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Photo by Johnny Wagner

There are some advantages to playing host to Region VI Track and Field Championships, which Lathrop will be doing today and Saturday for the first time.

“Of course, the people cheering for you always helps,” Malemutes junior Zachariah Ginn said after winning the boys 1,600-meter run in last Saturday’s regular season-ending all-schools meet at Lathrop. “And when you’re at your home track, you always have in mind that this is your home track, we’ve got to do it.”

There are similar thoughts among all the teams in the Region VI Championships, which includes a Class 4A competition among Lathrop, North Pole and West Valley, and for the first time, a 3A division for Delta Junction, Eielson, Hutchison and Monroe Catholic.

“This region meet’s going to be closer than a lot of people think. North Pole and Lathrop have got some good (boys) sprinting corps, which are going to make the meet close,” said Milo Griffin, who became West Valley’s head coach this season after coaching at Lathrop for the previous 25 years. “Regions are always a big step in preparing for a big tournament.”

That big tournament is the state meet at Lathrop next Friday and Saturday.

“The regional meet is the one that counts for the chance to qualify for state,” North Pole head coach Richard Henert said. “Luckily for us, there’s not a lot of pressure on North Pole, and the change of format (separate classifications) makes for a wide-open meet.

“Our kids are excited to go into a meet where they can be competitive and get a chance to show their skills.”

The region meet begins at 1:30 p.m. today and features running preliminaries and finals in the shot put, discus, triple jump, high jump and 3,200-meter runs. Saturday’s action is slated for 9 a.m. with the long jump preliminaries and finals, and the running finals start at 10 a.m.

The state meet also involves two seperate classifications — 4A and a combined 1A-2A-3A category.

The 1A-2A-3A schools will have eight berths to the state meet, which will be run as finals, and the 4A schools will have 16 individual berths, which will be contested as preliminaries and finals.

In the 1A-2A-3A classification, the top finisher from each individual event final in a region meet automatically qualifies for the state meet along with the next best four results from around Alaska. The top relay team from each region qualifies, too, with the next best four times from around Alaska.

In 4A regionals, the top individual automatically goes to the state meet along with the next best 12 results from around the state. The relay qualifying for the state meet is the same as for the 1A-2A-3A schools.

The West Valley girls and Lathrop boys captured the titles last year at the Region VI meet at West Valley, and are hoping to repeat this weekend at Lathrop’s facility.

The Wolfpack girls have depth in distance running, led by Kayla Teslow in the 1,600 and Crystal Pitney, who’s dominated each 3,200 she’s competed in this season. They’re also strong in the 4x400 relay and for hurdles, as Lorraine Knoxson swept the 100 and 300 last week at Lathrop, and for discus throwing, as Kayla Weber won in all three all-schools meets in the weather-shortened regular season.

The Wolfpack’s 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams are missing Cashaana Renfro, last year’s region 100 and 200 individual champion who decided to focus on volleyball this year after recently signing a National Letter of Intent with Southern Utah State, an NCAA Division I program.

“We’re trying to stretch out the best we can,” Griffin said. “Not having her took some points away from us, and having finals this week and having a season for only three weeks put some strain on us, too.

“But the girls are doing the best they can and we have to make up for points in different areas. I’m hoping the jumpers and some other kids can step up and help give us some help.”

The Lathrop boys have the top high jumper in the region this season in Charles Scott, a strong middle distance runners in Travis Watkins (400) and Anthony Davis (400 and 800, as well as two good sprint relays, 4x100 and 4x200).

“Our relay teams are focused and we’re trying to accomplish something in the sprints, but the North Pole boys are looking pretty tough in the sprints and the relays,” Lathrop coach Jeff Hebard said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us but our boys are feeling positive and they’ve been working hard in practices.”

Lathrop senior Catherine Burch anchors the Lathrop girls 4x100 relay and won twice in the 100 dash this season.

North Pole Dane Ebanez swept the boys 100 in the regular season and anchors an impressive Patriots 4x100 relay.

Clay Tidwell is another Patriot hoping to continue in the region meet what he started in the regular season, as the 6-foot-4, 290-pound junior won in every boys shot put this year.

“He’s come a long way in his technique and he’s got that size and raw power,” Henert said.

Hutchison’s Anna Johnson is vying for the girls high jump title after posting the highest marks in each all-schools meet.

Returning individual region champs include Hutchison’s Kim Wilson for the girls triple jump and long jump; Lathrop’s Shelby McIntyre for the girls high jump and West Valley’s Werner Hoefler for the boys 3,200.