Panther track and field are closing in on a conference title.
On the week of Jan. 22, Franklin had just three meets left on the schedule, including a trip to Swain Jan. 24 and the start of the Western North Carolina Championships Jan. 27. Roughly halfway through the two-day title meet, both men’s and women’s teams were the clear frontrunners, returning to Tryon after press time Jan. 29 to wrap up a regional championship.
“We had two more qualifiers come out of Swain: Addison Coker qualified for the state meet in the long jump, and Justin Rodriguez qualified in the [300-meter dash],” said head coach Matt Harlfinger of the trip to Bryson City. “So, coming out of Swain we had 22 boys and 22 girls [qualified for the state meet].”
With a second-place 16’0.5” leap and a second-place 36.39-second dash, respectively, Coker and Rodriguez turned in the latest in a long line of state-qualifying performances for Franklin. Following these and several other strong times and distances at Swain, the team turned their attention to the WNC Championships, which doubled as the Mountain Seven Conference meet.
“This was the Western North Carolina Championships, so there’s 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A schools anywhere from Swain County through T.C. Roberson and Asheville High School. [There were] some very big schools competing,” said Harlfinger. “The athletic directors within the Mountain Seven have agreed that we are going to filter out just the Mountain Seven athletes, and then score it that way to see who is the Mountain Seven Champion. So, this is kind of a two-in-one deal.”
At the former Tryon International Equestrian Center, which is currently being remodeled into a world-class indoor track facility, the WNC Championships are a first-of-their-kind brainchild of meet host Polk County High School. With 30 schools having entered the meet before inclement weather forced some to stay home, Franklin finished the first day of action with a near-insurmountable lead.
“With all the field events and the 55 hurdles complete, we’re in first place on both sides,” said Harlfinger. “We’re in first place on the men’s side with 73 points. In second place is West Henderson with 47, and King’s Mountain has 23. ... On the ladies’ side, same deal – the women have 86 points, Swain County has 34 and West Henderson has 32 in third. So, we have a commanding lead on both sides, and we’re feeling pretty good with where we’re at coming out of the field events.”
With more state meet qualifications than nearly any other 3A team, Franklin proved they’re the class of WNC in the field events. Ahead of the running events Jan. 29, a bevy of Panthers impressed on Day 1.
“Laura Covarrubias broke her school record again in the 55 hurdles – she ran 8.40 (seconds), which is really fast,” said Harlfinger. “Hope Smith tied her PR and school record in the 55-meter dash with a 7.41, and Talley Kinsland qualified for the state meet in the 55 hurdles, which was a big surprise for us. She’s been so awesome this year. She’s one that I wish we would have had for four years, because her potential is through the roof.”
In just her first year competing on the track, Kinsland continued her breakout season, giving the Panther women an incredible 23rd state meet qualification. In other events, the team earned myriad WNC titles.
“Boston Stringer won the meet, and she is the WNC Champion and Mountain Seven Champion in the pole vault,” said Harlfinger. “Addison Coker was the Mountain Seven Champion in the triple jump with Laura finishing second. Charlie Seagle won the meet outright; she’s the Western North Carolina Champion and Mountain Seven Champion. Elijah Cochran, same thing in the 55 dash. Braxton Deal was the Mountain Seven Champion in the high jump, and Aaron Jennings won the meet outright in the pole vault. Same thing with Elijah Cochran in the long jump and Braxton Deal in the triple jump. ... Izzy Shope was the girls’ runner-up in the high jump for the Mountain Seven Conference.”
With more than a dozen Mountain Seven/WNC titles, the Panthers returned home Saturday evening with a stranglehold on the meet standings. Following the meet’s conclusion Monday, the team will begin to taper the intensity of their workouts ahead of the 3A state meet Feb. 10.
“The last two years, just looking at the numbers, I would say we do a good job with getting the kids ready to perform when it matters most,” said Harlfinger of the reigning indoor men’s state champions and women’s runners-up. “I would say for sure we are a top-three team on both sides, if not the second-best team in the state with a chance to take down the favorites.”