Colts kick it the team way.

Byline: Rob Moseley The Register-Guard

SPRINGFIELD - About the time Thurston's Tauni Powell was winning another javelin title during Friday's final afternoon of competition in the Midwestern League district meet at Silke Field, teammate Kelly Petaja was wrapping up a second straight second-place finish in the high jump.

A few minutes later, two other Colts notched point-scoring efforts in the 1,500 meters. It was around then that DeWayne Cantrall, the Thurston girls track coach, sensed his team might be on its way to big things.

"We talked extensively this whole week that every point counts, every person counts," said Cantrall, whose Colts ultimately piled up 166 points to edge second-place Marshfield by three and take the district title.

"Our girls really came through, really came through. It was very rewarding to watch, time and time again, kids get on that medal stand that maybe weren't even supposed to make the final. ...

"It just became contagious."

Ashley Potter won three events for Thurston during the two-day meet and took second in a fourth, making her one of four athletes to qualify for next week's state meet in four events. Marshfield's Alison Worthen also won three events, and she nearly anchored the Pirates to a win in the mile relay.

In that last event, Worthen couldn't quite catch Churchill's Amy Atwater, who joined teammate Samantha Molinski in running on both winning relay teams while also taking first in one individual event and second in another.

Potter scored a meet-high 38 points for the Colts, following up her win in the long jump Wednesday with victories in the triple jump and 100-meter hurdles and a second-place finish to Worthen in the 300 hurdles.

Potter, a junior, reclaimed the 100 hurdles title she first took as a freshman by winning in 14.88 seconds. She took only three of her six triple jumps in order to conserve energy, but they were the top three marks in the event, including an 11 1/2 -inch personal best of 38-7 1/2 on her second attempt.

"My first jump felt really bad," said Potter, who finished one place ahead of two-time defending champ Mckenzie Mann of Springfield. "I don't know what happened on the second, but it felt good the whole way through."

The 300 hurdles is a relatively new event for Potter, as it is for Worthen, another junior, who added it this year partly in anticipation of a possible collegiate career in the heptathlon, which includes the 100 hurdles.

Worthen won that race in 45.64, went a season-best 5-6 to win her third straight high jump title and also won the 400 in 59.37, her second straight win in that event after older sister Leah won it in 2005. And all of that came despite injuries to her left foot and right ankle that slowed Worthen all season.

But the highlight of her day, Worthen said, was when she brought her 4x400 relay team from third to second on the anchor leg, clinching a spot at state for her three teammates.

"That was what I wanted the most," she said. "It's a great experience to go, and I'd love for them to go with me."

Entering that final event, Marshfield trailed Thurston by seven points in the team race, needing to win the 4x400 while having the Colts finish sixth to tie for the team title. But Thurston took fifth, and Worthen couldn't catch Atwater down the stretch.

Atwater helped the Lancers win that relay in 4:15.56 and also the short relay in 50.10, with North Eugene edging Willamette for the other spot at state. Atwater took second to Worthen in the 400 and won the 200 in 26.31 seconds, in the latter event edging teammate Molinski, who had earlier won the 100 in 12.96.

The two sophomores went to state with both relays last year and doubled their work load for next week's meet at Hayward Field. Three other Churchill sophomores will join them at state after taking second Friday - Susan Smith (100), Jane Bishop (800) and Sydnie Johnson (1,500).

Kelly Egan of Springfield also won two events Friday, despite feeling under the weather. She's going back to state in both the 800 and 1,500, but this year as a district champ, having won the 800 in 2:27.61 and the 1,500 in 4:58.76.

"My 1,500 went well, and in the 800, it was whatever I had to run to win," said Egan, whose goal is a state title at the shorter distance. "I feel like I'm pretty close to where I need to be."

Powell defended her javelin title with a throw of 143-4, short of her PR but nearly a 30-foot improvement on her winning effort from last year, which she attributed to a weight-lifting regimen begun in the fall. Jenna Welsh of Marshfield took second as the Pirates took the next three places.

Friday's other winner was Willamette's Natahsha Sutton, who followed up a second-place finish in the discus Wednesday with a win in the shot put. Sutton is going to state in both after narrowly missing out last year with two third-place finishes.

"I'm going to go to state and try to PR in both events," said Sutton, whose teammates Sarah Martin will join her at state after taking second in the 100 hurdles. "I'm not going to worry too much about place, because I know there are going to be a lot of great athletes there."

Sutton won the shot with a heave of 35-8. She will be joined at state by Erikka Bly, who led a 2-3-6 finish by Thurston athletes, the kind of depth that was so key to the Colts' team title.

Chrissi Grizzel of Jefferson, who leads the nation in the javelin with a best of 161-7, won that event with an effort of 151-11 and also won the discus with a throw of 127-5 1/2 on the first day of the PacWest Conference meet in Creswell.

Ashley Patton, also of Jefferson, won the 3,000 in 11:40.5, and Beth Stam of Toledo captured the high jump (5-3) and long jump (17-2).

Ronica Cole was victorious in the discus with an effort of 103-2 and Stephanie Hescock captured the 3,000 in a time of 11:37.06 to pace Yoncalla on the first day of the Mountain View Conference meet in Sutherlin.

The Eagles have 54 points, followed by Oakland and Oakridge with 41 apiece, Glendale with 22, Canyonville Christian and Central Linn with 16 apiece, Monroe with 10 and Riddle with six.

Zoe Skordahl of Oakridge won the high jump (5-0), Central Linn's Richan Modderman took the long jump (15-6 1/4 ), Kim Stalford of Canyonville Christian won the javelin (118-11) and Glendale's Michelle Bartholomew won the pole vault (8-9).