Going the distance

Just in case they had forgotten, Alexa Efraimson, Austen Reiter and Camille Parsons reminded the schools at the John Ingram Twilight track and field meet how the Camas girls became state champions in cross country.

By going the distance together.

Efraimson turned the track at Columbia River High School into her own personal playground Friday. The freshman finished first in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4 minutes, 57.2 seconds. It is the fastest mile by any girl in the state so far.

“Going into the mile, our team has a saying. ‘Slay the pain dragon,’” Efraimson said. “I was able to kill the dragon today. Once I crossed the finish line, I was pretty stoked.”

Reiter came in second place with a time of 5:16.55, which was about 19 seconds behind Efraimson. Parsons placed third in 5:18.84. Efraimson also won the 800 (2:15.32) and Reiter took third (2:26.57). Efraimson, Reiter and Parsons linked up again with Savanna Joyce to win the 1,600 relay in 4:05.05.

“I am so proud of our Camas team, especially in the 4 by 4,” Efraimson said. “It was our best relay of the season so far. I just do my best on that last leg and put the cherry on top of the sundae.”

The Papermaker girls soared to first place at the 12-team invitational with 140 points. The boys completed the Camas sweep by racking up 135.75 points.

“To see both teams rise together is a pretty special feeling,” said head coach Alisa Wise. “It’s great for these kids to see the fruits of their labor. All their hard work is showing up on the tape measure, the stop watch and in the last 50 meters of a 400.”

Andrew Kaler, Tucker Boyd, John Doyle and Andrew Duffy showed how the Camas boys got sixth in the state in cross country. Kaler (4:27.35), Boyd (4:28.19) and Doyle (4:30.24) grabbed the top three places in the mile run. Boyd won the 800 (2:01), and Duffy (9:42.44) and Kaler (9:58.97) finished second and third in the 2-mile.

“When we went 1-2-3 in the mile, that was amazing,” Kaler said. “It says Camas is climbing the ladder. We have lots of kids who are stepping up. It’s only going to get better from here.”

Zack Marshall snagged first in the 200 (22.89) and second in the 100 (11.21). Josh Golden grabbed second in the 400 (52.36). Marshall, Golden, Zach Eagle and Kyle Schrader clinched first in the 1,600 relay (3:33.76). Daniel Ryan earned second in the high jump (5 feet, 10 inches), John Payne placed second in the triple jump (40-4) and Scott Feather finished third in the discus (136-8).

Kimi Knight captured second in the 100 hurdles (16.14) and fourth in the 300 hurdles (48.49). Sydney Allen leaped to second in the triple jump (34-9). Amber Corbett took third in the javelin (117-6) and the shot put (34-2). Alissa Pudlitzke earned third in the 2-mile (11:30.84), Lauren Neff notched third in the high jump (5 feet) and Paige Jackson placed third on the pole vault (9 feet).

The Camas boys and girls handled Fort Vancouver April 10. Allen set a new school record in the triple jump with a leap of 36-4. This is her first season out for track and field.

“This is so much different than soccer or basketball,” Allen said. “You don’t have anyone to pass a ball to. It’s up to you to perform and get points for your team. It’s just a different dynamic.”

The Papermakers also swept Prairie and Hudson’s Bay in a double dual Monday. On Friday and Saturday, they will be competing at the University of Oregon Relays inside Hayward Field.