Trojans take 5 top finishes at Liberty Newcomers track competition

The Pahrump Valley Trojans participated in the Liberty Newcomers competition last Friday at Liberty High School to open up their spring track and field season.

This event featured four schools from the Southern Nevada area – Pahrump Valley High School, Liberty High School, Desert Oasis High School and Slam Nevada.

The Trojans had over 20 participants throughout 15 events during the track and field meet.

“Overall, our newcomers represented themselves and their school very well,” Pahrump Valley track and field coach Fred Schmidt said. “Pahrump Valley High School has some talented athletes, as well as hardworking athletes.”

This track and field competition was for first-time members of a track and field team who have never competed at the high school level.

The Trojans came away with five first-place finishes and a handful of top 5 finishes on the day.

The Trojans had three top 5 finishers in the men’s 1600-meter event. Senior Devin Varlack led the way for the Trojans, winning the event with a time of 5:01.29.

Sophomore Theron Abbiss and freshman Antonio Veloz were the other Pahrump Valley runners in the top 5. Abbiss finished in second place with a time of 6:01.26 and Veloz came in fourth place with a time of 6:27.97.

Varlack and Veloz also finished first and second in the men’s 3200-meter event. Varlack had a time of 11:36.07 and Veloz finished with a time of 14:36.62.

Freshman Payton Weaver and sophomore Grace Miller both came away with wins in women’s events.

Weaver, who had two top 2 finishes, won the 200-meter dash with a time of 29.67 seconds, narrowly beating out Desert Oasis’ runner, Brooke Campion, who finished with a time of 30.63 seconds.

Weaver’s second-place finish came in her 100-meter event when she finished just .07 seconds behind the winner, Jossy Calizo from Liberty High School. Weaver finished with a time of 14.32 seconds.

Miller won her 800-meter event with a time of 3:01.50, finishing just .11 ahead of Kate Perkes of Desert Oasis, who finished in second place.

The last of the winning events for the Trojans was in the men’s 300-meter hurdles. Senior Ikaika Keanaaina finished with a time of 50.00 seconds. His teammate, sophomore Cole Miller, finished in third place with a time of 52.75 seconds.

Senior Jessica Kerns had a good day in multiple events for the Trojans. She finished in third place for the women’s discus throw with a score of 80 feet-8 inches. Kerns also had a second-place finish in the shot put event.

“As a staff, we are excited for our team to start their journey toward the postseason and qualifying for the state championships in May,” Schmidt said.

The Trojans’ next track and field competition will take place on Wednesday, March 16, at Rancho High School. This competition will be for the full team.