Red Lion forges three-way tie for girls' track title

Using a mobile device? Click here to watch the video.

Red Lion senior Hailey Gunnet had so many reasons for the Lions track and field team to pull through on Tuesday.

For starters, it was senior day at Red Lion and rival Dallastown entered the girls' meet unbeaten in Division I of the YAIAA. Plus, a Lions' win would give them a three-way tie for league supremacy with the Wildcats and Central York.

After falling to Central earlier this track season, Gunnet and company were ready. And, Gunnet remembered a soccer game last fall.

"Central beat us and that was motivation. Dallastown beat us on our senior night in soccer this year, so I did not want that to happen again," Gunnet said. "That was more motivation to leave it out on the track."

In this case it came down to leaving on the field as Gunnet won both the shot put (32-7 1/2) and the javelin (100-10), starting a run for Red Lion, which won every field event but one, en route to a 88-62 victory.

After the meet, Lions girls' coach Jason Smith marveled at the 50-13 edge that Red Lion posted in the field events.

"I thought we were pretty strong in the field, the throwers especially," Smith said. "If this meet was going to be won it was going to be won in the throws. I had us getting 37 points in the field and we got 50. That far exceeded my expectations."

"Before hand Smith told us that we needed to put our hearts in this meet because it's the championship," Gunnet said. "We've gotten two championships in the past and it's our senior year so we wanted to make it good for Smith too, since it's our last year with him. To me, it's not even about the individual. I don't care personally about first. It's more about the team getting the win."

The Wildcats, Panthers and Lions all finished their respective regular seasons with 5-1 league records.

"We saw how much (Dallastown) beat South Western by, and how much they beat Central by. We stressed that every thing counts," said senior Julia Kendrick, who won the 800 run (2:29.10), and anchored the 3,200 relay.(10:04.10) that got the meet off to a winning start.

Smith said there were a lot of variables on this meet, although he admitted to being worried how fresh his group might be a few days after their prom. But his team took care of those concerns before things even started.

"I knew we were in good hands when we came down to get senior (day) stuff taken care of and all the seniors had the girls over there giving them a pretty good pep talk," he said. "These girls don't like to lose so I felt pretty good then. For those girls to come out and do what they did, I can't be more proud of them for accomplishing that."

Red Lion's Jayla Godfrey won the 300 hurdles (47.9) and the long jump (16-7 1/2), plus was on the winning 400 relay. She and Gunnet were the only girls athletes to post two individual wins.

Haven Evens and Amari Johnson notched individual and relay wins for Dallastown.

"Our girls performed well. I don't think we had a bad meet, (Red Lion) performed very well," Wildcats coach Justin Zelger said. "You have got to give them credit."

LION BOYS SECURE SECOND PLACE WITH WIN >> Quincy Palmer led the charge with impressive times in the 100 (10.8) and 200 (22.4), plus was on the winning 400 relay that won in 44 seconds, leading Red Lion to an 80-70 win past the Wildcats.

Judge Kunce won the triple jump with a leap of 42-9 3/4, as well as the long jump 21-7, helping the Lions close the regular season with a 5-1 mark in Division I, one game behind champion South Western.

Dallastown's Owen Ritter scored three wins, taking both hurdles (110 in 14.8, 300 in 41.7), plus was on the Wildcats victorious 1,600 relay that ran a 3:38.1. Teammate Justin Tracy did the same in the 400 (50.6), the high jump (6-1), as well as the 1,600 relay as Dallastown finished third in the division with a 4-2 league record.

Red Lion 80, Dallastown 70 at Red Lion

3,200 relay — 1. Red Lion (Micah Bodish, Kellan Wisniewski, Ethan Gatchell, Bryan Haynie), 8:20.9; 110 hurdles — 1. Owen Ritter, Dt, 14.8, 2. 3 Dominic Eyeler, RL, Justin Atwood, Dt; 100 — 1. Quincy Palmer, RL, 10.8, 2. Nate Orji, RL,3. Isaiah Ward, Dt; 1,600 — 1. Patrick Jacobson, Dt, 4:43.8, 2. Bodish, RL, 3. Alex Miller, RL; 400 relay — 1. Red Lion (Antwan Jackson, Paul Jones, Orji, Palmer), 44.0; 400 — 1. Justin Tracy, Dt, 50.6, 2. Taylor Lentz, Dt, 3. E. Gatchell, RL; 300 hurdles — 1. Ritter, Dt, 41.7, 2. Noah Pillsbury, RL, 3. Jawaun McMillan, Dt; 800 — 1. Joel Gatchell, RL, 2:05.9, 2. Wisniewski, RL, 3. Jonathan Buytenhuys, Dt; 200 — 1. Palmer, RL, 22.4, 2. Kalen Patterson, Dt, 3. Ward, Dt; 3,200 — 1. Bidish, RL, 10:26.0, 2. Buytenhuys, Dt, 3. Miller, RL; 1,600 relay — 1. Dallastown (Lentz, Ward, Ritter, Tracy), 3:28.1; Shot put — 1. Tony Nelo, Dt, 44-6 3/4, 2. Eric Henshaw, RL, 3. Joe Hopkins, RL; Discus — 1. Henshaw, RL, 138-9, 2. Luke Chase, Dt, 3. Dakota Boring, RL; Triple jump — 1,. Judge Kunce, RL, 42-9 3/4, 2. Orji, RL, 3. Ritter, Dt; Long jump — 1. Kunce, RL, 21-7, 2. Orji, RL, 3. Chance Thompson, RL; High jump — 1. Tracy, Dt, 6-1, 2. Austin Himmelright, Dt, 3. Thompson, RL; Pole vault — 1. Tony DeFelice, Dt, 12-3, 2. Greg Potter, RL, 3. Ian Adler, RL; Javelin — 1. Jordan Sterner, Dt, 132-10, 2. Chase, Dt, 3. Boring, RL.

Red Lion 88, Dallastown 62 at Red Lion

3,200 relay — 1. Red Lion (Hailey Welchans, Tristan Schluderberg, Kate Gatchell, Julia Kendrick), 10:04.1; 100 hurdles — 1. Taylor Forrester, Dt, 16.2, 2. Jayla Godfrey, RL, 3. Alexis Sammon, Dt; 100 — 1. Haven Evans, Dt, 12.6, 2. Amari Johnson, Dt, 3. Kiele Fullerton, Dt; 1,600 — 1. Isabella Wise, Dt, 5:40.5, 2. Schluderberg, RL, 3. Sara Helt, RL; 400 relay — 1. Red Lion (Evelyn Kunce, Johnie Tamny, Jessica Lewis, Godfrey), 5:29.0; 400 — 1. Johnson, Dt, 1:00.2, 2. Angelica Gonzalez, RL, 3. Evans, Dt; 300 hurdles — 1. Godfrey, RL, 47.9, 2. Forrester, Dt, 3. Emma Kange, Dt; 800 — 1. Kendrick, RL, 2:29.1, 2. Sarah Groetz, Dt, 3. Lydia Trout, Dt; 200 — 1. Gonzalez, RL, 26.1, 2. Evans, Dt, 3. Johnson, Dt; 3,200 — 1. Haley Brown, Dt, 12:38.5, 2. Alexis De Santi, Dt, 3. Bailey Fackler, RL; 1,600 relay — 1. Dallastown (Forrester, Kange, Evans, Johnson), 4:09.0; Shot put — 1. Hailey Gunnet, RL, 32-7 1/2, 2. Brianna Wanbaugh, RL, 3. Madison Kling, RL; Discus — 1. Wanbaugh, RL, 98-7, 2. Kling, RL, 3. Gunnet, RL; Triple jump — 1. Savannah Garrett, Dt, 31-8 1/2, 2. Tamny, RL, 3. Kendall Lookingbill, RL; Long jump — 1. Godfrey, RL, 16-7 1/2, 2. Lookingbill, RL, 3. Garrett, Dt; High jump — 1. Tamny, RL, 4-8, 2. Lauren Deaver, RL, 3. Anya Grunewald, Dt; Pole vault — 1. Lookingbill, RL, 9-9, 2. Deaver, RL, 3. Megan Hyman, Dt; Javelin — 1. Gunnet, RL, 100-10. 2. Rowan Youngblood, Dt, 3. Wanbaugh, RL.