by Mike Millson

CLINTON – The Cazenovia varsity boys outdoor track team took third place out of 21 schools at the 29th annual Junkyard Relays at Clinton High School last Saturday, behind Rome Free Academy and Clinton.

Most track meets don’t need an explanation, but the Junkyard Relays is a unique meet, where every event is a team event. The times/distances of the top finishers in “individual” events are combined into a team time/distance.

There are a lot of different relays, some with very specific entry requirements (e.g. ninth graders only). Some are not found at any other meet – for example, the 4×100 meter relay for weight throwers where a pepperoni stick is used as a baton, and the winning team gets a pizza. There is even a musical chairs competition for coaches (non-scoring). The result is a lot of fun and more kids contributing to their team’s success.

As has been a common theme this season, weather was a factor. It wasn’t the wind and rain and cold experienced at the OHSL Liberty small school meet five days prior. Instead, temperatures soared to 91 degrees and bright sun beat down on the competitors the entire afternoon, making heat exhaustion and sunburn serious concerns.

The Lakers won two events. Elijah Clement, Andrew Lee, Cassidy Gilmore, and Andrew Kent were well ahead of the competition in the 1,000 (1-2-3-4) sprint medley Relay in a time of 2 minutes 4.83 seconds, just missing a national qualifying standard but setting another  school record, Gilmore also teamed with Willem Light-Olson, Killian Blouin, and Will Austin to win the Distance Medley Relay (8-4-12-16) in 12:30.21.

There were many second place finishes on the day. Perhaps the most notable was the 4×1,600 meter relay team of Austin, Gllmore, Branden McColm and J.D Dolly, Austin, and Gilmore, who came in second place in a combined time of 15:72.2, setting a school record. Dolly had a personal record time of 5:24.4.

The 4×200 meter relay team of Lee, Gilmore, Jaden Kapla and, Dan Millson had the misfortune of not being in the same heat as the winner, Clinton. Despite having the same time (1:38.54), it was determined that Clinton was the winner by six-thousandths of a second.

The 4×400 meter relay provided a lot of excitement, as Kaplan, Blouin, Kent, and Millson came in second place in 3:40.79. Kent ran a personal record split of 49.1  to make up a huge deficit and give the team a chance to win, but the Lakers couldn’t hold on.

The ninth grade 1,000 (1-2-3-4) sprint medley relay showed that there is a lot of young talent on the team. Kaplan teamed with Matthew Tugaw, Owen Woodworth, and Trey Thorton to take second place in 2:23.39.

Cazenovia also took second place in the light weight shot put (competitors cannot weigh more than 135 pounds). Blouin combined with Lee and Gabe Sanchez for a total distance of 78 feet 5 inches.

Sam Wilcox attempted the javelin for the first time and showed he has a very strong arm and natural talent, throwing 108 feet, the longest throw of any of the 59 competitors. Wilcox combined with Quinn Smith and Mathew Tuggaw to take third place with a combined distance of 245’8”.

Blouin set a personal record of 9’7” in the pole vault and combined with Clement and Wilcox for third place with a combined height of 26’9”. Woodworth, McColm, Dolly, and Austin came in fourth place in the 4×800 meter relay in 9:40.81.

Smith, Millson, Kaplan, and Woodworth took fourth place in the 1600 (4-2-2-8) Sprint Medley in 4:07.16. Connor Frisbie, Dolly, and Light-Olson combined for a distance of 98’4.5” for fifth place in the triple jump.

Aidan Bailey, Joseph Diana, Clement, and Wilcox came in sixth place in the 4×100 meter weight throwers relay in 55.14 seconds.

Frisbie, Smith, and Aiden Harig took seventh place in the high jump with a combined height of 14’9”, while Frisbie, Smith, and Matthew Tugaw came in seventh place in the long jump with a combined distance of 46’8.25”.

Clement, Wilcox, and Diana took seventh place in the discus throw with a combined distance of 252’11”. Wilcox set a personal record with his throw of 92’5”.

Frisbie and Harig set personal records in the 110 meter hurdles, 18.26 and 20.21 seconds respectively, and combined with Light-Olson to take eight place in a combined time of 1:00.51,. Harig, Tugaw, and Brayden Weismore took eighth place in the 3×400 meter shuttle hurdle relay in 3:37.41.

While the Lakers did not earn any points in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, McColm and Blaze Dannan showed their toughness in the extreme heat, with Dannen setting a personal record of 15:29.3 and the team having a combined time of 28:08.1.