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Photo by Eric Engman

Photo by Eric Engman

Grace Christian more than doubled its participation at the Alaska State Track and Field Championships and used the extra manpower to win the first boys title in Class 1A-2A-3A.

“This is a great thing for small schools,” head coach Shane Metcalf said Saturday about the separation of the large (Class 4A) and small school divisions. “Previous years, we would bring 12, 13 students. ... So for us to bring 30-plus students here and see a lot of them on the podium, it is just going to improve our program. I think it’s going to improve the whole track and field program in general.”

Led by three wins from senior sprinter Drew Edwards, Grace Christian amassed 122 points, well ahead of Seward’s 86 and Haines’ 78.5.

“They’re the (3A) state champs in cross-country (running),” Metcalf said. “You put them on a track here, and that work ethic just carried over.”

Edwards, a triple winner at 100, 200 and 400 meters, initially had mixed emotions about being forced to run only against small schools competition.

“At first I was kind of bummed that I wouldn’t get to run with the really fast (4A) people,” Edwards said. “But it’s great to have some of the younger guys have a chance to compete at this level.”

Edwards provided 30 points and plenty of leadership, but his fellow Grizzlies chipped in by winning two relays and the 1600 (by Leif Karlberg) and scoring at least a few points in nearly every event.

“We’re really close and we have a lot of fun together,” said Edwards, who also anchored the winning 4x800 relay. “(And) when it’s time to work hard, we put aside fun and we work hard.”

In the closest race of the day at Lathrop High School, Seward’s Travis Price put Edwards’ milestone in serious jeopardy in the 400. The taller Edwards edged Price by one-hundredth of a second in 50.08 seconds, faster even than the 4A winner.

“That last part, that’s just all guts,” Edwards said about the homestretch after Price threatened to overtake him. “He was coming up on my shoulder. ... I felt him there, and I started pushing harder and it just came down to the lean.”

Said Price: “He got ahead of me with about 75 meters (left) and I tried to bring it back. I think I had him but he had the bigger lean. But he’s a good runner. I didn’t expect to be that close to him.”

Price recovered to nip Karlberg in the 800 and take his second gold of the championships. Seward teammate Dylan Beck also won twice, the second by 0.07 seconds over Delta Junction’s Logan Schiler in the 110 high hurdles.

Schiler, however, returned the favor by winning the 300 hurdles in 41.63.

“I’m sure the whole town’s going to be pretty proud. I sure am glad I’m representing them,” said Schiler, who lives at Birch Lake and attended Eielson for two years before transferring to Delta.

Meanwhile, Eielson edged three other schools, including Delta Junction, for fourth place with 43.5 points. The Ravens’ lone win came in the 4x200 relay and was assisted by a botched Haines baton exchange that sent a Glacier Bear tumbling to the track.

“Our first runner, Luke (Parson), he gave us a pretty good lead,” Eielson anchor runner Christian Armour said. “I was just so glad I could keep it.”

Monroe Catholic, behind Kevin Rima’s second place in the discus throw, scored 14 points to place ninth of 16 squads. But Rima, the top seed in the long jump, earlier pounded his fist into the sand pit in frustration after his third straight scratch left him pointless in that event.