Oxford hands Brandon boys track loss in league meet

Brandon’s boys track team simply couldn’t keep up with the host Oxford Wildcats.
As a result, the Blackhawks fell to the Wildcats 86-41 in Brandon’s first Flint Metro meet of the season April 15. Brandon is now 12-11 overall and 0-1 in the league.
‘It was a hard fought meet, but we ran out of steam in the last few events,? Brandon coach Gary Medland said.
Despite the loss, there were some strong individual efforts for the Blackhawks. R.C. Carpenter took first place in the high jump (5?2?) and the 400 meter dash (54.8 seconds), while Ian Edmonds won the long jump (18?9?) and 110 meter high hurdles (16.5 seconds).
Mark Stermer placed second in the long jump (16?7?), while Ben Reed did likewise in the 1600 meter run (4:48). Matt Rife took third in the shot put (36?3?) and Adam Hyde took third in the 110 meter high hurdles (17.1 seconds).
In addition, the 800 meter relay team of Hyde, Reed, Edmonds and Carpenter won that event with a time of 1:37.
At the New Lothrup Invitational April 12, the team won six events on their way to capturing the invite.
The Blackhawks finished with 94 points, outdistancing runner-up Alma, which finished with 80 points, and Birch Run, which finished with 78 points.
Mike Cybulski and Edmonds helped the Blackhawks get started on the right foot, winning the long jump with a combined total of 34?2-1/4?. Cybulski and Roebuck followed up with a win in the high jump (11?4?).
The distance medley team of Mark Stermer, R.C. Carpenter, Brad Lawrence and Ben Reed finished with a time of 12:08.32, while the shuttle hurdles team of Adam Hyde, Edmonds, Josh Luczak and Rife finished with a time of 1:13.5.
Other Brandon first-place finishers were Reed in the 3200 run (11:10.2) and Hyde in the 300 hurdles (43.62).