PHS junior sets school high jump record; boys stay consistent

LOVELL — Anissa Warner couldn’t wait to call her aunt Saturday afternoon.

The Powell High School junior ended her day at the Lovell Invitational at Lovell High School as the Lady Panthers’ new high jump record holder. Her leap of 5 feet, 4.25 inches was a quarter-inch higher than the previous record, set by Warner’s aunt, Kim Heny, in 1996.

“I’m so excited right now, I can’t wait to tell her,” Warner said moments after her achievement. “I’ve wanted this for a long time.”

Warner later fell short trying to clear 5-5, but is convinced upper limits could be in her future.

“This really has me confident going forward,” she added. “I’m starting to feel really good and can’t wait for the rest of the season.”

PHS head coach Scott Smith said, “I wouldn’t be surprised at all,” when asked if Warner could break her own record. Smith added: “She’s still improving — she’s still coming back from (left knee) surgery and she’s only going to get faster and stronger. She has a really bright future.”

Warner’s performance was just one of many bright spots for the Lady Panthers. Team scores for both boys and girls teams were not provided by Lovell officials, but several of Smith’s female athletes enjoyed top-five finishes.

Junior Danna Hanks posted her fastest time of the year in the 100-meter hurdles, winning the event in 16.31. That time would’ve given Hanks a victory last week in Powell, where she fell to Cody senior and defending Class 3A champion Emily Reed (16.32). Reed was absent Saturday. Hanks added a runner-up performance in the 200-meter dash (28.95) and a third-place finish in the long jump (15-03.50). Warner finished second in the long jump (15-04) while Lexee Craig finished fourth (15 feet even). In the triple jump, freshman McKenna Hanson finished third with a leap of 31-07.25.

In the 400-meter dash, senior SarahJean O’Neill placed a close second with a time of 1:03.03. Mishayla Waltari of Cody won it in 1:02.36. O’Neill’s younger sister, freshman Julia Kay O’Neill, grabbed another victory in the 800 run, recording a time of 2:24.97.

In the 1,600 run, sophomore Teo Faulkner fell 10 seconds shy of a win with her runner-up time of 5:57.03. Senior Gretchen Morretti followed with her fifth-place time of 6:22.59. In the 3,200 run, freshman Emma Andreason took second in 13:38.77.

The Lady Panthers’ 4x100 relay team placed third (55.23), as did its 4x400 team (4:43.61).

Sophomore Jen Bonander led the Lady Panther throwers with a fifth-place outing in the discus, recording a distance of 91-03.75.

“I think overall our runners are just showing vast improvements and consistency,” Smith said. “Times are getting better, and they’re really putting themselves in a good position.”

About the throwers, Smith added: “Some kids have a good performance, and then you never see it again, but the throwers are doing a great job of being consistent and improving. They’ve really come a long way from where they were at our first meet.”

Throwers again pace Panther boys

Led by senior Riley Stringer, the PHS boys team got another big boost from its discus and shot-put competitors on Saturday.

For the first time this season, Stringer won both throwing events, edging Calder Forcella (Greybull) in the discus and Panther senior teammate Carter Baxter in the shot put. Stringer posted a distance of 126-07 in the discus and a personal-record 52-02.50 in the shot put. Baxter finished behind Stringer with a 49-06.50.  PHS senior Matt Walsh finished behind Stringer in the discus with a heave of 123-02.

“The constant improvement has been really exciting,” Smith said. “The other thing is, really within the boys, we’ve had five different boys place at meets in the throws, and two others who have come really close. Not only are they competing well against other schools, they’re competing well against each other.”

Junior Cody Akin grabbed a third-place finish in the 1,600 (4:54.91) and fourth in the 800 (2:15.65). In the 3,200 run, junior Ezra Andreason finished fourth with a time of 12:01.69, while sophomore Matthew Waite placed fifth in 12:14.87. Junior Jackson Griffin nabbed fourth in the 400 (55.76). The Panthers’ 4x400 relay team used a time of 3:51.78 to place second.

Sophomore Nate MaGill finished fifth in the triple jump after reaching 38-10.25.

In the pole vault, sophomore Garrett Henderson improved by more than a foot with a height of 10-06. At the L.A. Kohnke Invitational on April 11, Henderson reached 9 feet flat, making his Saturday performance all the better for coach Smith.

“He’s really starting to look good,” Smith said. “He’s working himself up to looking like he could be a good point scorer for us.”

The PHS tracksters will travel to Sheridan for the Dan Hansen Invitational at  9 a.m. Saturday. The meet will be the biggest, and likely toughest, for the Panthers so far this season.

“It’s going to be good competition; a lot of schools will be there: Casper schools, Sheridan, Gillette, some schools from Montana,” Smith said. “It’s a chance to see a lot of new faces and just compete against some of the best athletes in the state.

“It’s going to be a different atmosphere for the kids. Most of our meets have been eight to 10 teams, and this event should probably be triple that amount. It’ll give us a good taste of what it’s going to be like at state.”