Oscar Herrera exemplifies the payoff of four years of hard work.
Clayton Willis hasn’t been around long enough to have a career to look back on. Only a freshman, he’s already making his second state appearance, and he’s looking to add to the two medals he had already earned.
As is Herrera, who also reached the podium twice in 2015.
Both Herrera, a Sequim senior, and Willis of Clallam Bay carry top seeds into their respective classification’s state track and field meets, which start today.
Herrera is competing in three events at his fourth Class 2A state track and field meet at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.
“He’s gone to state every year,” Sequim track and field coach Brad Moore said.
“What I really appreciate is he’s a hard worker. He’s a really dedicated kid, not only during the season, but the offseason as well.
“He puts in time to lift weights and train. And it’s paying off.”
Herrera has been running the 110- and 300- hurdles all four of his high school years. He didn’t qualify for state in hurdles as a freshman, but competed in the 4×400 relay.
As a sophomore, he made it to state in the hurdles, but just missed the podium, placing ninth in the 300 and 10th in the 110.
Last year, Herrera made the podium in both events with a fourth-place finish in the 300 hurdles and sixth-place in 110. He also helped the Wolves come from out of nowhere and win the 4×400 relay state championship.
This season, he’s among the elite in both hurdles. His seeding times, which are what he ran at districts, rank first in the 300 and third in the 110.
At the District 2/3 meet last week, he beat River Ridge’s Josh Braverman in the 110 hurdles. Braverman has 2A’s best time in both hurdles this season.
“It’s an exciting matchup for us, based on the district performances,” Moore said.
“[Herrera is] a senior kid, he’s got a chance, he’s sitting right there at the top. It’s pretty dang cool, to say the least.”
Herrera also broke the Sequim record in the 110 at districts, his time of 38.35 seconds surpassing the 2004 mark of James Brabant (38.39).
Moore said Herrera can run even faster than he did at districts.
“I think he can get in the 37[-second range],” Moore said.
“It wasn’t a perfect race. He had minor little stutter-steps on a couple hurdles.
“If he runs a perfect race, he’s going to run 37.”
Taking about Willis
As an eighth-grader last year, Willis earned medals at the 1B meet in the long jump (third) and high jump (sixth), and placed 11th in the 100-meter dash.
He’s back at Eastern Washington University this year in the 400, long jump and triple jump. He’s seeded fourth in the 400 and triple jump. In the long jump, he’s first.
Willis also is tied with Kickitat’s Easton Atchley for the best long jump in 1B this season, 20 feet, 3 inches.
So expectations are high.
“We’re not really expecting it. We’re hopeful,” Clallam Bay track and field coach Aaron Burdette said.
“He’s sitting in a good spot right now, coming in No. 1. But we don’t talk like that. It’s, ‘Hey, go in there and do your best.’”
Burdette said that mental preparation will be crucial to Willis’ success at state. And Willis is starting to realize that.
He was chatting up his fellow long jumpers at the district meet until the Bruins coaches got after him.
Willis turned his attention to the event and jumped 20-02.25, only the second 20-foot jump of the season.
“When you’ve got an athlete that’s that talented, when you’re that good, it’s easy to get kind of lost,” Burdette said.
“He’s got to stay focused, stay in the moment.
“The sky’s the limit with that kid.”
Willis also will compete in the 4×400 relay with fellow freshman Jamari Signor and seniors Alan Greene and Martin Cummings.
Willis could have qualified for state in other individual events — the high jump, 100, 200 or even the 1,600 — but instead decided to run the relay.
“Clayton and those guys kind of got together and said, ‘There’s two seniors here, let’s put a 4×400 together and see if we can get a state relay team,” Burdette said.
Here is more to watch for at the 2A, 1A and 1B state track and field meets:
Class 2A Sequim
Joining Herrera at state are other Wolves with extensive state experience.
Jackson Oliver (boys high jump) and Waverly Shreffler (girls 800) are chasing their second straight podium finishes.
Shreffler also will be part of the 4×400 relay that is going for its second consecutive medal, and the 4×200. The latter relay, with Gretchen Happe, Mercedes Woods, Emma Beeson and Shreffler, set a new school record last week with a time of 1:48.05.
Sequim also will have newcomers, such as Elizabeth Sweet competing in the pole vault after setting a new school freshman record of 9-06 last week.
“She’s got a lot of upside,” Sequim coach Brad Moore said. “She’s going to do some fantastic things before she’s done.”
■ State participants—Boys: Oliver, 800 and high jump; Herrera, 110 and 300 hurdles; 4×200 relay (Logan Habner, Curtis Gorr, Herrera, Silas Isenberger, Jackson Oliver, Kane Stoddard).
Girls: Shreffler, 800; Audrey Shingleton, 800; Elizabeth Sweet, pole vault; 4×200 (Happe, Woods, Kiara Pierson, Shreffler, Beeson, Telicia Busby); 4×400 (Happe, Woods, Kiara Pierson, Shreffler, Shingleton, Beeson).
Port Angeles
“For the boys, it was mainly to get there,” Roughriders coach Bill Tiderman said.
“Their goal is to go state and get a personal best.”
Senior pole vaulter Ari Athair also will be going for a school best. Athair’s best mark is 13 feet at last week’s district meet, which is within striking distance of Larry Grauberger’s 13-04.5 record, which was set in 1979.
Port Angeles’ lone girl, sophomore Gracie Long, is looking to again reach the podium in the 1,600 and 3,200.
“Gracie is Gracie,” Tiderman said. “You know she’s going to compete as hard as she can.”
■ State participants—Boys: Jacob Kennedy, shot put; Paul Van Rossen, discus; Athair, pole vault.
Girls: Long, 1,600, 3,200, high jump.
Class 1A
Port Townsend
Only a freshman, Aubry Botkin enters state at Eastern Washington University seeded second in the 100 hurdles.
It’s a distant second, though, so Botkin likely will be among a pack of hurdlers battling for second.
“Aubry’s in a close race with several others,” Port Townsend coach Ian Fraser said.
“She’s responded well to competition in the past. Each time she’s been in a race with girls favored ahead of her, she’s done really well.”
■ State participants—Boys: Koby Weidner, 100, 200; Seren Dances, 100, 200, long jump; River Yearian, 800; Jake Vande Griend, 1,600, 3,200; 4×100 (Weidner, Dances, Carson Marx, Kyle Blankenship, River Yearian, Alex Brown); 4×400 (Weidner, Yearian, Marx, Blankenship, Dances, Vande Greind).
Girls: Ally Bradley, 3,200; Aubry Botkin, 100 and 300 hurdles; Shenoa Snyder, discus; Eileen Leoso, triple jump; 4×100 (Leoso, Botkin, Brenna Franklin, Ari Winter, Sira Wines, Karlee Kellogg).
Forks
The Spartans have two seniors, a sophomore and a freshman going to state. And for the first time in Pam Gale’s coaching career, no girls.
Cole Baysinger, the sophomore, enters state with the best shot at the podium. He’s seeded sixth in the high jump.
“I’m hoping he’ll walk in Cheney and jump 6 feet,” Gale said.
■ State participants—Boys: Austin Pegram, 400; Alan Ensastegui, 1,600, 3,200; Josue Lucas, 3,200; Baysinger, high jump, discus.
Chimacum
The Cowboys have 14 kids going to the state meet this year.
“This is the most that I’ve ever taken,” coach Tony Haddenham said.
“This is the most that have been taken to the state meet in the 15 years I’ve been at Chimacum High School.”
The boys 4×100 relay is close to breaking a school record and will aim to break it at Eastern Washington this weekend.
■ State participants—Boys: Sam Golden, 100 and 300 hurdles; Trevon Noel, shot put; Chris Sevilla, javelin; Matt Torres, high jump; 4×100 (Ryan Caldwell, Jadyn Roberts, Eoin Hartnett, Domenick Zack, David Johnson, Torres).
Girls: Jada Trafton, 100; Bailey Castillo, javelin; 4×200 (Trafton, Castillo, Juliet Alban Vallat, Sammy Raines, Clara Noble).
Class 1B
Neah Bay
The Red Devils have some new looks heading into the 1B state meet at Eastern Washington University.
The 4×100 relay and the two sprints in which Cameron Buzzell will compete are common. But the 4×400 relay and javelin aren’t usually Neah Bay state events.
Phillip Greene made state in the javelin by making huge improvements at subdistricts and Tri-Districts.
“He’s been practicing a lot and working on his form, and it all just happened at the right time for him,” Neah Bay boys coach Serena Elvrum said.
Girls coach Andrew Winck is hoping the girls 4×100 relay can sneak onto the podium.
■ State participants—Boys: Buzzell, 100, 200; Greene, javelin; Anthony Bitegeko, high jump; Nathaniel Gamez-LaChester, high jump; 4×100 (Chris Tageant, Bitegeko, Gamez-LaChester, Buzzell, Leroy Greene, Logan Halttunen); 4×400 (Tageant, Bitegeko, Gamez-LaChester, Buzzell, Isaac Jay Brunk, Halttunen).
Girls: Kayla Winck, discus, triple jump; Hannah Olson, long jump; Cheyanna Svec, long jump; 4×100 (Olson, Arianna Corpuz, Cassie Dias, Svec, Emily Marrs, Winck).
Clallam Bay
The Bruins are sending all three girls relays to state. The 4×100 is seeded second and has a legitimate shot at the state crown.
“The handoffs. It’s all about the handoffs,” Burdette said. “The girls are plenty fast enough.”
The stacked Clallam Bay girls also are aiming for a high team finish.
“I think we got a shot to be in the top eight,” Burdette said, “which would be huge.”
■ State participants—Boys: Willis, 400, long jump, triple jump; Signor, 800; Greene, javelin; 4×400 (Signor, Cummings, Greene, Willis, Sam May).
Girls: Jennica Maines, 100, triple jump; Miriam Wonderly, 100; Kaylin Signor, 3,200; Molly McCoy, 100H, high jump; Zeria Signor, discus; Atokena Abe, triple Jump; 4×100 (Abe, McCoy, Wonderly, Maines, Kendra Anderson); 4×200 (Maines, Wonderly, Anderson, McCoy, K. Signor); 4×400 (Wonderly, Abe, K. Signor, Anderson, Rainee Signor).
Crescent
Wyatt McNeece and Grace Baillargeon have shots at state titles in the first seasons for Loggers co-coaches Brad Ahrndt and Kelly Flanagan.
McNeece enters state seeded third in the shot put and sixth in the discus.
Baillargeon, a freshman, is third in the 400.
“For her, she’s just a competitor. She actually does better when she competes against faster runners,” Ahrndt said.
“She’s fierce.”
■ State participants—Boys: Jordan Scott, 110H, 300H; Jakob Baillargeon, 300 hurdles, long jump; Wyatt McNeece, shot put, discus; Neil Peppard, shot put, discus.
Girls: Grace Baillargeon, 400; Leonie Hofman, 800; McKenzie Brannan, shot put, javelin; Ashara Dodson, discus, triple jump; Kristin Frantz, triple jump; 4×100; 4×200 (Hofmann, Tena Ward, Hannah Lee, Baillargeon, Frantz).
