Dallastown boys run amok at YAIAA track meet
As hosts of the YAIAA track and field championships on Friday, the Wildcats made sure that no medal presentation was complete without a Dallastown athlete being involved.
Dallastown boys won the 110 hurdles, 1,600 meter run, 200 meter dash and two relay races, and they took silver in three other races.
“I think all of the athletes had a great day, not just our guys,” Dallastown head coach Michael Schuler said. “I don’t know how many records were set tonight, but it seemed like a lot. …As the coach of Dallastown, I’m on the Dallastown side. But I’m on the track and field side too, and it’s nice to come here and see so many kids have such great performances regardless of where they’re from.”
The most impressive performance from Dallastown might have been the boys’ 400-meter relay. Justin Tracy, Justin Atwood, Edgar Centeno and Kalen Patterson won with a time of 42.43, which not only broke a school record set by this team just a month ago, but it also shattered the YAIAA record (42.60) set by William Penn in 1989.
“This is all we’ve been aiming for,” Tracy said. “I definitely thought we broke it right away but I thought we were under 42 seconds. That would’ve been crazy.”
When the team heard the time, Centeno fell to the ground and the cheers could be heard from the other end of the track. Now that they’ve set the record, how will they celebrate?
“We’ll take a steak dinner,” Centeno said with a smile.
Atwood sets PR, predicts his three gold medals
Justin Atwood was one of the first Wildcats to claim a gold medal when he won the 110-meter hurdles in 14.85 — a personal record for the sophomore.
What was different about this particular meet?
“The weather,” Atwood said. “It was perfect weather for us. It’s been rain and cold almost all year, but the wind and temperature were perfect today.”
Atwood topped top qualifier Ben Rivera of New Oxford and held off Hanover’s Deandre Kerr to take home the gold.
“Ben (Rivera) and I had been tied this season,” Atwood said. “It was just excitement, a lot of excitement (when I crossed the finish line).”
After the win, the sophomore, who also competed in the 400 and 1,600 relays, had a bold prediction when asked how many medals he would win.
“Three,” Atwood said with a smile. “All gold.”
He was right.