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Sports

Renton Boys Track Dominates, Cruises to 2A State Title

P.J. Benedictus and Justin Bennett pace Renton boys track to overall team title; girls also finish strong.

P.J. Benedictus was talking from the first day about his teams desire to take home the 2A boys state track and field championship.

By the end of the third day, the Renton boys had gotten their wish.

Benedictus repeated as triple jump state champion, Justin Bennett took home the 100 and 200 meter state titles and Renton cruised to the 2A boys team title at the WIAA state track and field championships on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Mt. Tahoma High School in Tacoma.

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Benedictus set the pace early on the first day, finishing second in the 3A boys long jump. He then took second in the high jump, before repeating as the state triple jump. Benedictus collected 26 of his teams 30 points through the first two days.

“It feels really good, going out as a senior, knowing that you’re the champ," Benedictus said of his win.

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On day three, Bennett took over the main load and set the tone for the rest of the team. Bennett got started with a close, come-from-behind victory in the 100 meters.

“I was nervous, really. I didn’t know who was the fastest," Bennett said of his 100 meter run. "Once I saw dude in lane three outrun me, I was like ‘whoa, what’s going on here?’ so I had to pick it up at the end.”

Bennett then anchored the winning 4X 100 meter team that included Benedictus, Immanuel Carter and Robert Reeves III. Bennett took another individual title in the 200 meters before coming back to anchor the state title-winning 4X400 team.

Renton finished with 73 team points to easily outdistance every 2A competitor.

The Renton girls track team also had a strong showing, finishing 13th overall with a team score of 23.5 points. Amadi Bentley led the way, picking up a state title in the 100 meter hurdles with a blistering performance that saw her easily outdistance the field with a time 15.13 seconds. Bentley also finished third in the 100 meter dash, finishing just .06 seconds off the lead.

The tournament was hampered the first two days by inclement weather that brought rain in droves, casting a cloud over certain competitions. Nonetheless, a number of records were broken and several reigning champions repeated in their respective divisions.

Kasen Williams of Skyline provided highlights in the boys 4A division, taking home three state titles to cap off his remarkable senior season. The future University of Washington football player swept the long, high and triple jump competitions, setting a new state record in the triple – an event his father once owned the state record in – with a jump of 50 feet, 9 ¾ inches.

“Me and my dad kept saying, ‘it’s got to come back in the family,’” Williams said of his record-setting jump. “So I threw something out there…and just gave it a shot.”

Perhaps the highlight of the three-day event came in the final field activity, the 4A boys long jump. Williams took home the win, but not before a spirited battle with a field that included Edmonds-Woodway’s Alec Fellows, Kentwood’s BJ Arceneaux and Justin Browne of Gig Harbor.

Alanna Coker of Juanita High School repeated as the 3A girls triple-jump champion and finished second in the 100-meter dash. Coker was seeded second in the 200-meter dash following the preliminary round, but finished fifth after suffering a minor leg injury in the triple-jump competition.

Overall team winners were as follows: 4A girls – Kentwood; 4A boys – Kent-Meridian; 3A girls – Holy Names Academy; 3A boys – North Central; 2A girls – Sehome; 2A boys – Renton.

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