LAKEWOOD – The high jump battles between M-CHS and Bayfield juniors Trey Hall and Tanner Vyborny have become the stuff of legends in the track and field circles in the Four Corners. On Thursday afternoon in Lakewood, the rest of the state got to bear witness to another showdown for the ages.
With the Intermountain League taking center stage at the 3A high jump state championships, Hall saved his best leap of the season for the moment with the brightest lights. The Panthers standout cleared a personal best 6 feet, 7 inches on his first attempt at the height – a result that would lift Hall to the state title. While Vyborny matched Hall’s mark moments later – tying the best mark in the classification for the season – the Wolverines junior had more missed attempts, making Hall the champion.
Throughout the season, Vyborny enjoyed the upper hand, winning the IML title as he and Hall squared off in numerous ‘mano-a-mano’ duels at the high jump pit. Finally, Hall had the last say, as he climbed within 1 inch of the Panthers four-decade-old school record in the event.
“I’d been close all year to clearing it,” said Hall of his first leap over 6’ 7”. “I was focused, the conditions were good – I could feel my form was perfect – every time I went up, I felt confident that I could get over.”
Hall grazed the bar on his highest clearance, but when he saw that the bar still remained on the standards as he rolled off the mat, the excitement of a personal best at state started to sink in.
“I worked on my form this year,” said Hall, who jumped up several inches from his 6’ 3” leap at the 2025 championships, “this was a lot of fun.”
Hall got into a rhythm early in the championships, clearing the first three heights without a miss – building an edge after Vyborny clipped the bar at 6’ 3”. Hall’s first miss of the day came at 6’ 5”, but the junior quickly regrouped. “I knew attempts mattered, and so I refocused and went after it,” he reflected.
The 3A champ finished with the second highest leap in any classification over the three-day event at Jefferson County Stadium, only behind Palmer Ridge senior Nathan Moller’s 6’ 10” clearance.
Hall earned his second all-state performance in the event, bettering his fourth-place mark from a year prior. He credited his jumps to coach Jeremy Yarbrough for being a steady influence to help him take his jumping to the next level. “He (Coach Yarbrough) has always given me good feedback about how to get better and stay calm,” Hall said.
As he walked across the JeffCo Stadium from the high jump pit to take his place at the top of the podium, the magnitude of the achievement started to sink in. He stepped off the top rung of the podium after accepting his medal, and stepped into a select group of Panthers individual state track and field champions.
Jonah Ritter nearly added a second state title for Montezuma County athletes, as the Mancos senior blazed around the turn in the 200 finals, but was narrowly edged by Lyons senior Will Dumbauld by two-hundredths of a second (22.11 to 22.13). Ritter’s runner-up placement is the best of his state track and field career, adding more medals to his impressive collection with a fifth-place sprint in the 100 (11.11), as well.
Freshman Tymbri Priestley’s first high school state meet landed her a pair of podium appearances, including fifth in the 200 (26.31) and sixth in the 100 meters (12.81). Priestley’s very busy weekend also included a 10th place effort in the 400 (1:01.52) and a matching placement in the long jump (15’ 5 ¼”)
Senior Destiny Kramer closed out her Bluejays athletic career with another podium appearance, clearing 5’ 0” in the high jump to earn a tie for seventh-place.
Sophomore Levi Priestley completed his state 400 meters debut with a strong time of 52.36 and a 15th place run in the 2A field.
Michael Rantz closed out his Bears career with another series of all-state performances, including breaking 50 seconds in the 400 meters (49.91) to earn fifth, while adding sixth in the 100 (11.21).
Rantz also factored into both Bears sprint relays – each of the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 advanced to the finals – as the 4 x 100 took eighth (Rantz, senior Aaron Nielson, junior Darren Hicks, and sophomore Evan Elder – 44.65). DHS also landed on the podium in the 4 x 400 with a ninth-place run with Rantz, classmate Bridger Beyhan, junior Miles Brown, and sophomore Nathan Gaddis in a time of 3:38.45.
Sophomore Joseph Padilla clocked a personal best in the 3,200 with a run of 10:15.52 to take eighth in the event. Padilla teamed up with Beyhan and juniors Owen Lowe and Corvin Smith to take 11th in the 4 x 800 (8:49.36).
Junior Hayden Matthias and sophomore Faith Muzzy took 10th and 15th respectively in the 300 hurdles, both breaking 50 seconds in the process. Matthias ran a time of 48.48 barely miss the finals, while Muzzy posted a time of 49.93. Matthias also nearly qualified for the finals in the 100 hurdles, taking 11th in a time of 16.68.
Addison Spitzer matched her season best leap of 4’ 11” to take 10th in the high jump.
The M-CHS boys 4 x 400 relay quartet of Hall, seniors Wyatt Oliver and Isaac Dozal, and freshman Landon Yarbrough took 16th in the 3A field with a time of 3:32.66.
Senior Mason Forst made the most of his state mile and 2-mile debuts, earning all-state with a seventh-place run in the 3,200 (11:21.12), before collecting a 10th place run in the 1,600 (5:00.88). Forst also joined classmates Jonathan Davis, Daniel Gray and junior William Arellano in their eighth place 4 x 800 relay (9:08.59). Senior Josh Kibel closed out his Bulldogs athletics career with a 10th place effort in the shot put (40’ 9 ¾”).
