By Carter Sampson
I generally try to avoid watching other people run on an Arizona afternoon, but the TPA runners make the state meet an enjoyable day, even with the sun constantly beating down on the observers. The Knights had a fairly small number of athletes in the state finals, but they definitely left their mark in the standings. Their desire to compete earned them personal success and capped a great track season.
The lone male Knight in the finals, Ahmad Jones, finished off his high school track career with a second place finish in the 300m hurdles final, setting his own personal record. He said, “Knowing that this was my last state meet, it really helped me to perform my best. I think a lot of why I did so well was because I knew this was my last time and I wanted to leave with no regrets and so I left it all on the track.” Ahmad also made friends with a runner from Thatcher who he competed with in the 300m. TPA track is going to miss Ahmad’s speed and personality.
Kat Camberg also represented the senior class for TPA. After spending most of the season out with an injury, she managed to overcome her challenges to make the state meet in pole vault. Even more impressively, she earned 4th place in the state with a 9-foot jump.
Younger runners also showed out for the Knights. Morgan Cryder made the finals in both the 100m and 300m hurdles. She also led the girls 4 by 100 and 4 by 400 relays, which finished third and fifth in the state respectively. The 4 by 100 squad also set a new school record in the state meet, showing how hard those girls worked.
The girls’ success especially reached into the freshman and sophomore classes. Freshman Allie Youngs finished an incredible third in the high jump finals. Lauren Casey complemented her work on the relay teams with a fourth place finish in the 200m sprint and fifth place in the 100m dash. Jatzia Felix also added on to the success with second place in the long jump, earning silver while still just a sophomore.
Lauren said of the state meet, “I think it’s all nerve racking but also very exciting. Running against girls that you know are all great runners really pushes you to do your best. Crossing the finish line and getting that medal is such a great feeling because you know you ran your hardest and that all the work of the season has paid off.”
The Knights battled hard throughout the weekend to represent our school well. We are proud of their work and the way it paid off. The future is bright for the track team, thanks to the work of this year’s seniors. Go Knights!
