McQueen holds off Western to nab title

RENO -- The snow began to swirl as the runners moved en masse to the starting line for the girls 1,600-meter relay Saturday at the Class 4A state track meet at Damonte Ranch High School.

With the team title on the line between Western and McQueen, perhaps the wintry weather was an omen.

Seeded eighth in the final event of the meet with a qualifying time that was more than 11 seconds slower than Western's, McQueen surprised the field with a first-place finish in a time of 3:55.55 to clinch the team title and complete the school's sweep of the large-school division. McQueen finished with 72 points, and Western and Reno tied for second with 62.

Western entered the final event trailing McQueen and Reno by eight points. With Western seeded first, McQueen eighth and Reno without a team in the race, Western needed form to hold to win the meet.

It didn't happen, but Western coach Freddy Morrison said he wasn't disappointed because he didn't think his team had a chance to win the title.

"We know we didn't have enough people in the events, so I wasn't even thinking the state championship," he said. "We only have six girls, so we performed the best we can. If the chips fall or don't fall, we just ride it."

Southern athletes won five of Saturday's nine events.

After winning the discus Friday, sophomore Avione Allgood of Legacy made it a clean sweep of the throwing events, winning the shot put with a throw of 43 feet, 4½ inches.

Even though she said the shot put is her better event, Allgood said having won the discus Friday didn't lessen her nerves for Saturday's shot put competition.

"I still was nervous today," she said.

Centennial's Karli Johonnot, the only Southern 4A girl in four individual events, joined Allgood as a two-event winner by wining the 300 hurdles in 45.01 seconds.

Johonnot, who won the high jump Friday, said she was more determined than usual for Saturday's 300 hurdles after hitting the final hurdle and finishing second in the 100 hurdles Friday.

"That last hurdle, I wasn't going to let it happen again like the 100 hurdles," Johonnot said. "I'm pretty satisfied, I guess you could say."

Rancho senior Aisha Momodu won the 100 in the closest race of the day, winning in 12.31, .03 seconds ahead of Legacy's Darriel Banks.

Western's 400 relay team of Antoinette Garrett, Tierra Tyler, Paradise Sanders and Loren Jackson took first place in 48.42, and Anne Underwood of Valley won the 800 in 2:18.89.

Underwood was so focused on her own steps, she wasn't sure if she had won when she crossed the finish line almost a second ahead of Reno's Erika Root.

"I just was focusing on the finish line," she said. "I had to look around, because I thought the girl was right on my back, so I wasn't sure maybe if she crossed with me or not. I couldn't really actually believe that I did it."