Burnet runners perform well at Llano Yellow Jacket Relays

CAPTION: Burnet pole vaulters Brady Rygaard and Brayden Hill celebrate earning gold and silver with new personal records during the Llano Yellow Jacket Relays. Photo by Martelle Luedecke/Luedecke Photography

The Burnet High School boys and girls track-and-field teams took the short trek to Llano for the Yellow Jacket Relays March 9 and returned with some hard ware.

The girls junior varsity won its division with 127 points while the boys junior varsity was second in the team standings with 103.5 points. The girls varsity was third with 80.5 points, while the boys varsity was fifth with 54 points. All divisions had 11 squads competing.

“We’re real pleased with the junior varsity,” boys head coach Ben Speer said. “They did a good job competing. Some will be moving up to the varsity (football team) in the fall.”

Looking at the results, the track teams have familiar names encompassing just about every sport on campus minus baseball and softball. Speer said that’s by design, noting most believe track helps athletes in other sports jump higher, throw farther and run faster.

“And we’re still finding pieces to the puzzle,” he said. “We have a lot of guys doing a lot of things.”

That was apparent with pole vaulters Brady Rygaard and Brayden Hill, who both finished first and second by clearing 14 feet. Both set new personal bests.

“It’s been good to see them do that,” the coach said. “(Because of construction), they’ve been without a home. They’ve been vaulting where they can when they can.”

Distance runner Victor Aviles won both the 1,600 and 3,200 and Isaias Zarate was fifth in the 1,600 and third in the 3,200.

“They’ve been doing the heavy hitting,” Speer said. “They’ve trained with the best (teammate Hudson Bennett, who has won virtually every distance race in the state). Victor knows how it’s done. Victor has been unbelievable in what he’s been doing. At Liberty Hill, he ran a 1:58 in the 800 (meters) for a new personal record. He ran that time in his first meet the morning after he played a complete soccer game the night before.”

The juniors continue to make huge contributions to the team totals.

“All they know is competing,” the coach said. “They’re not scared.”

As for the Lady Dawgs, Asah Roy won the 1,600 and 3,200 meters and they took gold in all three relays. That paced Burnet to second in the team standings.

Overall, the coaches saw what they needed to see before enjoying their Spring Break.

“Honestly, it was good to get out,” Speer said. “We hadn’t run since Liberty Hill Feb. 25, and that was a tough meet with Class 5A and 6A schools. Llano did a great job adjusting things. They did a good job of opening things up, and we got most of our running done.”

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RESULTS

BOYS

Varsity, fifth with 54 points out of 11 squads

800 — 4, Isaias Zarate, 2:12.12; 1,600 — 1, Victor Aviles, 4:35, 5, Isaias Zarate, 4:58; 3,200 — 1, Victor Aviles, 10:08, 3, Isaias Zarate, 10:45; 4×100 — 6, Burnet (Cade Cavanaugh, Grant Jones, Andre Miller, Reese Syphrett, Jackson Perrington), 46.02; 4×400 — 6, Burnet (Jackson Perrington, Cade Cavanaugh, Garner Krause, Grant Jones, Victor Aviles, Reese Syphrett), 3:46.73; pole vault — 1, Brady Rygaard, 14-0, 2, Brayden Hill, 14-0.

Junior Varsity, second with 103.5 points out of 11 squads

100 — 2, Clay Lamb, 12.19, 5, Brody Danson, 12.47; 200 — 1, Brody Danson, 24.40, 3, Aden Sanchez, 24.78, 4, Clay Lamb, 24.95; 400 — 1, Riley Howell, 57.05, 3, Conner Crow, 57.98; 1,600 — 3, Gustavo Vega, 5:21; 3,200 — 2, Gustavo Vega, 11:53, 5, Benito Bocanegra, 12:20; 4×100 — 5, Burnet (Peyton Blaine, Brody Danson, Matthew Williams, Demetrius Talaferro, Aden Sanchez, Josiah Coronado), 48.68; 4×200 — 3, Burnet (Peyton Blaine, Brody Danson, Matthew Williams, Demetrius Talaferro, Aden Sanchez, Josiah Coronado), 1:38.63; 4×400 — 4, Burnet (Peyton Blaine, Aidan Bell, Peyton Shirley, Jackson Poe, Conner Crow, Riley Howell), 3:54.43; discus — 5, Nathan Torres, 107; shot put — 5, Aeden Harrison, 37; pole vault — 1, Peyton Shirley, 12-0 4, Aidan Bell, 9-0.

GIRLS

Varsity, third with 80.5 points out of 11 squads

100 — 4, Alyssa Sanchez, 13.90; 400 — 1, Camryn Courtney, 1:04.58; 1,600 — 1, Asah Roy, 5:32.07, 5, Shaelyn Poe, 5:53; 3,200 — 1, Asah Roy, 12:14, 4, Shaelyn Poe, 12:58; 100 hurdles — 4, Wrigley Mulhollan, 18.16; 300 hurdles — 2, Wrigley Mullhollan, 50.28, 6, Amelia Griffin, 54.02; 4×200 — 2, Burnet (Addie Houston, Josie Teague, Adriana Briggs, Zaria Solis, Jareyli Luna, Reagan Shipley), 1:52.87; 4×400 — 3, Burnet (Addie Houston, Wrigley Mulhollan, Camryn Courtney, Brook Oliva, Asah Roy), 4:17.53

Junior Varsity, first with 127 points out of 11 squads

200 — 3, Alexis Cuellar, 29.72, 5, Payton Smith, 29.89; 800 — 5, Brooke Bowman, 2:56.08; 1,600 — 3, Addison Huffman, 6:28.66, 4, Shelby Hudgins, 6:34.60; 3,200 — 2, Autumn Stires, 14:03.71, 5, Josie McDavid, 15:40.96, 6, Shelby Hudgins, 15:43.32; 100 hurdles — 5, Bosley Kuker, 19.83; 300 hurdles — 5, Bosley Kuker, 58.16; 4×100 — 1, Burnet (Payton Smith, Sarah Cullison, Ellen Reid, Grace Cullison), 55.93; 4×200 — 1, Burnet (Payton Smith, Sarah Cullison, Alexis Cuellar, Grace Cullison, Ellen Reid), 55.93; 4×400 — 1, Burnet (Sarah Cullison, Marissa Aviles, Hallie Poe, Grace Cullison, Alexis Cuellar), 4:31