan Broussard (javelin) all won throwing events, but Hoover grabbed second in the first two events, along with second and third in the javelin. In the pole vault, Niceville’s Van Carter cleared 15-3 and had to settle for third behind Collin Pate (16-5) and Connor White (15-5). In a couple of exceptional jumping competitions, Jay Avery of Hoover and Oli Broutin of Niceville split the high jump and triple jump. It was Avery going 6-10.50 in the high jump to defeat Broutin (6-5.50). And Broutin returned the favor in the triple jump, 48-7.75 to 47-11. Avery and RJ Torbor went 1-2 in the long jump for the Buccaneers.

Brownsburg IN 87.5, Patriot VA 44.5

The Bulldogs of Brownsburg won 12 of the 16 events in a regional semifinal with the Virginia Class 6A champions. Brownsburg’s combination of sprint strength and throwing depth is evidence of how the school uses track and field to fuel its football program. Dominic Calhoun won the 100 (10.46) and 200 (21.30) against Patriot’s Shadrach Nvodjo (10.76/21.52), and Scotty Tienda edged out Patriot’s Malik Dark in the 400, 49.08 to 49.77. Brownsburg dominated the shot put and discus, with 9-0 results in both events. Jaylen Walcott (15-0) and Chris Coyne (14-0) went 1-2 for Brownsburg in the pole vault. Patriot got a big win from freshman Henry Birge in the 800 meters (1:55.13) and teammate Patrick Lowry was second. Lowry also edged Brownsburg’s Ian Baker in a tremendous 1,600, 4:14.36 to 4:14.71. Brownsburg advanced to the regional final, as it tries to follow the path of another Indiana state champion, Carmel, which won the entire tournament in 2021.