Monticello boys capture second at 2A track and field state meet
In the most anticipated meet of the year, the Monticello High School track and field teams traveled to Kaysville on Friday and Saturday, May 21-22 to compete for a 2A state track and field championship at Davis High School.
The boys started strong on Friday and were in the hunt for a state championship until the final event on Saturday afternoon. To win a state championship in track and field, you need balance and depth.
Monticello had depth, especially in the distance, relay, and field events, but a lack of competitors in the sprint events was a weakness.
It may have been the difference in the meet as Monticello finished second overall with 88.5 points. The Kanab Cowboys controlled the speed events, winning the state championship with 100.5 points.
Without a doubt, the Monticello boys were extremely strong in the field events. This was evidenced by the fact that senior Cedar English led the team in scoring by winning two individual state championships in the High Jump and Long Jump.
English leapt 20 feet, 9.5 inches in the long jump and a personal-best 6-05.25 in the high jump. Junior Boston Freestone placed fourth in the high jump, clearing 5-10.
Senior Robert Musselman also had a great meet, placing fifth in the shot put (41-04.5), eighth in the discus (34-52) and sixth in the javelin (159-07). Senior Tuff Adair placed ninth in the shot put, pushing the shot 38 feet.
Cedar English also got two more podium finishes in the discus and javelin, placing fourth in both events. He flung the discus 35 feet, 66 inches and the javelin 163-02.
Senior Eric Montague placed 15th in the javelin with his throw of 128-06.
The Bucks also performed very well in the relays, placing second in both the sprint medley and 4x400. In the medley, the team of Cameron Bailey, Eric Montague, Boston Freestone, Alan Pettit, and Cory Bunker ran a time of 3:45.56.
In the 4x400, Cory Bunker, Alan Pettit, Eric Montague, Boston Freestone, Cameron Bailey, and Jesse Pettit crossed the finish line after running the combined mile in 3:39.47.
The 4x100 relay team of Jacob Johnson, Jesse Pettit, Chandler Henderson, Cameron Bailey, Ryan Nielson, and Robert Musselman placed 15th with a 52.34.
Monticello also got very strong performances in the long and middle distances. Senior Cory Bunker started Monticello’s meet off well on Friday when he placed second in the 3200-meter.
He ran a 9:46.48 in the race against his little brother Curtis, who, as a freshman, was competing in his first state championship. Curtis ran an 11:34.14 which earned him a 17th-place finish.
Cory also had a great race in the 1600 when he ran a personal-best 4:33.91 to earn a third-place finish. Teammate, senior Alan Pettit, crossed the finish line in 4:40.66 to place seventh overall.
Pettit got a much better result in the 800-meter placing second with a time of 2:04.03. Cory Bunker placed fifth in that event when he brought it home in 2:05.94.
In the middle-to-speed event that is the 400-meter, Boston Freestone claimed a fifth-place finish by running a 52.65. Eric Montague scored a point in the 800 by finishing eighth in 53.56.
Despite not having as many team members as the boys, the girls team competed hard and found some success in the state meet, scoring 19 points to finish tenth overall. Fellow Region 16-member North Summit won the 2A state championship with 124 points.
Junior Lily Long had a great state championship, placing fourth in the 3200, 1600, and 800 with times of 12:12.01, 5:29.36, and 2:30.62.
The girls sprint medley team of Sadie Adair, Cami Dowell, Shayla Pehrson, Lily Long, Cami Lewis, and Berlynn Black placed seventh, completing the combined mile course in 4:53.57.
In the field events, the Lady Bucks were only able to score points in the high jump. Sophomore Berlynn Black placed seventh with a jump of four feet, nine inches. Teammate, senior Cami Lewis, came away from the meet with a ninth-place finish when she leapt 4-07.
All in all, the Monticello teams had an extremely successful season. They worked hard, placed well at every meet, and set several school records along the way.
For the boys, it had to be frustrating to finish second in both the region and state meets. But the team competed hard and did their best, and that is all you can ask of any team.
The girls also competed hard this season and the coaches have to be encouraged that they are very young. A return to 1A competition next season should help them be more competitive.
Coaches Jeff Hunt, Brad Bunker, Reed Anderson, and Jake Palmer did an excellent job this season and spent numerous hours away from their families coaching the teams. They should be thanked by the parents for all the time and effort they put into the program.
Girls golf
The Monticello girls golf team wrapped up a very successful spring golf season on Tuesday, May 18 at the 2A state championship at the Rose Park Golf Course in Salt Lake City. At the one-day event, the Lady Bucks were led, as they had been all season long, by senior Olivia Chamberlain.
She took 103 shots to get around the Rose Park course, which was good enough to earn a tie for seventh place overall. A golfer from Rowland Hall shot an even par 72 to claim low-shot medalist honors.
Sophomore Amy Lewis had a nice state tournament, firing a round of 108 to earn a 15th-place finish. Junior Kylie Rogers played well and finished her season just behind Lewis with a round of 110, tied in 17th.
One shot behind Rogers was senior Kennedy Brewer who shot a 111 to tie for 20th place. Freshman Gabby Dowell and sophomore Jade Nielson finished with rounds of 117 and 126 which were good enough for 34th and 43rd place in the field of 54 golfers.
In the team competition, Rowland Hall claimed the state title with a score of 386 (98 over par). Monticello claimed fourth place with a 432 (144 over) behind Beaver (390 – 102 over) and Waterford (427 – 139 over) who placed second and third overall.
Coaches Nathan Chamberlain and Shane Brewer have to be pleased with how their team performed all season. As stated in previous articles, there was a lot of mystery and uncertainty surrounding these young players – many of whom had never played 18 holes going into the season.
For the team to win a region title and place fourth overall in 2A state answered some questions and set the girls up well to compete in 1A golf and perhaps a state championship next season.
Flying the coop
And with that, this is the final installment of the Bird Scoop. Our move to Utah County means that we can no longer effectively cover Monticello sports.
It’s been an honor and a lot of fun covering the Buckaroos and the good kids in the community for the San Juan Record these past few years and we appreciate everyone’s patience and support as we learned the ropes. Thanks!