Sophomore Erin Hooley and junior Jentezen Behnke of Fountain Hills High School competed in the AIA Division III state championship track and field meet last week. Behnke finished 11th in the high jump, and Hooley finished 19th and 22nd in two distance races.

“I think they’re representing [Fountain Hills] extremely well,” head coach Kevin Clancy said. “We kind of knew going into it that everyone’s jumped certain heights throughout the year, but they had to perform on this day, and we knew that was to [Behnke’s] advantage because he’s someone that comes out and jumps really well. A lot of other performers have been kind of streaky throughout the year, but he’s been consistent.”

Behnke was one of the first competitors to perform last Saturday, May 14. The state meet started during the heat of the day at 12:30 p.m., and the high jump was the first event of the day. Each athlete was given three chances to clear the bar, and only 11 of 24 jumpers advanced to the second round.

Behnke advanced but did not clear the bar in the second round, and he did not set a new personal record, but he did outperform his seeding. Ahead of the competition, Behnke was seeded 17th, but his 5’9” jump helped him finish 11th overall.

Even though Behnke and Hooley competed hours and even days apart, they still came out and supported each other. Hooley ran the 1,600m on Tuesday, May 10, and both Behnke and teammate junior Tyler Irvine-Violette were there to watch her. On Saturday, Hooley watched Behnke jump several hours before her next race at 8 p.m.

“I just wanted to cheer him on because I knew he would do the same for me.” Hooley said. “It’s fun watching your team succeed.”

On Tuesday, Hooley finished 19th in the 1,600m (5:41.67), and on Saturday, she finished 22nd in the 3,200m (12:58.42). Hooley ran in the cross country state championship last fall, and she learned to trust her training more and believe in herself ahead of these state races. Hooley admitted she still dealt with some nerves, but she was much more confident on Saturday after one state race was already in the books.

Hooley ran the 1,600m eight times during the season, and she ran her second fastest time at state. Hooley’s first time of the season was 6:05.49 in early March, and her PR was two seconds faster than her state time, 5:39.75. Hooley only ran the 3,200m three times including the state race, but she said she likes it, and it will become her main event moving forward.

“She’s someone that represents the girls team and our program extremely well,” Clancy said. “Every time she’s out there, she’s putting it out there. And running in the heat, a mile or two miles, I mean that takes some guts.”

The Falcons’ track season ended before temperatures could rise too high, and they developed a lot in Clancy’s first year at Fountain Hills. The Falcons hosted not one, but two home meets this season, after not hosting any in the last several years, and they have over 30 rostered athletes who will be able to return next year.