PCHS track and field boys take regionals at home

Park City High School's home stadium is set for a major upgrade pending approval by the Park City School Board. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah — On Wednesday and Thursday, Park City High hosted the regional track and field meet. Competing were Skyline, Olympus, Murray, Brighton, East, and Highland High Schools.

The boys won.

Head Coach David Yokum told me, “We didn’t really try to win,  but that’s just how it turned out.”

When I asked him for some clarification on that comment he explained, “Our emphasis is the state meet which is next at BYU. For regionals, we don’t necessarily, specifically go out to run everybody and run them hard, we run so we’re trying to peak towards state.”

For example, sophomore Miner Kalie Hale who is ranked very high in the 1600 and the 800 was dropped down to run the 400 for some speed work.

Shotput and discus thrower Jesse Hilton is a PCHS senior who will be attending college on a track and field scholarship in the fall at UNC Wilmington. Sofia Wakefield is graduating and moving on to attend Point Loma where she’ll decide whether to continue her discus throwing career.

Sophomore Morgan Carter, a top sprinter for the Miners, ran in one relay in regionals. She concurrently plays ice hockey. Yokum anticipates that when she is back in town from an out-of-state hockey tournament and he’s not purposely partially or fully ‘resting’ some of the other girls, Hale, Carter and the team will have a strong showing at BYU.

At Park City’s home-hosted regionals, Skyline took second for the boys and Brighton took third. Brighton won for the girls and Park City came in last to which Yokum said, “The girls finished last but we knew we were going to finish last, it’ll look a lot different at state.”

The state meet will have the Miners down two key athletes due to recent injuries. The number one hurdler in the state, Easton Brotherson who had a fall running hurdles, and Blake Tabarachi who has a broken foot suffered while competing in the 200.

The girl’s team places sixth at the state track and field last year and the boys placed second..