The Reeths-Puffer girls track team knew it would not beat powerful Zeeland East in a double O-K Green conference dual meet on Wednesday, but the Rockets were determined to beat Muskegon after losing to the Big Reds last season.
They accomplished that goal by cruising to an 83.5-41.5 victory over the Big Reds with a lot of strong performances in most of the events.
Zeeland East, as expected, beat both R-P and Muskegon by wide margins in the team scores.
But with the three teams all competing against each other in every event, it wasn’t necessary for R-P athletes to take first place or even second or third. Lower placers still scored points against Muskegon, and that was the big goal.
The Rockets did take first place in two events.
R-P's Brooklynn Tornes: First place in two events, second place in another.
R-P’s Brooklynn Tornes won the 100-meter dash with a personal record time of 13.23.
Reeths-Puffer’s 4 x 10 relay team of Amani Starr, Melana Johnson, Madilynn Smith and Tornes also took first place with a time of 51:57.
Valuable team points were scored for the Rockets by lower placers in most of the events.
Tornes took second place in the 200-meter dash; Ma’Kaia Riley-McGuffey, Kamari Walker and Darcy Keefe placed fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 400-meter run; and Gabrielle Chevez was third in the 1,600-meter run and fifth in the 800-meter run.
Taryn Gill and Makayla Rendulic finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 100-meter hurdles; Malia McGuffey was fourth and Gill was sixth in the 300-meter hurdles; Isabella Smith was fifth in the pole vault; Sophia Wathen was fourth in the discus; and Tornes and Kamari Walker were third and fourth, respectively, in the long jump.
R-P’s 4 x 800 relay team of Chevez, Adrienne Fluette, Sophia McCollum and Darcy Keefe finished in second place while the 4 x 400 relay team of Amani Starr, Azzy Gordon. Macy Fisher and Jaycee Mixter finished third.