TACOMA -- Brett Blanshan doesn't give the impression that he's all that concerned with first, second or third place.
In his recently refined gold-mine event -- the long jump -- he wants to literally fly up, out and deep into the pit for previously unreached distances. Every time.
Anything else, well, that's just a wasted runway.
The Selah sophomore settled for some routine jumping by his standards on Friday, but it still earned him a convincing victory at the Class 2A state meet at Mount Tahoma High School.
"What I wanted I definitely did not get -- 23 feet," said Blanshan, who had been well over 22 feet in each of the two weeks prior to Friday's winning span of 21-103/4.
"Honestly, for me, the distance was a bigger deal than the win."
Watching him compete, it didn't look that way.
Blanshan led throughout the three-jump prelims, but Washougal's Jameson Howk jumped ahead in the first round of finals by 11/2 inches.
Blanshan immediately took the lead back, reaching 21-61/2 and then he closed the event with his 21-103/4.
While dry and warm, conditions were somewhat humid and jumpers talked about the feeling of heavy air. Prosser's Aaron Galvan rose up for third place on his second-to-last jump but he, too, was less than thrilled with his 20-61/2.
Isak Bergman's perspective was exactly opposite of Blanshan -- the win was everything and the time was irrelevant.
In the most thrilling race of the day, the Ellensburg senior ran a tactically smart race but when he charged at Sehome's Mason McHenry over the final 100 meters of the 1,600 he could not reel in the last half stride that kept him from victory.
McHenry, who like Bergman is a rare miler with 48-second speed in the 400, held on with a teeth-clenching lean in 4:15.
70. Bergman, who tumbled to the track after his lean, was clocked in 4:15.76.
McHenry and his teammate Jake Riley took the pace out hard, coming through the first circuit in 60 seconds and two laps in 2:06 with Bergman 30 meters back in fifth. Bergman then launched his trademark second-half push, cutting McHenry's margin to five meters with a lap to go and passing Riley on the backstretch. But even with a 61-second final lap, Bergman could not fight past McHenry.
"I didn't know they were going to go out like that, and I got squeezed back early," said Bergman, who will compete in the 800 final today. "I just didn't quite have enough at the end. That's impressive, how (McHenry) went out hard like that and still held on.
"
McHenry, a junior who played baseball last year but does possess a background in cross country, knew Bergman was the runner to beat.
"Me and Jake decided to take it out because that's a tough crowd and we wanted to spread it out," he said. "I snuck a look back on the turn and saw Bergman and I knew he had the kick.
We both just took it to the line."
Prosser's Nectaly Barbosa was unable to start the 1,600 because of injury (see accompanying story), but the Mustangs were happy to get six points out of Galvan in the long jump. Prosser's prelims went well with Cade Wandling and Cody Bruns advancing in their two sprint events and the 4x100 turning in the best time, but the day ended on a sour note when the 4x400 failed to advance.
There were only four finals in the 2A boys meet but Ellensburg came away with 10 points, eight from Bergman and two from Wes Ferrell in the pole vault.
CLASS 1A: Zillah's Jake Friedrich claimed his third straight state medal in the long jump, placing fourth. After a foul, the senior hit his best of 20-91/4 on his second jump.
The 1A boys also contested only four finals on Friday.
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