Tigers compete at state meet

Members of the high school track and field team pose for a group photo before they left for the state finals.

Mountain Home sent seven boys and four girls to the 4A State Track & Field Championships at Dona Larsen Park in Boise over the past weekend.

The Tiger boys placed in seven events to score 38 points, good for seventh place behind Skyview, which won the meet with 77.33 points.

AJ Daniels placed in all four events in which he was entered. The 4x100-meter relay team of Daniels, Sam Benzie, Chance Llewellyn and Jonathan Deese finished second.

Daniels was third in the 200-meter dash. He, along with Jacob Ryan, Chance Llewellyn and Jonathan Deese, finished fifth in the 4x200-meter relay. Daniels was seventh in the 100-meter dash.

Ryan Eckstrom placed in two of the three events he entered. He finished second in the 110-meter high hurdles, and was fourth in the 300-meter hurdles. He was also entered in the pole vault but failed to place.

Cody Boguslawski was the other Tiger to place, as he came in fourth in the discus.

Sam Benzie had qualified in the 100 meters, but failed to make the finals and Jonathan Deese had qualified in the 200 meters but also failed to make the finals.

Mountain Home sent four girls to state in four events, but only one placed. Willow Freer tied for fourth in the pole vault to earn Mountain Home 4.5 points, which tied them for 20th. Rigby ran away with the girls competition, scoring 131.5 points.

Makena Carson qualified for state in the 100-meter high hurdles, but failed to make the finals.

Sable Lohmeier competed in the discus but didn't place, and Alexandra Tatum competed in the long jump, but did not place.

Tigers head track coach Rich Urquidi was pleased with the efforts by the 11 state qualifiers.

"All the coaches felt our 11 athletes had a great state meet," he said. "Eight of our 11 athletes brought home a medal, and a few had multiple medals. All but three will be back for another run at state next year, so that experience of a state meet is invaluable.

"As always, we are looking to have another great season next year, with a solid core of athletes coming back," Urquidi added. "It is always hard to lose our seniors, but many of them have left the bar high for our younger athletes to follow."