SHORELINE – For years, Nick Clovsky tried to convince Lorne Bridgford to expand his horizons.
Known as a blindingly fast running back in football, Bridgford repeatedly turned down Clovsky’s invitation to join the track team. But this spring, Clovsky, Cascade High School’s sprints coach, finally convinced the speedster to try something new.
The choice worked out quite nicely for both.
Bridgford ran a segment of Cascade’s first-place 400-meter relay Friday during a rain-soaked final day of the boys Northwest District 4A Track and Field Championships at Shoreline Stadium. Besides helping the Bruins win their second straight district title in the event, Bridgford contributed to the team’s meet-record time of 42.71 seconds.
“I’m real proud of the guys,” said Clovsky, who used his clout as Cascade’s running backs coach to recruit Bridgford to track. “This is a very fast field.”
Cascade improved on the record it tied last year (43.04), but Derek Sepe is the only returner from that group. The other members of this year’s team are Paul Heer and Julian Willis. All of them are football players and all are juniors.
Entering this week they had the fourth-fastest time in the state. The unit will soon have a chance to test themselves against Washington’s elite: The top three individual finishers and relay teams in each event at districts qualify for next week’s state championships in Pasco.
Joey Bywater won the 3,200-meter run for Lake Stevens, which scored 159 points to handily defeat runner-up Kamiak (92.5). The Vikings’ title is their second straight. Bywater propelled them by pulling off the distance double – he won the 1,600 Wednesday in meet-record time.
Mariner’s Nate Washington was somewhat of a surprise winner in the 100 dash. It’s his first year running sprints, but he looked like a veteran while taking the event in 11.1 seconds. Ashtin Mott of Lake Stevens was second (11.16). Later in the evening, Mott won the 200.
Washington, who owns Mariner’s school record in the pole vault, said he tried sprints this season to silence his buddies. “I had my friends making fun of me, saying I was always slow,” the senior said. “I had to come out and prove (them wrong). And now I’m the fastest guy on the team.”
Who’s laughing now?
Washington struggled in the pole vault on drizzly day, placing sixth. Kamiak’s Sean Beighton won it with a top vault of 14 feet, 6 inches.
Another meet record was generated by Stanwood’s Isaac Teichgrab. He zoomed to victory in the 400 in 49.4 seconds.
Here’s a roundup of other boys and teams who won district titles Friday: 110 hurdles: Jerrel Grant (Mariner) 15.27; 300 hurdles: Ali Al-Hussaini (Jackson) 40.58; 800: Josiah Cheslik (L. Stevens) 1:56.07; 1,600 relay: Lake Stevens, 3:25.44; javelin: Sean Bucy (Kamiak) 176-9; discus: Fono Vakalahi (Marysville-Pilchuck) 151-7; triple jump: Kyle Cho (Kamiak) 42-11.25.
At Shoreline Stadium
Final results (meet held Wednesday and Friday)
Team scores: 1. Lake Stevens 159 points, 2. Kamiak 92.5, 3. Mariner 83, 4. Marysville-Pilchuck 80, 5. Snohomish 66.5, 6. Jackson 64, 7. Cascade 55, 8. Stanwood 49, 9. Edmonds-Woodway 38, 10. Oak Harbor 33, 11. Shorewood 31, 12. Mountlake Terrace 26, 13. Monroe 4.
Top three to state
Finals completed Friday
110 hurdles-1. Grant (Mar) 15.27, 2. Laures (Stan) 15.53, 3. Al-Hussaini (Jack) 15.65; 100-1. Washington (Mar) 11.1, 2. Mott (LS) 11.16, 3. Green (Jack) 11.33; 400 relay-1. Cascade 42.71*, 2. Lake Stevens 42.91, 3. M-P 42.99; 400-1. Teichgrab (Stan) 49.4*, 2. Logue (Kam) 50.0, 3. Molstre (LS) 50.78; 300 hurdles-1. Al-Hussaini (Jack) 40.58, 2. Laures (Stan) 41.19, 3. Grant (Mar) 41.19; 800-1. Cheslik (LS) 1:56.07, 2. Goodman (Sno) 1:56.48, 3. Cooper (Kam) 1:58.18; 200-1. Mott (LS) 22.26, 2. Green (Jack) 22.59, 3. Sepe (Cas) 22.81; 3,200-1. Bywater (LS) 9:10.5, 2. Riek (Mar) 9:14.97, 3. Yilma (E-W) 9:26.48; 1,600 relay-1. Lake Stevens 3:25.44, 2. Shorewood 3:27.8, 3. Kamiak 3:28.05; Javelin-1. Bucy (Kam) 176-9, 2. York (M-P) 175-4, 3. Wells (MT) 173-0; Discus-1. Vakalahi (M-P) 151-7, 2. Neubauer (Sh) 150-3, 3. Kendo (C) 146-1; Triple jump-1. Cho (Kam) 42-11.25, 2. Johnson (Sno) 42-9, 3. Graham (LS) 42-2.75; Pole vault-1. Beighton (Kam) 14-6, 2. Simunds (Stan) 14-0, 3. Kilpatrick (Sno) 14-0.
Finals completed Wednesday
1,600-1. Bywater (LS) 4:10.73*, 2. Riek (Mar) 4:19.04, 3. Yilma (E-W) 4:22.06; High jump-1. Greenwood (E-W) 6-2, 2. Rumble (OH) 6-2, 3. LaPeyri (M-P) 6-0; Shot put-1. Hunter (OH) 54-4.5, 2. Anderson (Sno) 51-1, 3. Kirisu (LS) 50-10; Long jump-1. McMurray (LS) 22-2.5*, 2. Cho (Kam) 21-6, 3. Gruger (Sh) 21-5.25.
*Meet record
**Tied meet record
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