SK battling with illness, injury bug

When Ed Santos learned he would be down another sprinter heading into the Bremerton Relays last Saturday, all the South Kitsap High track and field coach could do was shrug his shoulders and watch his younger runners gain some experience.

That was the positive spin Santos put on the girls team after scoring just 12 points in the 18-team invitational.

Port Angeles won the girls title with 76 points.

Last Thursday against Central Kitsap, sprinters Lauren Gehring and Lynette Millard were out with the flu.

SK’s most versatile athlete, senior Teresa Schlafer, added herself to the infirmary list prior to the Bremerton Relays.

“When you have three-fourths of your relay team out, you can’t expect too much,” Santos said. “But it was an opportunity for some who normally wouldn’t have had an opportunity to get big meet experience.”

SK earned all its points in the distance events.

Kaylee Peterson placed second in the 2000 meter steeplechase and broke the school record held by Beth Rosapepe with a time of 7:51.88.

SK’ distance medley team — which consists of legs of 1,200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, and 1,600 meters — took fourth with a time of 13:25.71.

SK should have earned more points from the 3,200-meter relay team. The Wolves finished in third place but were disqualified for a ticky-tack call, Santos said.

“That’s petty,” Santos said. “The official said one of our girls stepped back behind the line when she received the baton. Technically, that’s the rule. But it’s not in the spirit of the competition. If it were districts or state, I wouldn’t have a problem with that. (The judges) disqualified four teams for that.”

Though the boys team placed eighth with 34 points, the sprint relay teams consisting of Lorenzo Bryant, Marty Otto, Landon Edwards, and Ryan Cole shined with a first-place finish in the 800 meter relay (1:33.66) and a second-place finish in the 400 meter relay (44.10).

Bryant and Otto filled in strongly for Nick Anderson, who was nursing a pulled groin, and Victor Valle, who did not attend the meet.

It was Anderson’s injury that prevented him from competing in the long jump and triple jump.

“I thought the boys team did very well,” Santos said. “We were almost at full strength today.”

The Wolves host the Bremerton Knights tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.

While the girls competition is not expected to be close (Bremerton has nine participants), the boys side could be close, Santos said.

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