<p>Heppner's Andrew Bara, far right, leads the boys' 110-meter hurdles at the Columbia River Invitational on Saturday in Boardman. Bara won the race in 17.01 seconds. Also shown, from left to right, are Mac-Hi's Salvador Diaz (5th) and Andrew Sutton (2nd).</p>

BOARDMAN Riverside senior Erik Carranzas junior season wasnt what hed hoped.

The speedy sprinter from Boardman battled a hamstring injury for most of the season, and was disqualified at the state meet once he finally had gotten healthy.

That leaves a lot riding on his final year, and in his first attempt at the 100-meter dash this season Carranza crossed the finish line in 11.56 seconds to tie for first place at the Columbia River Invitational in Boardman on Saturday. He and Mac-His Nathan Dombrosky were in separate heats, though Carranza would have liked to face the Pioneer head to head.

I needed the competition. Thats all I?needed,?he said. I didnt have a (seed) time so they just gave me that second heat. So I didnt have any challenge.

Though his time was still four tenths of a second slower than his personal best an 11.16 run at the Pirates home meet in his sophomore season Carranza is off to a good start and fully healed, he said.

He proved it in the 200-meter dash later in the afternoon by beating Mac-His Alberto Rodriguez by eight tenths of a second for first. He stopped the clock in 23.17, which also approached a personal best set his sophomore season (23.01).

That one I did have competition,?he said.

As a team, the Pirates boys had a strong showing in their home meet but still finished third with 60 points, trailing runaway winner Mac-Hi (178) and second place Irrigon (94). Other Riverside winners were Taylor Wightman in the discus (111 feet, 8 inches) and Gregg Shimer in the shot put (41 feet).

Dombrosky, who came over to the track team from baseball this season, helped rack up many of the Pioneers points by also winning the 400-meter race (55.18) and running legs on each of the winning relay teams.

Lucas Simpson added 20 more points to the team tally by winning the pole vault and the 3,000-meter run for the Pioneers. Simpson is splitting his time between golf and track this spring, and didnt compete at Fridays Carnival of Speed in Milton-Freewater.

His fresh legs may have helped him beat Stanfields Hector Hernandez in the distance race, but he said hes more focused on his performance in the vault this season. He won the meet with a vault of 11-3, and teammate Andrew Sutton was the only other vaulter to eclipse the 10-foot mark.

I?was really happy with that height. It was a really good PR for me,?he said. My main goal this year is to get over 12 feet.

While the Pioneer senior dominated the vault, a sophomore from Helix was tearing it up in the jumping events. The Grizzlies Dusty Bennett won the long jump, high jump and the triple jump and nobody else even came close to his marks.

His 18-7 in the long jump was more than two feet better than second place while his 36-10 in the triple was more than three feet longer than the next closest mark. His 5-8 in the high jump was the only recorded height between 11 competitors.

Its been similar (outcomes)?at the first three meets,?he said. Last year I?was going against mostly seniors and I?was getting second and third against them, and they all graduated so I?was kind of hopeful.

Irrigons boys proved adept at finishing near the top, but only landed one event title as Ramon Leon won the 300-meter hurdles in a new personal record of 42.38.

Over on the girls side, Umatilla squeaked out a team title thanks to a third place finish in the meets final race the 4×400 relay.

Second place Weston-McEwen, which also was second at the Carnival of Speed, did not field a 4×400 team and finished the meet with 101 points.

The six points Umatilla picked up for third in the race bumped them up to a total  of 103. A lot of other things needed to go right for the Vikings to reach that total, though, and senior Jessica Siler accounted for several of them.

She placed first in the shot put (33-6), second in the 100 meters (14.23) and second in the triple jump (30-2.5). While performing in a league of her own in the shot put Saturday, Siler said shes confident shell bring all of her events up to an all-time level by the end of the season.

Shes chasing the Umatilla record in all three.

Im a couple seconds or a couple inches off of them,?she said. Toward the end of the season it will be (frustrating) if I?dont have them by then.

Weston-McEwen got wins in the 200 (Madison Carlin, 28.08), the triple jump (McKayla Carlin, 32-7.5), the javelin (Makayla Christopher, 111-7) and the shot put (Jaymie Zimmerman, 93-10).

Christopher and Zimmerman said frustration over some mediocre throws fueled their winning marks.

That was my best throw Ive ever done,?Christopher said of her five-foot PR. At the beginning I was getting very frustrated and I?just got so mad and I?went up there and I?threw it as hard as I?could, and it just flew out there.

The same thing happened to me, I?was getting really mad,?Zimmerman said. We have anger issues I?think.

Irrigons girls finished the meet in third with a balanced effort that earned them 95 points. The Knights only two wins came in the final two events as Maritriny Mejia won an uncontested 3,000 and the 4×400 relay team edged Elgin by two seconds for gold.

The opposite of the Knights, the Mac-Hi Pioneers girls won five events but didnt have enough placers and finished in fifth with 80 points.

Kristi Childers continued her domination in hurdles, posting a personal best in the 100 (17.70)?and winning her first attempt at the 300 (54.14) in her freshman season. Classmate Josie Lonai won the 1,500 by 12 seconds in 5:32.25, but the cross country star said shed like to attempt more sprints in the spring and leave the distance running for the fall.

Pioneers senior Mica Epifanio won the long jump (13-10.75)?and was third in the triple jump (29-4.5) as she continues to work her way back from an ACL tear that wiped out her entire junior season.

Im starting at the bottom of the chain again,?she said. I?used to jump a 16-3 and right now Im just starting over. Im getting my form back and I?cant complain.

Heppners girls and boys each placed fourth at the meet with 82 and 57 points, respectively.

Champions for the Mustang girls were Emma Osmin in the 100 (14.03), Kellie Nelson in the 800 (2:49.95) and Carrie Haguewood in the high jump (4-11). Haguewoods leap was an inch higher than the one that got her sixth place at state last season and one inch shy of her personal best. Nelsons 800 time was exactly six seconds faster than she ran Friday at the Carnival of Speed.

The Mustang boys got their only win from senior Andrew Bara in the 110 hurdles (17.01). He set his new personal record in the short hurdles but pulled up lame after crossing the finish line second in the 300 hurdles. He said a previous groin injury had flared up but was already feeling better minutes after the race.

Other individual winners at the Columbia River Invitational were Pilot Rocks Tara Glynn in the girls 400 (1:06.33), Elgins Rachael Jones in the girls pole vault (8-0), Stanfields Hector Hernandez in the boys 1,500 (4:42.95) and Umatillas Jordan Brown in the boys 800 (2:20.02).