Red Demon track teams rake in multiple honors at WAC meet

    What a way to finish the regular season.
    The Dodge High boys track team was down to Hays with just two events left. Then senior leadership took over.
    Senior Kevin Pendergast spent most of the 3,200-meter run just coasting behind the leader not wanting to be in front because of the harsh wind.
    Then on the final straight away Pendergast turned on the jets and left his competition in the dust to grab the gold and put the Red Demons ahead.
    "Kevin was a momentum changer," coach Justin Burke said. "Winning that two-mile put us back in the lead."
    To maintain the lead it was up to Bobby Krahn, Cliff Burdick, Toby Boese and Dylan Hartnett to win the 4x400 relay.
    All the athletes, particularly Hartnett were tired from outstanding performances earlier in the day. Hartnett had already won two gold medals and cracked the 22 second barrier in the 200-meter dash.
    "The other guys worked hard and got the lead," Burke said. "You knew Dylan wouldn't lose it."
    Burke said Hartnett was almost out of gas, but almost isn’t completely out.
    A runner like Hartnett is never completely out of gas.
    Hartnett, who was in the anchor spot, ran the slowest Demon time on the 4x4, but his teammates had pulled ahead enough and he was determined to finish what they started.
    "I knew we had the fastest 4x4 team coming in,"  Hartnett said. "I had confidence the team would pull through."
    In the end the Demon boys won and basked in the glow of a WAC championship for the third year in a row.
    "The whole meet some of the guys were worried we might not do it because we were behind," Hartnett said. "I had faith in myself and the team."
    Hartnett said it felt good to get two personal gold medals and for the team to come away with the championship. He also beat a personal goal by cracking 22 seconds in the 200-meter dash. He finished with a time of :21.93.
    "You break 22 seconds and you're fast," Burke said.
    Hartnett was also named the WAC Male Player of the Year.
    Burke was also complimentary of Burdick.
    Burdick finished third in the 110-meter hurdles, and first in the 300-meter hurdles. He was also integral in the 4x4 victory.
    The Demon girls also accomplished something great. A few years after being a cellar dweller in the WAC, the Demons finished second to the defending state champion Great Bend Panthers.
    "I think we stepped up a lot this year," senior Kaley Temaat said. "We exceeded some expectations. I think we did good."
    Temaat was key in the Demons collecting enough points to finish second. She grabbed gold three times Thursday finishing tops in the 3,200-meter, 1,600-meter and 800-meter run.
    She typically doesn't run all three races, but her team needed her.
    "I was pretty happy with the races," she said. "I did what I had to do to win. My time wasn't real good, but it was respectable for the conditions."
    Temaat was fighting a strong wind throughout the day. She used the lead runner to draft off of and then would finish them off and pull away on the last lap.
    "Kaley was just tremendous," Burke said. "She got three golds, she was a workhorse."
    Temaat finished off her WAC career with a sweep of running honors. She was the WAC Female Runner of the Year in cross country and Thursday she was named the same honor for track.
    Burke credits the boys tremendous ride and the girls turnaround to great senior leadership.
    Athletes like Hartnett, Burdick, Pendergast and Temaat have competed at high levels all season.
    For the great turnaround on the girls side and continued excellence on the boys side Burke was named WAC Coach of the Year on both sides.
    Burke also said he likes the future, paticuarly on the girls side.
    He said the boys side had set the bar high for whoever takes over for the departing seniors.
    “We have great expectations now,” Burke said. “The seniors are just tremendous.”
    Boys Team Results
1st Dodge City (106.5)
2nd Hays (100)
3rd Liberal (71)
4th Great Bend (53.5)
5th Garden City (44)
    DC boys individual results
    200-meter dash
1st Dylan Hartnett (:21.93)
    400-meter dash
1st Dylan Hartnett (:50.85)
    800-meter run
2nd Michael Snapp (2:06.71)
    1600-meter run
2nd Kevin Pendergast (4:45.27)
    3200-meter run
1st Kevin Pendergast (10:51.78)
3rd Eric Haskell (10:55.25)
    110-meter hurdles
3rd Cliff Burdick (:15.22)
    300-meter hurdles
1st Cliff Burdick (:40.44)
    4x100-meter relay
2nd Bobby Krahn, Dylan Hartnett, Shane Graves, Denton Durler
    4x400-meter relay
1st Bobby Krahn, Cliff Burdick, Toby Boese, Dylan Hartnett (3:35.29)
    4x800-meter relay
2nd Eric Haskell, Anthony Olivarez, Joe Butcher, Michael Snapp (8:36.47)
    High Jump
2nd Terrence Williams (6 foot)
    Pole Vault
3rd Cliff Burdick (13 foot)
    Girls team results
1st Great Bend (109)
2nd Dodge City (97.83)
3rd Hays (95)
4th Liberal (45.5)
5th Garden City (25.67)
    DC girls individual results
    100-meter dash
3rd Kierra Johnson (:12.71)
    200-meter dash
2nd Kierra Johnson (:26.85)
3rd Courtney Brady (:27.15)
    800-meter run
1st Kaley Temaat (2:30.22)
    1600-meter run
1st Kaley Temaat (5:52.45)
3rd Maria Schmidt (6:09.19)
    3200-meter run
1st Kaley Temaat (12:17.21)
3rd Maria Schmidt (12:53.84)
    100-meter hurdles
3rd Kayla Conant (:17.00)
    300-meter hurdles
3rd Kayla Conant (:50.61)
    4x100-meter relay
1st DaShonda Johnson, Courtney Brady, Kayla Conant, Kierra Johnson (:51.28)
    4x800-meter relay
3rd Taylor Schinstock, Kayla Roenfeldt, Abby Plughoeft, Molly Amaro (11:38.43)
    High Jump
3rd Samantha Shirley (4 foot 10)
    Pole Vault
2nd Susi Algrim (8 foot 6)
    Discus
2nd Jenna Stremel (21 foot 3)