MERIDIAN — Matejah Mangum isn’t quite sure how to feel about it.

The fact that the Century High sprinter hasn’t lost in an outdoor 200-meter dash — ever.

And the junior won’t, at least not for a year with her third consecutive state title in the 200 Saturday at the Class 4A State Track and Field Championships at Mountain View High School.

“I know I can lose or something can happen in a race to make me not win,” Mangum said. “I think it’s just crazy to think about because track was never my number one sport.”

That was volleyball.

It seemed like that was going to be it too with Mangum even admitting to not being very good at track in middle school. But that quickly changed once she got into high school.

Mangum began the unbeaten streak with a win at a five-team meet in Rupert on March 11, 2021. Her winning time then was 27.14 seconds.

She’s come a long way since.

Mangum’s winning time Saturday was 24.92 seconds, which ran the undefeated record to 31-0.

“My coaches tell me to think about how horses will wear blinders in a race,” Mangum said. “I focus on what’s straight ahead and how hard I can push myself and not have to worry about other people. So it definitely does help with my self-confidence.”

But it’s just not in the 200.

Mangum made the podium three other times. She finished third in both the high jump (Friday) and as part of the 4x100-meter relay team. Mangum also finished runner-up in the 100 to Skyline’s Claire Petersen — for the third year in a row. She’s only ever beaten her once ,and that came at the Tiger/Grizz Invitational on April 29.

“When I beat her at Tiger/Grizz, that probably made my year just because I never expected or thought I could beat Claire,” Mangum said. “But it really helped me boost my confidence. She’s just an amazing runner and everything. I love running against her a lot.”

Highland’s Jordan forgets all about discus to win shot put title

There was no extra layer of motivation or joy from Ruby Jordan.

The Highland thrower didn’t even think about her shortcoming in the discus just a day earlier when stepping into the ring again. And now it’s already a distant memory for the senior after finally capturing that elusive first state title.

She won the Class 5A girls shot put with a heave of 41 feet, 7.5 inches.

“Yesterday doesn’t matter. It’s about today,” Jordan said. “There was nothing about yesterday that would have helped me today. I put shot put on my mind, and that’s all I was thinking about.”

Jordan, who had only been beaten once all year in the discus and came in with the fifth-best mark (130-0) in the entire state, didn’t place Friday. She just barely missed the podium by taking seventh (113-1). It was her worst throw since the third meet of the season.

“I don’t know,” Jordan said. “Sometimes it just doesn’t come together and that happened to me yesterday. It was a bad day to have a bad day. But it happens sometimes. As long as I did everything in my power, that’s what matters.”

The Utah State signee didn’t have that problem this time around.

But it did take until her final throw.

“I got in the ring I thought, ‘Last one, best one,’” Jordan said. “The guy (official) actually had me step out of the ring for a second. It kind of messed with my mojo. So I had to do a mini reset and away it went.”

Jordan still had to wait for one more thrower to go, though.

“I don’t think I have ever been so stressed watching that girl throw her last throw,” Jordan said. “I was shaking so bad.”

Luckily, for her, it sailed well out of bounds to deliver her a state championship years in the making. Jordan took third in the shot put last year and forth as a sophomore.

“It’s been hard,” Jordan said about her journey here. “And I don’t think a lot of people talk about that. It’s really hard to stay motivated. I’m not quite sure what to say. I just have a lot of support from coaches and parents and teammates and everyone that loves me around me. The win goes to them.”

Blackfoot’s Thomas repeats in 1,600

Three weeks ago, Matthew Thomas didn’t know if he was even going to be here.

Now the Blackfoot High senior ends his high school career as a back-to-back Class 4A boys 1,600 champion.

“It’s been a goal all season,” Thomas said. “But it just feels good to be out here running, honestly.”

From stress reactions to a strain in his achilles, Thomas has been marred with injuries all season. A potential stress fracture is the one that nearly ended his season prematurely.

“I still stuck with it, though,” Thomas said. “I kept cross training. I was swimming, biking, just doing everything I can to try to maintain as much shape as I can coming into the postseason.”

Thomas needed every bit of it too, especially during the final lap.

While he led wire-to-wire, Bishop Kelly’s Austin Clough really started nipping at his heels during the final lap. The two were neck-and-neck with around 100 meters to go before Thomas just out-kicked him at the end. He beat him by just 0.47 seconds with a PR of 4:14.51.

“I knew it was going to be a really fast race,” Thomas said. “But considering what happened yesterday when I got out-kicked in the last 200. So I just wanted to make sure it didn’t come down to that last 200. I tried to stretch out that last lap as good as I can and hold it off for the last 100.”

Thomas was referring to his third-place finish Friday in the 3,200 — an event he won last year. He took fourth in the 800, as well.

Pocatello’s Burch wins 800 before catching flight to play in baseball title game

Brody Burch was in a hurry.

There was only a little more than an hour until the first pitch of his baseball team’s state title game. But the Pocatello High senior had a race to win first.

Which might explain his result.

He set a PR in his 800 state title run with a time of 1:54.28.

“It’s kept me busy the past two years by trying to balance them,” Burch said with a laugh. “It just so happened this year that they made it to the state championship.”

Burch not only ended up making it in time. But he picked up the save in the Thunder’s 14-4 win over Skyview.

His win in the 800 was a little more dramatic.

He was around the middle of the pack for the first lap before making his move with 300 meters to go.

“That was my plan. Not to take it out super hard,” Burch said. “Just stick with the kids that go out hard, but not lose contact with them.”

The strategy worked.

He beat Bishop Kelly’s Kevin Corrigan by more than a half a second to win his first individual state title. Burch had finished runner-up in the event for the last two years, as well.

“The first year was kind of unexpected. I didn’t expect to run like that. And then last year, it was a dead sprint to the finish,” Burch said. “I was glad to see that it was my teammate that beat me. But it was disappointing having it come to the wire like that and not win it.”

Poky’s Renzello comes from behind for third straight 800 title

Hailey Renzello saw Preston’s Myah Atchley foil one of her three-peat attempts.

The Pocatello High junior wasn’t about to let her spoil a second.

She chased Atchley, who ended her two-year reign as district champ just last week, down in the last 200 meters to win her third straight 800 title with a season-best time of 2:17.89 no less.

“I work all year for this meet,” Renzello said. “It’s so rewarding that you can’t help but smile as you cross the finish line.”

Even with last week’s hiccup, Renzello has been nothing short of dominant in the event over the last three years. She’s posted 12 wins and has finished any lower than third place

“I think I’m just able to finish,” Renzello said. “I’m able just to stick with the amazing girls I run against and I think I have a pretty good kick.”

Other District 5 individual champions include...

5A

Highland girls: Tambree Bell (400, 57.73 seconds), Natalie Baker, Gracee Anderson, Hannah Bailey, Tambree Bell (4x400, 3:57.42 seconds)

4A

Pocatello girls: Dita Masak, Hailee Pool, Hailey Renzello, Addison Tensel (SMR 800m, 1:51.36 seconds)

3A

Marsh Valley boys: Porter Sutton (110m hurdles, 15.30 seconds; triple jump, 47-02.00)

Marsh Valley girls: Lydia Townsend (100m hurdles, 15.10 seconds; 300m hurdles, 46.08 seconds; high jump, 5-00.00)

2A

Aberdeen boys: Brock Klassen, Juan Barrera, Anthony Mosqueda, Cale Adamson (4x100 relay, 44.44 seconds), Cale Adamson (shot put, 53-05.75; discus, 162-04), Seth Hall (high jump, 6-04.00)

Bear Lake girls: Tayler Crane (100m hurdles, 15.79 seconds)

Malad boys: Braylen Tripp (triple jump, 43-06.00)

Malad girls: Oaklie Hebdon (300m hurdles, 45.74 seconds)

Soda Springs boys: Tanner Brown (110m hurdles, 14.75 seconds)

Soda Springs girls: Jinettie Garbett (200, 25.41 seconds; 400, 58.68 seconds), Tayah Gaines, Layla Torman, Macee Simmons, Jinettie Garbett (4x400 relay, 4:07.72), Izzy Shelton (shot put, 38-09.00)

1A

Rockland boys: Brigham Permann (300m hurdles, 40.86), William Lower, Teague Matthews, Eli Hendrickson, Ezra Hubbard (SMR 1600m, 3:37.91)

Team results

5A boys

1. Rocky Mountain (109), 2. Boise (95), 3. Centennial (82), 4. Rigby (60.25), 5. Mountain View (47).... 15. Highland (12)

4A boys

1. Bishop Kelly (159), 2. Ridgevue (74.5), 3. Moscow (39), 4. Vallivue (37), 4. Hillcrest (37)... 11. Pocatello (22), 12. Blackfoot (21)

5A girls

1. Boise (135), 2. Rocky Mountain (69.5), 3. Rigby (57), 4. Highland (54), 5. Timberline (53)

4A girls

1. Skyline (85), 2. Twin Falls (62), 3. Pocatello (58), 4. Skyview (57), 5. Sandpoint (44), 6. Century (41)