Fresh off a victory at the Sacramento Valley League finals, the Pierce varsity boys track team turned in another strong outing on May 13 at the divisional meet in Cottonwood, where they finished second in the team competition and qualified for five events at the Northern Section Championship this Friday.
Leading the Bears’ effort was double winner Sebastian Ambriz, who captured the 200 meters in a time of 23.53 as well as the 300 meter hurdles with a 45.90 effort.
Alexis Palomares outdistanced the field in the 400 meters with a winning run of 52.68, while Daniel Gonzalez took first in the long jump, setting a personal record with a mark of 19-08.5.
Yet, the most intriguing win for the Bears may have been in the 4 x 100 relay where they turned in the third fastest time in the section this season, a 44.31, to finish a full three seconds ahead of second place Trinity.
The team, comprised of Anival Barriga-Solorio, Ambriz, Palomares, and Gonzalez, has been steadily improving, shaving over four-tenths off the time it ran at the SVL finals, with only Pleasant Valley and Enterprise, who will also complete in the meet on Friday, having been faster.
Colusa also had an individual qualify for the section finals, as Neo Harter won the 110 meter hurdles in a time of 18.75.
Additionally, the RedHawks finished as the top Frosh/Soph girls team, edging Pierce by just eight points, while Williams was the runner-up among the Frosh/Soph boys.
Qualifying athletes will reconvene at West Valley High School in Cottonwood on Friday, where the section’s best compete for berths to the state championships held next week. ■
