After a long grueling season filled with injuries and inconsistent weather, the Scorpions track team concluded their season with a strong performance.

Sedona competed in the Arizona Interscholastic Association Track and Field State Championships held in Mesa on Friday, May 3, and did not disappoint.

Sedona’s boys accumulated 16 points, good for 13 out of 41 participating schools.

The Scorpions girls placed 17 out of 36 schools after scoring 13 points.

Coach Harry Schneider spoke on the Scorpions success on the track and friendship off of it.

• How did the team perform at state?

They performed very well. It was a two-date meet and Friday was exceptional. 13 out of 15 kids set personal-records which is what you look for as a coach. I mean, what more can you ask for out of the kids? Saturday was a little tough as it was a long day. We got there at 10 a.m. and some kids did not run until nine o’clock at night, so they were sitting around for 11 hours. A lot of them did not run that well on Saturday although a few did.

However, I cannot ask for much more when every kid PR’d the day before.Courtney Hansen finished second in the shotput and sixth in the discus, which is very nice for a sophomore. Forrest Hartley finished third in the pole vault, while Eric Schrader got sixth. Gabe De Luz ran very well on Saturday, as he finished fourth in the 400 meters.
Everyone did very well at state.

• How will you remember this season?

I will remember this team as a very close group. There was no infighting and they all enjoyed each other’s company. We had our awards night a few days ago, and the kids ended up sitting around and talking after it was over. I had to kick them out because they were all fine with staying even longer. They were a good group of friends, and I think is one of the highlights of the season. Sometimes you have cliques on a team but not with this group of kids. I do not know if you could call it a close group, but just a friendly group of kids that enjoy each other.

They are competitive against each other but not in a demeaning way. To me, the highlight of the season was how well the kids got along.
With the way the season started, you cannot ask for much more from these kids. After two months of garbage weather, they were able to turn it around and do a good job.

• How will you remember this senior class?

This class was very unique. We had one kid, Alex Edwards, who had never ran before and she wanted to see what track was all about. She ended up really enjoying it and said she wishes she had ran sooner at the awards banquet. Yonah Wahnon was a senior who came out last year for the first time and just kept on improving.

Abby Stevenson was a captain and she did very well this season. She only placed ninth at the state meet but it was almost equal to her score from last season. Abby just had a stronger season this year.

Forrest Hartley ran his best 400 of the season at state to cap off a solid season and Gabe [De Luz] ran well in the relays. We only had five seniors this season, so it was a small group. We only have five juniors on the team, so next season will feature a small group as well. Our three captains — Abby, Gabe and Cheyenne Javey — did a very nice job at leading and working with the kids. I always hope the captains are willing to work with the younger athletes and they did an excellent job.

• Who will have a bigger role next season?

Well, our younger group, particularly our ninth and 10th graders, did a very nice job this year. If next year’s group is ready to come prepared, I think they can have a big impact next season. A lot of the injuries we had this season were due to a lack of preparation. Some of the kids will come out day one and not realize why their legs hurt two weeks later.

• Did anyone surprise you in state?

Courtney [Hanson] was seeded second in the shot put but you never know how younger players will handle adversity. She thrived on it and threw her best by two feet, which was very nice. Courtney is still learning the discus, but she ended up doing fine in that event as well.

I am not surprised at Gabe [De Luz] placing fourth in the 400 because he is that good and that is where he belongs.

Freshman Sarah Frey set a personal-record in both hurdle events and had an outstanding performance. Young freshman are not likely to place state-wide but you hope they top their best. That way, they have something to aspire for in the future. Instead of being afraid out of their minds, they know how to react to those circumstances.

Abby [Stevenson] recorded the best times out of anyone in the 4×400 relay and had an outstanding performance. Francisco Bekele had an exceptional track meet after performing well in the relays,