Capital City Invitational ends with Saturday flourish

[mouakter9005]

“We got good goalkeeping,” he said. “It was good for Erik. He got challenged. He got some pretty serious challenges and came up with some nice saves. We had a lot of kids who played well. I think Ahmir deserves some credit because he had to switch from offense to defense and really just we didn’t miss a beat. It always hurts to lose someone of Jesper’s quality. So to have Ahmir be able to step up and have us be just as strong shows his skill. And I think Kellen Chester gave us really good presence in the midfield, he was quite strong. Noah Ault (junior) played really well in the back. Owen (Rumsey, senior), Reed (Maier, senior) and Emmitt (Mesdag, junior) played amazing. Our two freshmen are just surprising, Bryce Haygood and Troy Edgar are playing with so much confidence and skill. Usually you don’t see freshmen that are that composed and trust in their skills like these two are. Really surprised with how well they’ve acclimated. On the boys side, freshmen boys generally, it’s pretty physical and they struggle early on to be able to compete with that but they are doing it. It’s not that I didn’t know they were good players. I knew they were good players, but you just don’t know how they’re going to hold up against a pretty fierce competition. I’ve just been surprised at how well they’ve held up. A lot of our kids are playing well and just the whole team environment was nice to see them come together. Still early, way early in the year, but we’re having fun.”“They are getting rid of the funkiness now,” Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé junior thrower Meliame Tupou said. She and classmate Issy Martin had just finished their discus outing and were shagging the throws of the boys’ competitors during Saturday’s Capital City Invitational Track and Field Meet on the Thunder Mountain Middle country wise email marketing list School oval.

The shaggers — who return the discus to the throwers — had to take a quick retreat downfield as JDHS junior Richard Tupou unleashed a personal record toss of 146 feet 0.5 inches, nearly 30 feet farther than his competition.

“Yep, no funky now. He’s my cousin. I don’t know where that comes from,” M. Tupou said.

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé junior Richard Tupou wins the boys discus with a 146’0.5” effort during Saturday’s Capital City Invitational Track and Field meet at Juneau’s Thunder Mountain Middle School field. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé junior Richard Tupou wins the boys discus with a 146’0.5” effort during Saturday’s Capital City Invitational Track and Field meet at Juneau’s Thunder Mountain Middle School field. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)

Richard Tupou’s throw came from desire, love of the sport, team bonding and sportsmanship.

“Sometimes he is just out there throwing all by himself after practice,” JDHS throwing coach Tina Martin said. “He really loves the sport.”

Over 40 throwers in the boys event exchanged high-fives and notes, and watched as seniors Erik Thynes and Angus Olsen (Petersburg), Eero Woolford and Gunner Tarver (JDHS), Zach Webb (Sitka) and juniors JC Davis (Haines) and Jack Dunn (Ketchikan) all threw past 100 feet easily. Tupou drew a collective gasp as he released his winning toss and a hearty applause as the disc landed past a shagger.