Keeping up with the Joneses

Diné throwers help pace Desert Edge to state track title

WINDOW ROCK

In its state title run last month the Goodyear Desert Edge throwing team put forth a dominating performance.

The Scorpions finished the Arizona Division II state track with 61 points with 36 of those markers coming from three throwers headed by two Diné brothers – Tyson and Hunter Jones.

Tyson, a sophomore, spearheaded that effort by placing first in both the shot put and discus events. Tyson improved his personal best by one inch with a throw of 60 feet, 4 inches in the shot put event. In the discus he PRd by over 13 feet as his disc went 174-06.

“I stayed focused knowing that I could throw that far,” Tyson said of his two events. “I put my technique to use and I really got it up there.”

With that Tyson took part of the Meet of Champions the following week and placed first in the shot put and second in the discus. The Meet of Champions invites all the state champions in every division to compete against each other.

At the state meet, his older brother placed second in the shot put with a throw of 54-03.75 while their teammate Dante Blissit finished fifth in both events.

Last November those three individuals were instrumental in leading the Scorpion team to the Division III state title in football as part of the offensive line. Desert View prevailed with a 29-27 win after Paradise Valley failed to convert a field goal with 15 seconds left in the game.

“It went down the wire and the kicker went too far to the left so they won,” said their mother Pam Wilson. “With what they did at the state track meet they are going to get two championship rings.”

Hunter said he was a little disappointed with how he competed at the state meet as he failed to improve his personal best of 56-08 in the shot put event.

“I was not at full potential at state and my last throw I got a bit jittery,” he said.

As for the discus event, he finished outside the top 10 with a 136-06 attempt but he was pleased with his result.

“This is the only year that I actually looked into it,” Hunter said.

The two boys got interested in track through their local Mighty Mite football program when they where in primary school.

“It was kind of funny because these kids weren’t sprinters,” Wilson said. “A lot of the kids were running but one of their coaches suggested that they throw.”

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