For the more superstitious people, the No. 13 probably doesn’t bring a lot of positive thoughts. But when Sedona Red Rock High School’s track and field team traveled to Lakeside for the Blue Ridge Invitational on Saturday, April 3, 13 was a lucky number.
If the Scorpions were fatigued from the three-hour drive to Lakeside and the fact that they had competed in the Marauder Early Qualifier at Mingus only two days before, it didn’t show. Sedona athletes combined for 13 personal records.
“I think the team is doing really well,” SRRHS junior Odin McGinnes said of the meet. “We’re really coming together. A lot of people are getting PRs and a lot of people are starting to get the idea that it’s really more about your own improvement rather than just placing.”
Senior Eric Schrader and sophomore Sophia Redondo both led the way for the Scorpions, setting a pair of personal records each. Schrader’s PRs came in the boys javelin [93-07] and pole vault [13 flat]. His distance in the latter event was also good enough for a second place. Redondo, meanwhile, had her PRs in the girls 100 and 200 meter sprints, running 14.97 in the 100 and 32.22 in the 200.
Senior Tiana Trujillo also set a PR in the girls 200 meter race, finishing in 28.87. In the boys javelin, McGinnes’ distance of 130-05 was not only a personal record but also a school record.
“That was really good,” McGinnes said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t place but at the end of the day, it’s kind of all about me. I try not to think about standings or placements. I just try to think about my improvement from Week 1 to Week 2.”
In the girls 800 meter race, Sedona teammates sophomore Jackie Palmer [2:39.89] and freshman Skyla Bird [2:50.85] both set PRs. Other SRRHS personal records were set by freshman Dylan Beck [15.94] in the boys 100 meters, junior Louise “Breezy” Taylor [6:27.66] in the girls 1600 meters, sophomore Bella Williams [28-01.00] in the girls triple jump and freshman Leila Bradley [47-03] and senior Tory Ferguson [52-07] in the girls discus and javelin events, respectively.
In addition to the 13 personal records, the Scorpions set four season records. Those were Trujilo in the girls 100 meters [13.98], Schrader in the boys 200 meters [25.09], and senior Courtney Hansen in the girls shot put [30-10.50] and discus [94-06].
“I did well in discus — I got second place,” Hansen said. “It was a good throw and it felt good. It wasn’t a PR but it was better than what I had been doing. In shot put, it was a disappointment but I also learned from it. I ended up in fifth in that, which isn’t the best but now I know what I need to work on during practice.”
Next up for the Scorpions is their lone home meet of the season, the Sedona Invitational. That will be held on Saturday, April 10, with the first events scheduled to get underway at 10 a.m.
Sedona is now three meets into its season. Including Saturday’s home meet, there are seven meets left on the schedule. The Scorpions are upbeat about how well the season has materialized, thus far.
“Every team in Arizona and everywhere, really, has had a whole bummer of a year,” Hansen said. “With what we’re doing, I think we’re doing great. And a lot of people are in the top-15 in their division. I think we’re doing really well.”
