Lady Royals second, Royals third at indoor state meet

Evan Dennison edennison@cmpapers.com - February 27, 2022

The Mason County Lady Royals earned a runner-up finish at the KTCCCA state indoor meet in Louisville on Saturday. (KytrackXC.com Twitter page)

HIGH SCHOOL INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

Mason County wrapped up a solid indoor track and field season on Saturday at the KTCCCA Class AA state indoor championships in Louisville.

The Lady Royals earned a runner-up finish while the Royals finished third, just a point away from the top spot.

Bourbon County won the girls’ meet with 103.5 points, the Lady Royals in second with 81 points. Rockcastle County was a distant third with 55 points.

Top two is no stranger for the Lady Royals, doing so for the eighth straight year that came with a state championship last year and six straight runner-up finishes in the years prior.

Highlands took home first in the boys’ meet with 53 points. Bourbon County was second with 52.5 points while the Royals had 52 points.

The final scores didn’t come without some drama though. At first reaction, the Royals thought they had won the state meet, winning their heat in the 4×400, the final event of the day. Doing the calculations, the first place finish would have given them 10 points. But North Oldham put together a better time in the second heat, bumping the Royals from first to second and from 10 to eight points. That slim of a margin from them getting first place in the team standings.

“We were in the fast heat so we were under the assumption we had won the meet. We gutted it out and it was an exciting race, Boyd County side-by-side with us the whole relay. The guys really gutted it out. North Oldham hadn’t won anything all day and put together a great race in a slower heat” Royals coach Mark Kachler said.

The third place finish adds to a history of success for the team, runner-up finishes in 2013 and ‘16 to go with their state titles in 2014, ‘15 and ‘21.

There were two individual state champs on the day for Mason County, AJ Barrett winning the pole vault with a height of 13-feet, six inches and Lexi Young winning the high jump, clearing 5-feet to take home first.

Barrett’s height was a personal record and he continues to impress, clearing his previous PR by 18 inches and setting a school record. He won the event by that much, second place clearing 12-feet.

“He was on fire. Clearing bars the whole time,” Kachler said. “Came in at 10-feet, he was clearing bars with ease. Everybody else went out at 12, then he keeps going. He nearly cleared 14 and didn’t have a miss until then.”

Young’s ascension to the top had been in the making all season. She continually increased her PR’s and was the only girls’ high jumper to clear 5-feet on the day. As an eighth grader, the future is extremely bright for Young.

“She broke her own school record in the long jump and then had to sit for two and a half hours before the high jump. That’s hard. She didn’t have a miss through five feet and already won and won relatively easily,” Kachler said. “This is with her having hardly any practice because she’s on the basketball team.”

The rest of the Royals and Lady Royals littered the team scoring in events across the board. They went to the meet trying to defend their state titles from each team respectively, but still came home happy with yet another impressive finish.

Earning runner-up finishes on the day was Layla Henderson in the 3,000 meters in a time of 10:54.30 for a school record and the girls’ 4×800 relay team in a time of 10:29.53, which was also a school record and the boys’ 4×400 relay team in a time of 3:37.73.

Placing in the top three were Alix Flinders in the 400 meters (53.60), the girls’ 4×400 relay team (4:25.44) and Young in the long jump (16-7.75), which went for a school record.

Young and Henderson were two of six Mason County athletes to score points in numerous events, Henderson finishing fifth in the 1,500 (5:09.48) which was a school record time.

“We didn’t really have a bad outing in anything. Only thing we entered in and didn’t score was shot put,” Kachler said. “You break one of our school records with the success that we’ve had over the years, you’re doing pretty good.”

Anthony Bozeman finished fourth in the high jump (5-10), fifth in the 200 (23.70) and seventh in the 60-meter dash (7.50).

Karis Applegate placed fourth in the 60-meter dash (8.17) and fourth in the 200 (27.14).

Kenzie Gulley finished fifth in the long jump (15-4.75) and eighth in the 60-meter dash (8.56).

Hunter Kinney placed fifth in the high jump (5-10) and sixth in the 400 (54.65).

Others to finish in the top eight for Mason County on the day:

Elizabeth Lavinder, 3,000 meters — 4th (10:54.30)

Morgan Carpenter, pole vault — 4th (8-00)

Sarah Payne, pole vault — 5th (7-06)

Cameron Rosel, pole vault — 5th (10-00)

Paige Decker, 800 meters — 6th (2:29.00) (school record)

Boys’ 4×800 relay team — 6th (9:26.34)

Madison Howard, triple jump — 6th (30-04)