Neal Wachob• Clay County Progress Libbie Moore crosses the finish line with a first-place finish in the 400-meter dash for Hayesville.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Editor
Hayesville’s girls only won two of 17 events at a five-team track and field meet at Robbinsville Thursday but the Lady Yellow Jackets amassed 66 points in second-place finishes to propel themselves into the winners circle.
Hayesville’s 90 points topped Robbinsville, 80; Andrews, 74; Tri-County Early College, 28 and Carolina Mountain XC, 8.
The Hayesville boys won seven events and tallied 121 points but finished second to Robbinsville’s 147. Hayesville’s strong showing easily topped Andrews, 73 and Tri-County Early College, 13.
Libbie Moore claimed the blue ribbon in the 400-meter dash with a mark of 1:11.56 to earn the distinction of being the only individual winner for the Lady Yellow Jackets. She also placed second in two relays and the 200-meter dash.
Hayesville’s other victory came in the 4x400-meter relay as Savannah Burch, Marlo Joyce, Raelynn Wood and Skylar Lockaby motored to the finish line in 4:45.55.
Burch also earned second in the 800-meter run.
The Lady Jackets nearly took the 4x200-meter relay as well. Moore, Joyce, Lockaby and LaRiyah Carr’s 1:59.76 second-place finish was just :01.14 behind the winners.
Joyce also placed second in the 300-meter hurdles.
Hayesville’s 4x100-meter relayers Khylei Alberta, Carr, Lockaby and Moore also earned a second.
Carr also finished second in the 100-meter dash and fifth in the 200-meters.
Jasmine Brooks was runner-up in both the discus and shot put. Her put was just three inches less than the winning heave.
Khylei Alberta finished second in the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles.
Hayesville also had scoring from Bella Costa, second in the 400 and fourth in the 100-meter dash; Raelynn Wood, who took third in 1600-meter run; Costa, Taylor Young, fourth in discus and Lockaby in the 100-meter.
Jack Dorsey, Brett Hanna and Elio Murillo won three events each s as Hayesville’s boys gave Robbinsville a run for the money.
Hanna was top dog in the 200-meter with a time of :23.24 and ran legs on the victorious 4x100-meter relay, and 4x200-meter relay with Mason Ray, Jack Dorsey and Elio Murillo.
Murillo added blue ribbons in the 100-meter dash, :10.49 and 4x100-meter relay.
Dorsey claimed the 100-meter hurdles in :16.14 and fished second in the 300-meter hurdles.
Mason Ray finished first in the 4x100-meter relay and the 4x200 relay.
Hayesville also had individual victories from E.J. Mapasua in the shot put, 48’ 2” and Porter Hood in the 3200-meter run, 12:18.62. Mapasua also garnered second in the discus behind Andrews’ Logan Patrick, while Hood earned a fifth in the 1600-meter run.
Tre Graves came through with a first in the 4x100-meter relay, second in the 100-meter dash and fifth in long jump.
Hayesville also placed second in the 4x800-meter relay and third in the 4x400-meter relay.
Additional points came from Daxon Bruggers, second in the 100-meter hurdles and third in the 300-meter hurdles; Robert Gorham, third in shot put and fourth in discus; Donovin Soto, third in the high jump and sixth in the triple jump; Ethan Beechum, second in the 800-meter run; Jake Armstrong, fourth in both hurdles events; Gage Brown, fourth in the 800 meters and Jameson Dawson in the high jump.
Hayesville hosted Cherokee, Andrews, Tri-County Early College, Highlands and Summit Charter on Wednesday, April 1.