GREENFIELD — For 1,600 meters, Jacob Hansen and Zac Archibald weren’t friends or teammates. They were competitors.
Constantly pushing one another in practice, in addition to the rest of the deep Greenfield-Central distance group, Hansen and Archibald clashed against live competition on Tuesday at home against New Castle and Scecina. In the end, however, the pair ended up racing each other.
Hansen, a senior, took an early lead, only to see Archibald grab first on the third of four laps. Hansen, who has built a reputation for his strong kick at the end of races, cross country included, turned the jets on in the final 200 meters to take first in 4:41.09. Archibald, a junior, whose confidence has been building over the last year, was second in 4:43.96.
In the 3,200-meter run, Hansen also took first in 10:09.66, while Archibald was third in the 800-meter run.
Their efforts helped Greenfield-Central finish in first overall with 78 points. New Castle and Scecina tied for second with 42 points.
“(Hansen and Archibald) battled back and forth most of the race tonight,” Cougars boys’ coach Scott Burton said. “Jacob has developed his style over the course of his career for us. We’ve seen this coming for him. Zac, on the other hand, really had his breakout (season) last spring.
“In races, those two are working really well together.”
Greenfield-Central’s girls’ team won their side of the meet, as well, finishing with 91 points. New Castle followed with 41 and Scecina scored 32.
Last Friday at Shelbyville against the Golden Bears and New Palestine, Archibald was first in the 1,600 and Hansen was second. The two nearly switched finishes in the 3,200 with Hansen winning and Archibald taking third.
“Friday was actually the first time Zac has beaten Jacob (live),” Greenfield-Central distance coach Aaron Smith said. “Archibald is really motivated and dedicated.
“So today, it was like who was going to beat who?”
Sophomore teammate Parker Niemeier was fourth in both events at Shelbyville and took fourth in the 1,600-meter run Tuesday, as well.
Cougars junior Braden Brown, who also plays football, was a double winner in the long jump and high jump against New Castle and Scecina. He jumped six feet in the high jump and 18 feet, six and a half inches in the long jump.
“Braden had a good night and is starting to come around,” Burton said. “The long jump here always seems to be shorter (at Greenfield-Central) than everywhere else. (Brown) almost cleared 6-2 on his first jump in the high jump.”
In the pole vault competition for the boys, Greenfield-Central sophomore Adam Lee cleared a personal-best of 11 feet, six inches to take first. The jump broke his personal record by two feet.
Greenfield-Central also won both 1,600- and 3,200-meter relay races, while the girls were second in the 400-meter relay and the boys third.
For the Cougar girls, freshman Crystal Peterson continued her fine rookie season. She won the long jump competition (14-7.50) and the 300-meter hurdles by a split second (.01). She was also second in the 100-meter hurdles.
Her teammate, sophomore Kenzie Polster, won the high jump by eight inches with a leap of four feet, 10 inches. In a sweep of the “jumping” field events, senior Emily Jones was her usual self and won the pole vault with a jump of 10 feet. Polster won the 400-meter dash, as well.
Other winners for the girls were junior Riley Sexton in the 800-meter run and sophomore Ava Hibbard in the 200-meter dash.
In the shot put, Greenfield-Central’s Tate Helm and Jenny Flora won their respective sides.
The Cougars will run again on Friday at Decatur Central in the Joe Schott Twilight Invitational.
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Girls
Team Scores
Greenfield-Central 91, New Castle 41, Scecina 32
Event results
4×800 relay: 1. Greenfield-Central, 11:11.18, 2. New Castle, 12:37.23, 3. None.
100 hurdles: 1. Kennedy (SC) 16.94, 2. Peterson (GC) 17.04, 3. Broyles (NC) 17.47.
100 meter: 1. Snow (SC) 13.40, 2. Williams (NC) 13.60, 3. Daisy (SC) 14.20.
1,600 meter: 1. Brock (NC) 6:01.42, 2. Kueffer (GC) 6:13.65, 3. Garcia (GC) 6:18.32.
4×100 relay: 1. Scecina, 55.41, 2. Greenfield-Central, 55.72, 3. Scecina, 59.81.
3,200 meter: 1. Brock (NC) 13:42.93, 2. O’Conner (SC) 13:19.84, 3. Kueffer (GC) 13:32.90.
Long jump: 1. Peterson (GC) 14-7.50, 2. Kennedy (SC) 14-6, 3. Smith (NC) 12-11.50.
High jump: 1. Polster (GC) 4-10, 2. Hibbard (GC) 4-2, 3. None.
Discus: 1. Werner (NC) 78-4, 2. Flora (GC) 105-0.25, 3. Burkhart (GC) 100-09.75.
300 hurdles: 1. Peterson (GC) 50.18, 2. Kennedy (SC) 50.19, 3. Pope (GC) 52.24.
800 meter: 1. Sexton (GC) 2;44.32, 2. Gottwald (GC) 2:46.99, 3. Milikin (NC) 2:51.40.
200 meter: 1. Hibbard (GC) 27.79, 2. Williams (NC), 3. Garcia (SC) 29.11.
Pole vault: 1. Jones (GC) 10-0, 2. Fortner (GC) 7-6, 3. McGreal (GC) 7-6.
400 meter: 1. Polster (GC)1:04.69, 2. Hibbard (GC) 1:06.10. 3. Freeze (SC) 1:07.47.
Shot put: 1. Flora (GC) 38-8, 2. Coil (GC) 35-1, 3. Wamer (NC) 34-4.5.
4×400 relay: 1. Greenfield-Central, 4:34.29, 2. New Castle 4:58.12.
Boys
Team Scores
Greenfield-Central 78, New Castle 42, Scecina 42
Event results
4×800 relay: 1. Greenfield-Central, 9:28.04, 2. None, 3. None.
110 hurdles: 1. Oskins (SC), 16.03, 2. DeKeyser (GC) 18.71, 3. Williams (NC) 20.46.
100 meter: 1. Howe (NC), 11.51, Woods (SC) 11.76, 3. Brown (GC) 11.98.
1,600 meter: 1. Hansen (GC) 4:41.09, 2. Archibald (GC) 4:43.96, 3. Egan (SC) 4:47.83.
4×100 relay: 1. Scecina, 46.18, 2. New Castle 47.94, 3. Greenfield-Central, 48.71.
3,200 meter: 1. Hansen (GC) 10:09.66, 2. Egan (SC) 10:12. 28, 3. Niemeier (GC) 10:39.71.
Long jump: 1. Brown (GC) 18-6.50, 2. Bodenhamer (NC) 17-9.75, 3. Smith (GC) 15-11.50.
High jump: 1. Brown (GC) 6-0, 2. Clancy (SC) 5-0, 3. Seyfried (GC) 5-0.
Discus: 1. Witham (NC) 110-0.75, 2. Starkey (GC) 109-0.50, 3. Helm (GC) 100-07.5.
300 hurdles: 1. Oskins (SC) 45.01, 2. DeKeyser (GC) 47.63, 3. Duncan (SC) 50.28.
800 meter: 1. Adkins (NC) 2:12.35, 2. Clagg (SC) 2:13.47, 3. Archibald (GC) 2:16.68.
200 meter: 1. Howe (NC) 23.87, 2. Lee (GC) 24.46, 3. Cross (NC) 25.10.
Pole vault: 1. Lee (GC) 11-6, 2. McBride (GC) 8-6, 3. Phillips (GC) 7-6.
400 meter: 1. Martin (SC) 54.76, 2. Smithes (GC) 55.97, 3. Williams (NC) 57.83.
Shot put: 1. Helm (GC) 44-8, 2. Lyons (SC) 41-3, 3. Jester (NC) 39-0.
4×400 relay: 1. New Castle, 3:51.87, 2. Greenfield-Central, 3:51.90, 3. Scecina, 3:59.85.
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