Bryant boys track team finally gets to compete
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SHERIDAN — Just a week before prelims for the 7A-Central Conference championships, the Bryant Hornets finally got a run a track meet with a full contingent and good weather.
And the results were promising to head coach Steve Oury.
“This was our best meet of the season so far,” he said.
The Hornets scored 88 points to finish behind only Conway and Watson Chapel in the 15-team meet.
Seniors Jason Pelletier and Ben Griffin led the scoring by finishing 1-2 in the pole vault for 18 points. Pelletier’s winning height was 15-0 while Griffin scored a new personal record, clearing 14 feet, becoming the fourth Hornet vaulter to clear the 14-foot barrier.
Zach Orick reached new personal records in both the shot put and the discus for the Hornets. His 130-foot effort in the discus was good enough for second place, while his throw of 44-4 in the shot put placed him fourth.
“It was nice to see Ben finally clear 14 feet, and it was also great to see Zach throw so well in the shot and the discus,” Oury said.
Daniel Hall contributed second-place points in the 400 with a time of 51.3. He then joined Pelletier, Homer Coleman and Chris Brooks to turn in a third-place time in the 400 meter relay (44.18) as well as Coleman, Brooks and Joey Fuoco in the 1600 meter relay, turning in a 3:38 clocking to garner third.
Coleman picked up fourth-place points in the 400, running a 52.74, as did Fuoco in the 1600 (4:51) and Todd McAdoo in the 3200 (10:51).
Fifth-place finishes were turned in by Hall in the 100 (11.6), Brooks in the 200 (23.4) and Ben Higgs in the 3200 (11:07).
Logan Howard’s 2:11 in the 800 was good for sixth-place points with Aaron Rice, Nick Pultro, Jacob Clark and John Bacon teaming up on a time of 9:30 in the 3200 meter relay to add sixth-place points as well.
Griffin contributed a seventh-place finish in the 110 hurdles (17.09) with Logan Parker eighth in the discus (97-0) and Cody Fiser eighth in the 1600 (5:17).
“Homer Coleman is really coming around in the 400 meter dash, as is Chris Brooks in the 200,” Oury mentioned.
“We are going to keep working hard in preparation for the conference and state meets,” he concluded.
The previous week, a group of Hornets competed at the Wal-Mart Invitational in Cabot or at the John McDonnell Invitational at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.
With several of the Hornets’ top scorers not competing due to their participation in the school play, Bryant placed 15th out of 26 teams in Cabot with Hall providing a highlight with a second-place finish in the 400, setting a personal record at 51.16.
McAdoo ran 7th in the 800 (2:05) and Drew Persinger was seventh in the pole vault (12-0). The 400 meter relay team of Andrew Burney, Hall, Coleman and Brooks ran eighth (44.74).
In Fayetteville, Pelletier won the pole vault, clearing 15-6 with Griffin fifth, going over at 12-6.
Hall bested the p.r. he set the day before in the 400, running a 51.15 and taking second once again.
Other competitors for the Hornets in Fayetteville included Joey Fuoco in the 1600 meter run (7th in 4:47), Ben Higgs in the 1600 meter run (8th in 4:47), Logan Howard in the 1600 meter run (4:58), Todd McAdoo in the 1600 meter run (4:59), Homer Coleman in the 400 meter dash (53.20), Chris Brooks in the 100 meter dash (11.54), and Jacob Clark in the 3200 meter run (11:09).
“It was certainly nice to get some meets under our belt,” Oury said. “The Cabot meet saw several nice performances. Daniel Hall is starting to hit his stride in the 400 meter dash. I was proud of Drew Persinger for getting a new personal record in the pole vault, and Todd McAdoo did a nice job in the 800.
“The Fayetteville meet was a real treat for our athletes,” he added. “The facility up their is unbelievable. Not only is the track the best there is, but the kids had an opportunity to watch the collegiate races which were being held in conjunction with the high school meet.”
“Jason Pelletier and Ben Griffin both did a good job considering they have been in the school play and had performed earlier in the day before heading up to Fayetteville,” Oury noted. “Daniel did a good job again in the 400, and our distance runners got some races under their belts, which is what they need after missing so many meets.”
