Senior Casey Bradford posted a career-best time of 53.93 to win the 400-meter run for small schools at last weekend’s Southeast regional track meet in Juneau.

He bested Thorne Bay’s Tell Tripple at the finish by six one-hundredths of a second. “Casey stayed behind Tell until the last bit and nailed him in the last 100 meters. It was awesome,” said Keri Ewing, Haines High School track and field coach.

Twelve of 15 Glacier Bears who participated qualified for this weekend’s state championship in Anchorage, including as alternates. Haines boys and girls squads each finished third among small school squads.

Scores included: Boys: 1) Sitka, 203, 2) Petersburg, 140, 3) Haines, 77. Runners from Thorne Bay, Gustavus and Skagway also participated. Girls: 1) Sitka, 232, 2) Petersburg, 156, 3) Haines, 48. Yakutat and Thorne Bay also participated.

Bradford also notched a personal best in the 200-meter run with a time of 24.01, placing second, and placed second in the discus behind classmate Matthew Green.

Green’s winning toss was 114 feet, off his best throw of 122 feet in Haines.

Green leapt 5-2 in high jump, two inches shy of qualifying for state. He placed second among small schools in shot, with a put of 38-9.5, close to his personal best of 39 feet.

Junior Jacob Stigen, a team rookie, demonstrated his prowess in the hurdles, qualifying for state in both the 110-meter and 300-meter events. Stigen placed fourth in the 110-meters (18.77) and third in the 300-meters (46.15). “Jacob has found his niche,” said coach Ewing.

Sophomore Carl Tupou placed fifth in shot put, qualifying for state with a throw of 36-6. He also placed fifth in the 100-meter dash in 12.65. “Carl has thrown discus more than 100 feet,” Ewing said. “He can do sprints, throws, and jumps. As a sophomore, he has a bright future.”

Senior Kai Hays placed sixth in shot, with a 36-foot put, qualifying for state as an alternate. He also placed sixth in triple jump.

Classmate Zane Durr’s triple jump of 33-11.25 was good for fourth and qualified him as a state alternate. Durr also was sixth in the long jump and ran the 4-by-400 meter relay with Tupou, Stigen and junior Dylan Palmieri.

Bradford, Durr, Tupou and Stigen posted a season-best 49.54 in the 4-by-100 meter relay but were disqualified for a handoff outside the zone.

Freshman Patrick Cunningham ran both hurdle events and posted a 2:40 in the 800-meter run minutes after the 300-meter hurdles. “To go out there and run the 800 right after the hurdles was impressive,” Ewing said. Cunningham qualified for state as an alternate in the 110 hurdles.

Palmieri’s discus throw of 103-8 qualified for state. Freshman Kamakana Kanahele competed in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes and high jump, posting personal best times in the dashes. Classmate Corbin Holm entered the 100-meter dash and high jump, notching a 4-10 leap. “If he’d cleared five feet he would have placed. It was a good finish for a freshman,” Ewing said.

In girls events, senior Destinee Cowart led Haines, winning discus with a personal best of 90-6 and finishing fourth in shot with a put of 27-9.

Classmate Nattaphon “Ice” Wangyot finished second in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, each time just behind Joei Vidad of Sitka.

“The 200-meter finals was probably one of the best races you’ll ever see,” Ewing said. “It was neck and neck. A lean-in at the (finish line) decided it. It took all the judges to look at the camera (to determine the finish).

Vidad finished in 26.64, Wangyot in 26.65. In the 100-meter run, Wangyot’s 13.14 compared to Vidad’s 13.01. “Both finishes were personal records for Ice,” Ewing said.

Senior Autumn Gross placed second in shot with a 28-2 toss, close to her personal best of 29 feet. Gross also placed sixth in discus, 62-5.

Senior Bailey Stuart’s season-best discuss toss (89-2) was good enough for second at regionals. A throw of 28-6 in shot put qualified her as an alternate in that event. “Bailey has started to come around in the last two meets. She’s gotten better,” Ewing said.

Junior Jordan Stigen finished seventh in both hurdle events. Though she missed qualifying for state, she posted personal bests in both events, Ewing said. Stigen also notched a personal best in long jump, improving her distance by more than a foot, he said.

With 12 Haines athletes qualifying for state compared to Sitka’s 25 and Petersburg’s 17, the Glacier Bears were small but impressive, Ewing said. “Our athletes represented very well with state qualifications.”