Devin Light single-handedly propelled Haines to a 12th-place finish at the boys’ state track meet last weekend in Anchorage, placing among the top four in three events.
The Glacier Bears tallied 18 points, all from Light, the squad’s lone representative.
“He did real well, considering that he really hadn’t trained all season,” said coach Jim Stanford, citing shin splints after basketball season as one factor.
Several of Light’s teammates were on their way to Australia for a Venturer Scouts trip during state.
Light, who graduated May 20, was second in the 100-meter dash (11.57 seconds), third in the 200 (23.44 seconds), and fourth in the high jump (5’6”) among athletes from small schools (Class 1A, 2A and 3A).
Those totals were impressive enough for Haines to edge Petersburg (16 points) as the second-ranked team in Southeast, behind Sitka (27 points), which placed eighth.
Anchorage Christian took the team title with 89 points, routing Grace Christian and Seward (53 points apiece). Twenty schools scored points.
Light was the Region V champion for small schools in the 100 and 200, and runner-up in the high jump. At state, his 100-meter time would have ranked him seventh in Class 4A, and his performances in the other two events also would have landed him in the top 10 for schools that size.
Complete state results are available at http://www.athletic.net.