In their inaugural season, the Dragons exceeded expectations and kept their season alive by an impressive performance at the regional competition Friday at General McLane High School.

In order to qualify for the state tournament in Shippensburg, they had to finish as one of the top three overall teams, and they did just that.

“With it being our first year, we weren’t sure what to expect going into regionals,” said head coach Cayla Onoratti. “We knew that everyone would have to place in order to advance to the state competition. We just came off of our first team win the other day, so we had a lot of momentum at the start. Our goal was to ‘mark Warren on the map’ in the realm of Unified track, and we did just that.

“We started off strong with everyone putting up great performances in their running events, scoring points in every division we had someone present in. Many who haven’t previously placed stepped up and crossed the finish line in the top three,” Onoratti added. “We divided for field events with the sense of confidence, knowing we were in a good position with scoring. The team continued to place, with many personal bests and four first-place finishes.”

Submitted photo Warren’s Jacob Elmquist runs the 100-meter dash during Unified track and field regionals Friday at General McLane High School.

Earning first-place finishes for the Dragons were: Ryder Check (100m), Jacob Elmquist (100m), Loralei Johnson (800m), Isaac Hammerbeck (800m and javelin), Colton Ristau (javelin), Noel Ireland (shot put) and Isaac Zapel (shot put). These performances, along with many other place winners propelled the Dragons to a third-place finish, and a bid at the state competition.

“As coaches, we knew we did well, but truly didn’t know where we would fall in placing. We hadn’t beat General McLane or Northwestern this season, and narrowly beat Corry last week. The two schools from the Three Rivers region were very strong, and McDowell has a great program. Our team lined up for the final call, anxiously awaiting the results. They announced seventh place, sixth and fifth, with the anticipation growing. The director then said that fourth and third place were separated by one point, with only the top three advancing,” Onoratti said. “When Northwestern was announced as the fourth-place finishers, our team erupted in celebration (and many tears) knowing we were heading to states. Our team placed third overall, all by one point. A bronze medal was awarded, with Keely Southworth summing it up, saying ‘this is the best day of my life.'”

Warren has their final regular-season invitational on May 18 at General McLane for the league championships, which will be a good tuneup for the state competition.

“As a coaching staff, we are so proud of this team,” Onoratti said. “They continue to complete workouts at practice, paying off at the competition level. We were truly speechless on Friday, but cannot wait to watch our team compete in Shippensburg. We are hopeful that many varsity athletes join us, as Unified states are embedded within the PIAA state track and field weekend. We will have field events Friday, and running events Saturday, and are looking forward to a weekend of celebrating this amazing inaugural season for WAHS.”