In their initial outing of the season, Chimacum High School’s track and field teams competed against Bremerton and Port Angeles at North Kitsap March 22, eliciting praise from coach Tony Haddenham for performing well.

“The meet went really well,” Haddenham said. “It was our first of the season, so a number of athletes had no times or distances. As for the results, I was pretty pleased with the outcome. There were several athletes who did better than I expected.”

Although Haddenham went on to acknowledge that a number of other team members were “nowhere near” where they needed to be, he also pointed out that the Chimacum track and field lineup is loaded with freshmen this year.

“I love it, because they get to be molded and shaped as the years progress,” Haddenham said.

Haddenham singled out Kayla Gates for taking third place in the high jump at 4 feet, 8 inches; Ryan Caldwell for placing third in the javelin for boys with a throw of 114 feet, 2 inches; and Darnell Adams for coming in fourth in the boys’ javelin at 111 feet, 10 inches.

Freshman Jadeah Nordberg-Williams placed third in the girls’ javelin competition, with a throw of 77 feet, 6 inches.

“Now that our athletes have some times and distances under them, we have a baseline for the other meets,” said Haddenham, who looks forward to the team’s next meet in Coupeville March 28. “I’m excited to see what the season has in store for our team.”