By Jeremy McDonald
Jeremymcdonald73@gmail.com
INDEPENDENCE, Ore.– Amity’s Ethan Owings came close to that six-foot mark in the High Jump on Saturday afternoon at the John Oliver Invitational at Central High School.
It’s just coming down to those little things, points Owings, that will eventually pay off with that big jump to get him over the hump this season.
“I’ve been at 5’10 four times and I can’t get over that little jump that I need to. Really just locking in at practice, just trying to hone in on the little things. Whether that’s my knee depth if I’m not jumping high enough or if it’s my foot placement. Just working on those little things in practice,” said Owings.
Owings finished seventh in the High Jump though. The placement finish went with his 17th place finish in the Long Jump, where he jumped 17-feet-8.75-inches.
“This meet, it just helps everyone here, going to the big meets. It’s a good environment for everyone,” said Owings.
Owings wasn’t the only one who placed at the event on Saturday. Joining Owings is Ella Hatch, who finished eighth in the 100-meter dash and fourth in the 300-meter hurdles.
“This is going to help me get in the mindset of turning the switch on and hopefully looking forward to State, preparing myself for the reality and pushing hard,” said Hatch. “It shows me that I can keep pushing harder. Even if I have a good race, I always have more in me and that grind.”
Trenton Ruston also placed at the John Oliver Invitational. Ruston finished fourth in the 200-meters (23.17 PR), sixth in the 400 behind runners from Corvallis, South Salem and Philomath, all bigger schools.
“It’s good to go against tougher competition…I feel like I competed really well. My form isn’t where I want it to be and I definitely have a lot to improve on. I’m trying to chase where I was at last year and try to get down to 49 (Seconds) or lower,” said Ruston on his 400-meter race. “Just consistency. Just showing up every single day and putting all that I can into practice and trying to be mentally ready for every single meet and putting in all the work that I can.”
Sage LaRance finished fifth in the javelin with a PR throw of 100-feet-5 inches. Jaxon Howard finished fourth in the Discus.
Photos By Jeremy McDonald
