High jump win helps Mojave boys eke out title

Both of Saturday’s Division I-A track regionals at Sunrise Mountain came down to the final event.

And in the boys meet, the high jump turned into high drama.

Chaparral led the meet with 87 points, with Sunrise Mountain (84) and Mojave (79) right behind.

Mojave’s Jalon Dean won the event with a mark of 6 feet, 3 inches, and teammate DeRoderick Kilgore jumped 5-10 to tie for fourth. That was enough for the Rattlers to edge Chaparral, 93½-93. Sunrise Mountain finished with 87.

It was redemption for Dean, one of the top hurdlers in Southern Nevada. He won the 300 hurdles Friday and was expected to win the 110 hurdles Saturday. But he was disqualified for a false start, and it looked like Mojave’s chances of winning the regional went with it.

But Dean is also a high jumper, and his win helped seal the victory for the Rattlers.

Chaparral thrower William Hernandez won the discus Saturday (154-11) to go along with his win in the shot put Friday.

“Good conditions to throw today, the right amount of wind,” Hernandez said. “It was not as good as I had hoped, but I’m happy with the win.”

But it wasn’t enough to win the meet for the Cowboys.

Desert Pines’ Abdirahman Mohamad came from behind to overtake teammate Shi-Quan Nettingham in the 1,600 with a time of 4:42.6. Mohamad won the 800 (1:59.5) on Friday.

Mark Rubalcaba of Faith Lutheran, winner of the triple jump on Friday, won the long jump (22-2½).

Faith Lutheran’s girls entered Saturday with a 22-point lead over Pahrump Valley. By the time the final event of the day came up, that lead was down to four.

The Crusaders won the 1,600 relay in 3:59.29 to finish with 160 points. Pahrump finished with 152.

“On paper we were supposed to win by 30,” Faith Lutheran coach Rick Baird said. “(Pahrump) made it close. We had a few problems, but a lot of girls came through for us.”

Faith Lutheran’s Clarissa Maxey, who won the 200 on Friday, ran 12.16 to win the 100 on Saturday.

Pahrump’s Amanda Head, winner of the discus on Friday, also won the shot put (36-8). Teammate Sydney Sladek followed up her win in the 1,600 by leading from the gun and cruising in the 800 (2:20.05).

Laughlin’s Anthony Escarzaga won the 1,600 (4:59.55) after winning the 3,200 on Friday to help the Cougars hold on for the Division III boys team title with 146 points, edging The Meadows (137).

Spring Mountain won the Division IV boys meet with 210 points.

White Pine’s girls pulled out an easy win in the Division III meet with 213 points, and Beatty’s girls dominated the Division IV meet, scoring 314 points to finish 195 points ahead of second-place Lund.