East Ridge boys track & field: Raptors earn personal-bests at Stillwater Time Trials

East Ridge High School’s boys track and field team competed at the Stillwater Time Trials last Wednesday. Though the early-season meet was not scored the same way standard prep meets are tallied, the Raptors still had athletes earn lifetime, personal-best times, distances and heights.

Raptors’ co-captain Dayo Ogundepo earned third-place in the 100-meter dash after finishing in 11.5 seconds. The senior also finished the 200 in 23.4 seconds, earning second-place honors.

“It was some good competition because Stillwater and White Bear Lake are good to compete against,” Raptors coach Shannon Rainey said. “For him to take third this early on, he’s looking pretty good.”

Junior returning all-state 400 runner Nate Roese gave the 800 a try, going on to win the race in 2:06.

“He wanted to try something different, so he tried this,” Rainey said. “He runs cross-country, and he made it to state in cross-country as a sophomore. He’s used to doing longer distances, but in track, he’s used to doing sprints. He looked really, really good.”

Though the race was solid, Rainey said he does not expect Roese to abandon his trademark 400 and 200 races – he will continue to train for those sprints in order to be ready for section competition in seven weeks.

High jumper Mitch Gable soared to an all-time personal record after clearing 5 feet, 10 inches for second place. Fellow junior Kenny Partch raked in a PR as well, throwing 103 feet in the discus – something that is the result of hard work in the offseason, Rainey said.

“Last year, he threw maybe around 90, so it was a pretty significant personal best,” Rainey said. “Because he’s gotten so much stronger, it’s made a huge difference.

“[Gable] is another kid that put a lot of time in the weight room in the offseason. By the end of the year, he’ll probably be clearing 6 feet.”

Overall, Rainey said he liked the performances he saw.

“It was our first outdoor meet, so I thought we were looking better than we were a year ago,” he said. “I know the weather has helped a lot. Most people are running close to their personal bests this early on. We’re definitely ahead of schedule.”

The Raptors will compete again tomorrow at the White Bear Lake Relays. These races are scored relay-style, which makes for a different kind of team experience, Rainey said.

“There is one race called the 8x200 – eight people will run the 200. That’s a lot of fun,” he said. “This early on, it’s fun when you actually work as a team. It’s a fun meet to be a part of.”

Tags: track and field, east ridge, sports, raptors, prep, updates