By DAVE BELCHER
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Valley Track and Field teams hosted the Grant Bushman Invitational on Friday where 12 teams came to compete. The Boulder City boys walked away with a 131-130 team win over Moapa Valley. White Pine beat Mojave 128-124 on the girl’s side. The Moapa Valley girls finished sixth in the tournament with 47 points.
RJ Hubert came away as the big individual winner. He won the 100 meter with a time of 11.72, then won the 110 meter hurdles with a time of 14.94. In his next race he won the 300 meter hurdle beating Brooks Roe of Boulder City 41.28 to 41.47. In his fourth and final event Hubert won the high jump with a meet record jump of 6’6”.
RJ was named the Most Valuable Athlete for the Invite on the boy’s side.
Other Pirate athletes who placed high in their events were: Sterling Simmons 2nd place in the 200 meter run and another second in the 400 meters; Nathaniel Brill finished third in the 800 meters with
Jay Mortensen finishing fourth in the same race. Moapa Valley boy 4X400 meter relay team of Maximo Rubio, Jay Mortensen, Nathaniel Brill and Sterling Simmons finished second to Mojave. The 4X800 team of Mortensen, Nate Cox, Rubio and Brill finished third. Hunter Soderquist threw 117-08 in the Discus for third place while Jestyn Postma threw 115-10 for fourth.
On the girls side Natalie Mills finished second in the 300 meter hurdles while the girls 4X 800 meter relay team; made up of Signe Berg, Hailee Heiselbetz, Emma Thompson and Matilda Thompson; finished third.
Signe Berg finished third in the High Jump.
Earlier last week the track teams travelled to Spring Valley where the boy’s team finished first with 126 points over the Meadows 60, Spring Valley 41 and Laughlin 21. The girls finished third with 53 points. The girls winning team was Spring Valley with 88 points followed by The Meadows 81. Laughlin was finished fourth with 23 points.
Top finishers for the Pirates were Sterling Simmons with a third in the 200 meters, second in the 400 meters. Nathaniel Brill won the 800 meters and Jay Mortensen finished third in the same race.
The Pirates finished in the first six spots in the 1600 meters with Brill in first, Maximo Rubio second and Josh Lyon third. Taylor Landini was fourth, Arturo Garcia fifth and Shawn Beckstrand sixth.
In the 3200 meter Brill won it with Isaah Fairchild finishing second. Sam Bond won the 110 meter hurdles and the 300 meter hurdles. Hunter Soderquist placed third in the shotput then won the Discus with Jestyn Postma finishing second. Taylor Landini placed third in the high jump.
Caleb Witsken placed first in the pole vault and made a new school record of 15-06.25. The vault placed Witsken as the tenth highest vaulter in the nation. He competed in the Las Vegas classic and finished second vaulting 14 feet.
Witsken also finished first in the long jump with an 18-1 effort.
On the girls side Matilda Thompson finished first in the 800 meters and the 1600 meters. Brynne McMurray was first in the 3200 with Emma Thompson second. Natalie Mills was first in the 300 meter hurdles and second in the 100 meter hurdles. Signe Berg placed second in the high jump.
The Pirates will have spring break off then host a mid-week meet on Wednesday next week.
