(Wallace Photography)

Track and Field Brad Cochi/CHSAANow.com

1A Boys Track and Field: Tight Team Race Entering Final Day

LAKEWOOD – At last year’s state meet, Josh Snyder won the 1,600m and 3,200m but just couldn’t close out the 800m. That disappointment lingered for some time.

But the 2024 track and field state championships brought with it an opportunity for the Cheraw senior to close the book on that lingering goal. At Jefferson County Stadium on Friday, Snyder won the 800m with a time of 2 minutes, 1.08 seconds to win the event in his final attempt in high school.

Book cover shut.

“I just missed out on the eight last year, so I was really glad to come back and win it this year,” Snyder said. “Anthony (Pena) got me in the 3,200 yesterday, but I knew I had him in the 800 today. And that was about a two-second PR for me, so I was glad to come in and close out an eight like I knew I could.”

In the 1A boys discus, Arickaree sophomore Austin Wright claimed his first state championship with a throw of 136 feet, 11 inches.

“It felt pretty good. It wasn’t my furthest throw by far, but it still got me to No. 1,” Wright said. “I think (winning) sets a level at your school and makes people chase after your record and try to be better; that’s what I did.”

Genoa-Hugo/Karval’s Konner Rowden-Stum jumped 42 feet, 7.5 inches to win the triple jump after the senior won the 2024 long jump title on Friday. Stum also won the long jump and triple jump last season, and won the triple jump as a sophomore in 2022.

Haxtun’s Zach Statz finished runner-up in the triple jump with a mark of 41-2.25.

In the 3,200-meter relay, Kim – Junior Gamez, Kolter Cranson, Will Doherty and Brock Doherty – took first place with a time of 8:44.79.

The 800-meter relay title went to Haxton. This year’s Bulldogs relay team – Ryland Wolff, Keegan Colglazier, Colin Cone and Joshua Wright – won gold with a time of 1:34.34.

Entering the final day of competition, South Baca leads a tight team race with 23 points, while there's a four-way tie between Cheraw, Otis, Primero and Genoa-Hugo/Karval for second place.