Woodson battles injury, Cook changes approach as state meet looms

Markesh Woodson takes the questions in stride, even if he hasn’t taken much of them lately on the track.

“People ask me if I’m still running,” said the Fountain-Fort Carson senior and defending state champion in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. “I tell them no, and they kind of get depressed.”

Since an early season hamstring strain, Woodson has cheered on his teammates, his role reduced to a spectator while rehabbing in the form of stretching, ice baths and even visits to the chiropractor.

With just four weeks remaining in which to qualify for state, Woodson has yet to finish an event. He managed to win a preliminary race in the John Tate Challenge Cup in Pueblo last weekend, but the hamstring flared up and prevented him from running in the finals.

Woodson, whose breakout junior season – highlighted by a 10.45-second time in the 100 at the state meet, the fastest recorded effort of the season – paved the way for a super encore.

It still hasn’t happened.

“It’s just frustrating,” said Woodson, who earlier this year signed a national letter of intent to run at Missouri. “The week before the first meet, I strained my hamstring. I’d say I’m at 80 percent now. I do have to qualify for state, but I’m going to be sure I’m ready.”

While that won’t be at this weekend’s home-turf meet at Fountain-Fort Carson, perhaps at the Liberty Bell in Littleton next week or the Metro League meet May 10 will Woodson put his 100-percent hamstring to the test.

And he’s confident he can at least qualify for the state meet, May 15-17 at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood. By then, he hopes to be peaking, just in time.

“I want to prove I can win it again,” Woodson said. “I will work my hardest to defend it. I just want to run, to run to win and to run for my team.”

Rampart’s Ryan Cook also wants to prove he can defend his title, this one in high jumping. As an encore, the Drake-bound senior completely changed his approach, switching his plant foot from right to left.

While he’s not quite back to the 6-feet, 10-inch mark that won the 5A state title last year, his 6-6 cleared last weekend at the Pomona Invitational served as quite the encouraging step.     

“It feels more natural now, more fluid,” Cook said. “I cleared 6-6, and almost had 6-8. I’m really excited for state this year.”

Cook entered Rampart with hoop dreams. Thanks to the knee injury as a junior and a broken wrist last season that kept recruiting to a minimum, Cook couldn’t be happier with the way fate intervened and put him on a different track, literally.

“Basketball is my true love, and I was thinking I’d be playing basketball in college,” said Cook, who went out for the track team last year to stay in shape for basketball. “I think switching to jumping is one of the best choices I could have made.”

AREA LEADERS
Best from 5A and 4A unless a 3A time/distance is better

BOYS (*-state classification leader)

100 – Josh Lewis, Vista Ridge (4A), 10.88; Solyde Bankston, Fountain-Fort Carson (5A), 11.23

200 – Demetrius Warren, Vista Ridge (4A), 22.25; Justin Richardson, Liberty (5A), 22.75

400 – Zac McCoy, Canon City (4A), 48.88; Ben Goodman, Palmer (5A), 49.39

800 – Ben Goodman, Palmer (5A), 1:58.00; Quin Ralston, Coronado (4A), 1:59.51

1,600 – Dan Egger, Coronado (4A), 4:35.06; Michael Claflin, Liberty (5A), 4:35.69

3,200 – Michael Claflin, Liberty (5A), 9:43.69; Quin Ralston, Coronado (4A), 9:57.29

400 relay – Harrison (4A), 42.87*; Doherty (5A), 43.25

800 relay – *Vista Ridge (4A), 1:28.28; Fountain-Fort Carson (5A), 1:30.61

1,600 relay – Doherty (5A), 3:25.15; TCA (3A) 3:29.57; Palmer Ridge (4A), 3:31.67

3,200 relay – Coronado (4A) 8:17.58; Liberty (5A), 8:21.34

110 hurdles – Tyler Zito, Doherty (5A), 15.14; Kyree Goodman, Widefield (4A), 15.17

300 hurdles – *Ryne Chavez, Doherty (5A), 37.91; Andre Young, Coronado (4A), 39.85

High jump – Matt Becar, Doherty (5A) and *Collin Scheer, TCA (3A), 6-7; Colt Sessions, Cheyenne Mountain (4A) and Ryan Cook, Rampart (5A), 6-6.

Long jump – Tony Carodine, Widefield (4A), 23-4½; Jerry Travis, Pine Creek (5A), 21-6

Triple jump – *Tony Carodine, Widefield (4A), 49-1; Simon Hayes, Pine Creek (5A), 43-8

Discus – Andew Dubiel, Vista Ridge (4A), 160-1; Stuart Jackson, Pine Creek (5A), 149-9

Shot put – Dylan Brant, Canon City (4A), 49-11 ¼; Dalton Fields, Pine Creek (5A), 46-11

GIRLS (*-state classification leader)

100 – Alleandra Watt, Pine Creek (5A), 12.16; Alicia Lawrence, James Irwin (3A), 12.71; Mackenzie Howie, Doherty (5A), 12.85

200 – Alleandra Watt, Pine Creek (5A), 25.29; Mackenzie Gouner, Palmer Ridge (4A), 25.57

400 – *Allison Kropkowski, TCA (3A), 57.15; Madison Wiegand-Brown, Palmer (5A), 57.88; Nicole Montgomery, Lewis-Palmer (4A), 58.48.

800 – Regan Mullen, TCA (3A), 2:20.81; Heather Bates, Discovery Canyon (4A), 2:21.60; Hannah Everson, Liberty (5A), 2:23.24.

1,600 – *Regan Mullen, TCA (3A), 5:03.71; Laura Yarrow, Pine Creek (5A), 5:10.52; Heather Bates, Discovery Canyon (4A), 5:11.23

3,200 – *Heather Bates, Discovery Canyon (4A), 11:09.93; Shelby Stableford, TCA (3A), 11:18.40; Hannah Everson, Liberty (5A), 11:20.48

400 relay – Pine Creek (5A), 50.14; Sand Creek (4A), 50.45

800 relay – Fountain-Fort Carson (5A), 1:46.63; Sand Creek (4A), 1:47.35

1,600 relay – Lewis-Palmer (4A), 4:04.99; Fountain-Fort Carson (5A), 4:05.11; *TCA (3A), 4:12.15

3,200 relay – *TCA (3A), 9:45.42; Coronado (4A) 9:50.03; Fountain-Fort Carson (5A), 9:56.10

Sprint medley relay – Fountain-Fort Carson (5A), 1:49.71; *TCA (3A), 1:49.73; Cheyenne Mountain (4A), 1:51.69

100 hurdles – *Alexa Chacon, TCA (3A), 15:08; Andrea Tuck, Canon City (4A), 15:27; Adrienne Jordan, Rampart (5A), 15:86

300 hurdles – Margaret Hurst, Doherty (5A), 45.67; *Alexa Chacon, TCA (3A), 45:96; Kathryn Kimball, Lewis-Palmer (4A), 47.87

High jump – Rebecca Harris, Sand Creek (4A), 5-3; Rajon O’Quinn, Fountain-Fort Carson (5A), 5-2

Long jump – *Rachael Jackson, Mesa Ridge (4A), 18-9; Dakota Divich, Pine Creek (5A), 16-6

Triple jump – Dakota Divich, Pine Creek (5A), 36-2; Andrea Tuck, Canon City (4A), 36-0

Discus – Ashley Ehardt, Rampart (5A), 145-6; Hannah Carr, TCA (3A), 113-7; Hannah Erickson, Woodland Park (4A), 112-6

Shot put – Mariah Walker, Sand Creek (4A), 40-6; Ashley Ehardt, Rampart (5A), 39-2 ½