Davis holds narrow state 5A lead

PROVO — With the first day of the state track and field championships in the books, it turned out to be a memorable day for some, and rather forgettable for others.

Just about everything went right for Box Elder and Judge Memorial, who lead the 4A and 3A team races after the first day of competition at BYU. Davis leads 5A by one point over Viewmont with 27.5 points. Juab is in front in 2A with 48 points, while Panguitch leads 1A with 35.5 points.

Although some athletes had top performances, including a pair of new classification records, a day full of false starts, disqualifications and shattered hopes may be what some walk away with this weekend.

In seemingly every race, an athlete was disqualified for jumping the gun and false starting, resulting in an automatic disqualification. As a result, other athletes were more cautious coming out of the blocks. Caution notwithstanding, however, Timpview's 4x100-meter relay team still blazed to a new 4A record in 42.41 seconds, setting the scene for perhaps an even bigger run today.

5A: The Darts got started quickly in their efforts to reclaim the state crown, as senior Jared Ward beat out Skyline's Steven Clark for first place in the 1,600-meter run in a time of 4:17.78, giving the Darts the sweep in the boys' and girls' mile races. Davis' Bryce Hall was victorious in the discus, giving his side an added edge.

Lone Peak's Aaron Kay was first in the pole vault, clearing a height of 14 feet, 6 inches to edge Mountain View's Bobby Kittell (14-06) and Mike Davis (14-00). Viewmont's Ryker Morgan triumphed in the high jump with a clearance of 6 feet, 6 inches. Timpanogos turned in the day's fastest 400-meter relay time, finishing in 41.94 seconds, a mark the T-wolves hope to better today.

4A: Box Elder came away with the obvious edge over defending champion Timpview in the field events, particularly in the discus, where the Bees came up with 23 points to Timpview's zero. Curtis Cosgrove won the event for Box Elder, giving the Bees the early advantage in the team race. Timpview, however, will look to garner a number of points on the track today, particularly in the sprints with their 4x100 meter relay crew and junior Tyler Goodwin (200).

Mountain Crest's Justin Hedin successfully defended his state-title in the 1,600 with a winning time of 4:16.64. Bonneville's Justin Anderson took the high jump (6-6).