Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Action from Saturday’s Panther Relays

The wet conditions didn’t prevent the H-DNL teams form competing at the annual early-season Panther Relays in track and field at McKinleyville High School on Saturday.

And the rain didn’t dampen the performances of the Arcata boys and Eureka girls, each of whom scored exactly 96 points to comfortably take the team victories.

With the league athletes still finding their groove early in the season, the Panther Relays are always a fun way to get the season going, even in the rain.

It was a good day for Fortuna’s Russell Pascascio, who took home a pair of victories, placing first in both the high jump and long jump.

The multi-sport Fortuna senior showcased his athleticism with a PR in the long jump, winning with a jump of 20’ 6.5”.

Eureka’s Elias Ladika was second, followed by Arcata’s Caden Demers in third.

Pascascio easily beat the field in the high jump with a jump of six feet, followed by St. Bernard’s Noah Porambo and Eureka’s James Coleman, who tied for second with jumps of 4’ 10”.

In the boys discus, Arcata’s Neiko Bryson edged McKinleyville’s Nick Maher for first with a PR toss of 122’ 5”, with Arcata’s Skyler Collenberg in third.

The 3,200 meters was the only other individual competition of the day and was won by Arcata’s Nathan Whitney, who ran a PR and finished in a time of 10 minutes, 18 seconds.

The Tigers took the top three spots I’m the race, with Reece Thompson in second and Ocean Walker in third.

In the relay events, Fortuna’s Kavi Bolden, Xialer Houston, Mako Limon and Jack Stacy teamed up to take first in the 4x100m, while Eureka’s Manny Fletes, Cole Harbin, Eddie Gonzalez and Chayton Rose won the 4x100m throwers relay.

The 4x200m relay was won by McKinleyville’s Orphao Nowell-Grande, Rylee Collart, Wilson Jones and Brayden Adkins, while the same foursome also placed first in the Swedish 100-200-300-400 relay.

Eureka’s Everett Docherty, Sean Morris, Chase Jimenez and James Coleman also had a good day and placed first in the 4x800m relay, while Arcata’s Whitney, Thompson, Eric Jackson and Evan Poston were first across the line in the DMR 4000m relay.

In the girls competition, Eureka’s Emily Pesch continued her impressive early-season form with a victory in the high jump with a jump of 5 feet, with freshman teammate Elizabeth Rominger in second and Arcata’s Josephine Magure in third.

Eureka also won the long jump, with Victoria Ricca taking the victory with a jump of 14’ 8”, followed by teammate Evelyn Ladika in second and Fortuna’s Addison Burgess in third.

Arcata’s AJ Wolfe and St. Bernard’s Ella Hart tied for first in the girls discus with identical throws of 46’ 9”, with Fortuna’s Nathalia Dominguez in third.

Arcata’s Sydney Ventuleth was the only other individual winner on the day, taking first in the 3,200m in a time of 14:22.6.

Pesch, Ladika, Ricca and Grecia Ortiz teamed up to win the 4x100m relay for the Loggers, while Ladika, Pesch, Rominger and Ortiz also placed first in the 4x200m relay.

St. Bernard’s Madelyn Shanahan, Mary Stark, Natalie McLaughlin and Hart combined to win the 4x100m throwers relay, while Eureka’s Sequoia Ashby, Claire Gast, Summer Morales and Rathlin Hemmingsen won the 4x800m relay.

Ladika, Pesch, Rominger and Ortiz rounded out a very impressive day with another victory in the Swedish 100-200-300-400 relay, as did Gast, Sophie Grimmett, Morales and Ashby by taking first in the DMR 4000m.

The local high school athletes will be back in action at the first H-DNL meet of the spring at Fortuna on Wednesday, rain or shine.