Panthers push for state

Saratoga High School track stars secured more state qualifying times at their back-to-back weekend meets in Baggs and Lander.

Ben Gates, Rodrigo Escobedo, Ben Falk and Luke Lineberry scored state-qualifying times in the 1600 meter relay, with a first-place time of 3:38.25 at the Snake River Invite in Baggs, and a second-place time of 3:35.35 at the Shane Brock Invite in Lander. Escobedo, Tate Stinson, Hunter Mason and Ben Falk qualified for state with their first-place time of 46.38 in the 400-meter relay.

Individually, Falk’s third-place time of 52.51 in the 400 meter run qualified him for state, and Ben Gates was a state qualifier with a fourth-place time of 52.64 in the 400 meter dash.

Coach Rex Hohnholt said he was proud of all of his kids and what they were able to accomplish from their past week of hard work.

“We got a lot of questions answered for us this week on where we need to put individuals at regionals to ensure individual and team success,” he said. “The athletes continue to impress me with their willingness to make sacrifices to maximize our opportunities over the next two weeks of competition. We had some great performances this weekend from all our athletes at all levels and it was great to see such overall team improvement with all of our athletes.”

Hohnholt also said that around this time of the year, when the season is winding down, his athletes really try to showcase their hard work to the rest of the state.

“It is an exciting time for me in that you really get to see the mental toughness of your athletes when there is so much at stake,” he said. “I am certain that our kids will perform at a high level throughout the meet, and look forward to seeing faces of jubilation when they have qualified for state or made huge improvements in their own personal development. This time of the year tends to bring out the best in athletes and I have little doubt that it will do that same thing for our team.  I am excited and look forward to watching our athletes excel.”