4A State Track - Day 1

Posted: June 6, 2015
By JOHN GALLE
Byrd Newspapers

HARRISONBURG — The fastest time at the 4A state track meet on Friday belonged to John Handley High School’s Dontae Mauck.

Possessing the only sub-11 second time in the 100-meter dash preliminary didn’t impress Mauck, though.

“It was alright,” Mauck said of his 10.92 second time. “It’s not as good as I thought I did or hoped that I would have done. But I’m not going to complain about getting first. As long as I get first, then that’ll make me happy.”

Mauck placed third in the triple jump with a leap of 46 feet, 5 inches and qualified for the 100- and 200-meter dash finals on the first day of the state competition at Harrisonburg High School, where the Virginia Military Institute football and track commit will ultimately compete in six events.

That’s his biggest workload at states in his fourth consecutive trip.

“I’m a little tired today,” Mauck said Friday after running in the 200, which wrapped up the first day at Harrisonburg High School. “… Doing so many events and not being able to sit down all day takes a toll on you.”

Mauck was disappointed with his triple jump and said he’s never jumped well at Harrisonburg High School. The standout 6-foot-1, 175-pound wide receiver still has the long jump, high jump, 100 finals, 200 finals and 300 hurdles on his plate.

So how will Mauck prepare for today’s busy slate?

For starters, he said the Judges would remain in Harrisonburg overnight rather than bussing back to Winchester and making the hour-plus drive down Interstate 81 in the morning. Day 2 begins with field events at 9:30 a.m., including the boys’ high jump and long jump for Mauck.

“I don’t really prepare for it,” the 18-year-old Mauck said of competing in six events. “I don’t know how you can. You just have to kind of go and do it. You eat a lot of food the night before. A lot of jelly beans.”

Jelly beans?

“They give me energy,” he said. “I like them. I like jelly beans. Any [kind]. I just eat them. We always go to a buffet, and that’s when I get them. I always make sure I get them last, so I can take some with me.”

In the girls’ competition, James Wood turned in two all-state performances. Junior Grace Greene placed fifth in the discus with a personal-best throw of 124 feet, 11 inches, and freshman Rene Rosso made the podium in eighth with a triple jump of 35-21/2.

Perhaps the most surprising result for James Wood came from senior Landon Rutherford in the boys’ shot put. Seeded 12th coming in, Rutherford placed fourth with a throw of 49-43/4.

“I was ranked kind of low. I definitely wasn’t expecting fourth. Honestly, I hadn’t thrown over 46 all year,” said Rutherford, who threw 46-9 in the prelims to gain some confidence heading into the finals. “… In the finals, I just popped a big one. I don’t know where it’s been all year.”

Sherando senior Trent McCarty placed fifth in the shot put (49-4), and the Warriors’ 4x800-meter relay team of Thomas Shea, Jahlil Northover, Jonah Pearson and Trevor Whiteside finished fourth, breaking a school mark with a time of 8:00.58.

Davina Lane, a Sherando sophomore, qualified for today’s finals in the girls’ 100-meter hurdles (15.12 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (25.7 seconds).