Pictured above, Mansfield’s Skylynn Harris enjoys success in the shot put arena.
Just as they finally figured out the inner workings of a track meet, it was over. The season for most of the rookie track and field athletes for Mansfield wrapped up with the Waldron Bulldog Relays on April 9.
Mansfield and its 30 person roster of seventh grade boys and girls had a good albeit short season. Now, several of those prep athletes will move onto the junior high district team.
The junior squad will be comprised of seventh, eighth, and ninth graders by the time they participate in the 3A Region 1 West conference championship on April 18.
Throughout the seventh grade season, Mansfield coaches were evaluating the young lineup to see where they might fit into the existing junior high roster. With the prep schedule concluded at the Bulldog event, it looks as if around 15 players will advance to the junior title hunt.
Bolstering that roster will be shot put prodigy Skylnn Harris. At least three times this season either through a seventh grade meet or a junior high competition, the beginner thrower has broke the Mansfield junior high record.
Twice last week the record went done. On Monday, April 9 Harris tossed the shot 35’ 7.5” at the seventh grade Bulldog Relays. A day later she went 36’ 10.5” at the Junior High Bulldog Relays. Both improved a previous standard she set earlier in the season.
Harris won both competitions. She was also the top thrower in the discus (74’ 2”) in the seventh grade meet but dropped to second with a bigger throw (87’ 0.5”) in the junior high competition the following day.
Joining Harris in the move forward will be Natalie Allison, Olivia Bouse, Serenity Brunson, Cassidy Carlton, Lita Hecox, Madelen Jones, and Jadelynn Wood for the girls. On the boys’ side will be Branson Carver, Logan Cravey, Ashton Hinkle, Trenton Leroy, Kindel Noblitt, Tommy Phang, and Tyler Woolbright.
Allison has already seen action on the junior high squad as a regular in the triple jump. She will also compete in the pole vault as well as the 1600m and 800m races.
Jones similarly has moved up throughout most of the season. She has been among the Lady Tiger hurdler core. It was at the Bulldog prep meet that Jones won the 100m style hurdles at 18.20. She was also top four in the 300m style at 59.99.
Bouse and Wood have seen time at both divisions. Bouse has been a primary middle distance person. Wood has transitioned into a 300m hurdler.
Branson Carver has proved to be one of the faster Tigers for the men’s team. As of press time he also had posted one of the top two district high jump marks at 5’ 3”.
Carver along with Phang and Cravey have seen action in the older division. Phang and Cravey have done so mostly in the hurdles. Carver has been entered in the sprints, relays, and vertical jumps.
Hinkle won the seventh grade pole vault with a leap of 7’ 0”. He will move up for the Tiger district meet. Leroy, another pole vaulter, was fourth a Waldron with a 6’ 9” jump. He will move up as part of a four man vaulting team for Mansfield.
Woolbright took advantage of an opportunity when a member of the 4x400m relay was out with injury. Running the first leg, the seventh grader ran the fastest split at 1:08.
That number turned heads. Because of it, Mansfield staff invited Woolbright to enter the conference open 400m dash. He accepted.
Noblitt and Brunson will advance to triple jump for their respective teams at the junior high level. Carlton will give the 400m dash a go. Hecox will fill a need in the 100m dash.
