West Side competed well at the 3A state track meet last week at Middleton High School, taking third place overall on the boys side and tying for fifth on the girls side.

Nampa Christian won the boys team competition with 109.5 points, while Malad edged West Side for second by three points, 80.5-77.5. The West Side girls nearly took fourth, finishing in a three-way tie for fifth with 50 points — just 4.5 points out of fourth. Nampa Christian also prevailed on the girls side with 118 points, followed by Firth with 107.

“I’m super proud of my athletes this season,” said coach Kyli Povey. “They were a special group — incredibly talented and hardworking. Both our girls and boys teams stepped up and performed well through districts and state. A highlight for sure was that group of boys beating the all-classification state record in the medley relay! They are all talented athletes in their own right, but watching them come together to get that record was a memorable moment for all of us.”

The foursome of Tanner Henderson, Micah Benavidez, Gage Kidman and Ethan Willis are now the fastest high school medley relay team to ever come out of the Gem State. The Pirates shattered the old 3A state and all-classification records on Day 1 of the 3A State Championships with a time of 3:29.17. The old all-classification record of 3:30.00 was established by 5A Bishop Kelly a year ago. The old 3A record of 3:32.44 has been standing since 1997.

The performance was not unexpected, as their times have been consistently fast over the season, but to not only destroy the 3A record but break the all-classification record as well was a moment to be remembered.

Key to the success of the West Side boys was the performance of senior Ethan Willis. He not only anchored the relay team but captured two other gold medals and one silver. Willis was a five-time state champion in track and field and a six-time runner-up, in addition to being a two-time silver medalist individually in cross country spanning his final three years at West Side.

“It was really great to be able to represent our school like that,” Willis told the Herald Journal. “We had all worked really hard this season because we knew we could be close to getting that record and to know that our school has the fastest medley team in state history was awesome.”

As the fastest high school 800-meter runner to ever come out of Cache Valley, Willis defended his title in his signature event with a time of 1:55.06, followed by his first state championship in the 1,600 (4:28.07). Willis is West Side’s record-holder in the 800 (1:52.41) and 1,600 (4:20.76), in addition to being a part of school records in the medley and 4x400 relays (3:25.64).

“I had come pretty close to winning the 1,600 a few years ago and I hadn’t been able to, so to finally get that chip off my shoulder and get the state title in the mile was really nice,” Willis said.

Willis finished with a silver medal in the 4x400 relay as he, along with Kidman, Carter Peterson and Hayden Checketts, clocked in at 3:30.09. Checketts filled in for Benavidez, who was injured at the tail end of his race in the 100 — an event he placed seventh in with a time of 11.17.

The Pirates likely would have finished second in the team competition with a healthy Benavidez, who, to his credit, gutted it out in the 200 later in the meet to give his team one point. The senior was the No. 2 seed headed into that 200 final.

Henderson also took gold in the pole vault after clearing 14-0. Teammates Braxton Grimm and Brycen Thomsen also medaled in the event. Grimm cleared 13-6 for third place and Thomsen tied for fifth at 12-6.

Chet Ward contributed with an eighth-place finish in the high jump (5-10) and sixth place in the 100-meter hurdles (15.8), eighth in the 300-meter hurdles (43.61).

Bryson McDaniel finished seventh for the Pirates in the discus (130-3).

Kidman was fifth in the 400 (52.16).

Highlights for the girls were a bronze medal in the 4x400 with a time of 4:17.99, courtesy of Mylee Bingham, Allie Henderson, Lauren Campbell and Anslea Mumford.

West Side also finished fifth in the 4x200 (1:52.66) and 4x100 (53.05). Bentley Cundick, Ava Crouch and Jordyn Fitzgerald competed on both of those teams, while Bingham ran in the 4x200 and Tess Ward in the 4x100.

Lorraine Campbell, who was the bronze medalist in the shot put with a strong personal record heave of 36-6, earned medals in the 800 (fifth place, 2:26.36) and 1,600 (seventh, 5:41), as did Mumford in the triple jump (seventh, 32-6) and 800 (eighth, 2:29.81).

Other West Side girls who finished in the top eight of an individual event were Bingham in the high jump (tie for sixth, 4-10), Henderson in the long jump (fourth, 16-7.75), Cundick in the long jump (eighth, 15-9), Ward in the triple jump (sixth, 33-3.25), Crouch in the 300 hurdles (sixth, 53.05) and Reese Evans in the 100 hurdles (seventh, 17.70).

Here is a look at the West Side school records this team broke this season:

100M: 11.06 Benavidez

200M: 22.24 Benavidez

800M: 1:52.41 Willis

1600M: 4:20.76 Willis

Pole Vault: 14’8” Tanner Henderson

Long Jump: 22’11.5” Kidman

Javelin: 76’8” Ana Mariscal

Boys Medley: 3:29.17 Henderson, Benavidez, Kidman and Willis