CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- For one exhausting, 30-minute burst, Keenan Hale expended as much energy as many athletes do during an entire track meet. During that time McCallie's versatile junior competed in four events, all of which were going on at the same time, as part of Friday's annual Optimist Meet at Walker Valley High School.
"In all my years of coaching, I can't remember having a kid competing in that many events all at the same time," Blue Tornado coach Mike Wood said. "He had that one big rush of events and basically crammed an entire meet into less than an hour. He's a pretty special athlete."
Hale placed second in the 110-meter hurdles, then trotted from the track to the high jump event, which he won. He then finished fourth in the triple jump and anchored the Blue Tornado's 4x100 relay team, which finished third. Because of the limited time he had, Hale was able to make just one triple-jump attempt before having to move on to the relay.
His efforts helped McCallie easily claim the team points championship, beating second-place Tyner 137.5 to 64.
"It's pretty early, so this meet is kind of a measuring stick to see just where you are and what you have to work on," Hale said. "This is really the first big meet for everybody, so it's a good way to see where you stand against everybody else.
"I was done for after getting those events in, and I'm really glad because I'm extremely tired. I know I'll work in a few different events this year and the decathlon later, so this was a great way for me to get started."
The girls' team competition was even more one-sided, with last year's Division II state champion Baylor looking even stronger by blistering the field with 209 total points. GPS was second with 115. The Lady Red Raiders won seven of the 18 events.
"We have a lot of team depth," said Hannah Jumper, who won the 800- and 1600-meter runs. "I was really surprised with how well I ran today. I was only two seconds off my personal best in the 1600, so that's a pretty big boost of confidence."
Red Bank's girls were a strong third, led by Amber Dandy's first-place finishes in the 100 and the long jump, Claire Turner's 3200 victory, Chelsea Mills' 200 win and the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams' first-place finishes.