By Greg James | [email protected]

West Valley - Running in relative obscurity, the Granger High School track team has grown in six years from a mere 13 athletes to now more than 100. Its numbers are not the only thing getting better. The team’s finishes are also improving every time they compete.

“Our season is going very well. Overall our relays have done very well. Every week our kids keep getting better and better,” Lancer head track coach Anthony Jefferies said.

Senior Cinialy Talavera has flashed her brilliance in the girls 100 meters. At the Copper Hills Invitational on April 2, Cinialy finished second behind Herriman’s Kaysha Love, last year’s state champion. The following week, at the 19th annual Taylorsville Invitational, she fell by .01 seconds to North Sevier’s Peyton Torgerson.

“She [Cinialy] has taken first or second in every single event this season. She has done soccer, cross country, basketball and track as a varsity athlete and she knows what it takes to be good,” Jefferies said.

Cinialy also anchors the 4x100 relay team. They placed fourth overall at the Copper Hills meet. The team also includes Sydney Bell, Isis Oro and Inda Wani. They also placed fourth at the Taylorsville meet.

“Overall our relays have done very well. I think the biggest thing is these kids knowing that they have coaches that care about them. We try to treat them like athletes that deserve the best. We try to have the best track apparel and attend the best meets,” Jefferies said.

The Lancer coaches care about the athletes’ performance on the track as well as in the classroom and at home. Jefferies realizes many of his athletes are second parents to their siblings. Many have jobs that limit their time.

“We constantly work with these kids. We know that if we give them the opportunities to succeed they will want to be part of this team. We care about them outside the lines. We worry about their grades and all the things going on in their lives. We have tried to help them find equipment and try to put them in a positive situation,” Jefferies said.

The boys team has also seen success in its relay program. Bishop Tillman, Ismael Valle, Sidney Alofipo and Jeremiah Deegan finished 10th at the Taylorsville and Copper Hills meets. 

“It is funny because our boys do better as a team and not individually. Just like the rest of the team our distance crew has doubled in size. Freshman Sarah Reynolds has finished in the top 20 every meet. In each of the last couple of weeks she has gotten better,” Jefferies said.

Reynolds placed top 20 in the 800 and 1600 at both Copper Hills and Taylorsville.

“Every week each kid has gotten better. Our main thing is to be better people. You may have lost the race, but you measure against yourself. Did you get better than you were the day before? I am very lucky to have several coaches and great kids that are helping our program succeed. It is a family of coaches and athletes getting better every day,” Jefferies said.