EUGENE — Junior Bryce Hruska had never competed at the state track meet. A year ago, an appendectomy ended his sophomore season before he got the chance to try to qualify.
On Saturday afternoon in the Class 4A state championships at Hayward Field, he made up for lost time — taking second place in the 110-meter high hurdles. Those eight points in the team’s final event of the meet helped boost Philomath High’s boys to a fourth-place trophy.
Gallery: PHS boys track and field at 4A state meet (May 29-30, 2026)
A collection of photos from the Philomath High boys track and field team at the 4A state championships in Eugene on Friday and Saturday.
Stepping back to a more full picture, Hruska was actually one of four Warriors to finish as a state runner-up. Sophomore Sammy Hernandez in the high jump, junior Jamin Peters in the shot put and senior Josiah Peters in the javelin all earned second-place medals.
Hruska clocked 15.40 seconds in the 110 hurdles finale. Scappoose junior Bennett Fink won the event in 14.65.
PHS coach Joe Fulton said Hruska’s development over the offseason was no accident.
“This winter, he asked me to put some hurdles out for him and he practiced all winter long,” Fulton said. “(Assistant coach) Tyler (Thomas) does a great job with him, taught him how to three step, because if you don’t three step, you’re not going to win and you’re not going to do well here. He finally got that down.”
Hruska’s preliminary race the day before didn’t go as smoothly as he would have liked.
“My prelims weren’t a very clean race — I kind of skied a couple and I wasn’t really as smooth as I wanted,” he said. “So in this race, I was focusing on getting out of the blocks hard, keeping good form over the first three and then I knew it would just carry through from there.”
He said he felt the adjustments paying off at about the halfway point.
State track: Eckhold vaults to victory, Smart sweeps distance events to lead PHS girls
EUGENE — Junior Hailey Eckhold was still trying to borrow a pole Saturday morning when the other competitors were walking into Hayward Field. An hour later, she was a state champion. Eckhold’s dramatic pole vault title, combined with sophomore Cassidy Smart’s sweep of the 1,500- and 3,000-meter runs, headlined a meet that saw the Philomath…
Gallery: PHS girls track and field at 4A state meet (May 29-30, 2026)
A collection of photos from the Philomath High girls track and field team at the 4A state championships in Eugene on Friday and Saturday.
“In the middle of the race, I felt like I was getting a little high, so I kind of brought it down a little bit,” Hruska said. “But the start of the race was for sure better than yesterday and I definitely carried it through at the end better.”
Hruska said the back end of the race is actually his strength.
“The last three hurdles are the cleanest part of my race because I like to rush it maybe a little bit,” he said. “It just makes it that much faster towards the end.”
For Hruska, the finish represents a foundation to build on — with another full season ahead.
“It’s a good starting point for hurdles for me, for the 110s especially,” he said. “Last year, I wasn’t good at all and this year, I definitely picked it up. I think it’s a good place to start next year and maybe into college, too.”
Hernandez settled for runner-up in the boys high jump, clearing 6 feet, 2.75 inches — a strong showing for the second-year competitor who finished ninth in the event at state a year ago.
Fulton noted just how far Hernandez had come in a single season.
“Considering he didn’t place last year and then came back and took second this year, he’s a sophomore, that’s pretty impressive,” Fulton said.
Hernandez cleared 5-10.5 and 6-0.5 on his first attempts, advanced past 6-1.5 on his second try and then made it over the bar at 6-2.75 on his jump. He ended up in a first-place tie with Phoenix senior Ethan Dobbins. In a jump-off to determine the winner, Dobbins cleared 6-4 to claim first place.
Hernandez had his sights set higher by targeting 6-5. The mental side of the competition is where he said he does some of his most important work.
“I trick my brain and so I say it’s like 4 feet,” he said. “Think that in my brain, look at the bar, look over, and then take a breath, and I go.”
He also kept close tabs on his approach.
“The lead, my curve, I was focusing on my curve,” he said.
Hernandez credited his father, Sal, as the biggest influence on his development in the event.
“Every Sunday, we’d go practice,” he said.
The Peters brothers each left Hayward Field with a runner-up medal — Jamin in the shot put on Friday and Josiah in the javelin on Saturday — giving Philomath a pair of medalists from the same family.
For Josiah, simply being on the podium represented a remarkable journey. The senior battled sepsis late last year, spending several weeks fighting the serious medical condition before his health stabilized. He worked his way back through physical therapy, and while initial thoughts were that he might not compete again in high school, he rejoined the Warriors basketball team in early February and finished out the season.
A state medal in the javelin capped the comeback.
Peters had his sights set on the top prize, finishing with a best throw of 172 feet, 11 inches. North Marion senior Vinny Arnold won the event at 185-6. It was the second consecutive year Peters finished as state runner-up.
It wasn’t the performance Peters was capable of on his best day.
“I would have liked to have gotten first,” he said. “I didn’t really throw my best today at all, not even close. So it’s sad and it’s my last time throwing, so I’ve just got to take it and hopefully make it happy for me.”
Peters said none of his throws in competition matched what he was doing in warm-ups.
“Every single one was not my best,” he said. “My warm-up throws were farther than those.”
Fulton acknowledged the sting of back-to-back runner-up finishes to close a career.
“When you finish second one year and then come back the next year and finish second again your senior year, that’s going to hurt,” Fulton said. “But he’s a very sweet kid and he held his head high, didn’t complain about it and it is what it is. That other guy just had a better day.”
Arnold, who also beat Peters at last week’s district meet, transferred in from South Salem, so the rivalry is a relatively new one — but Peters said it didn’t take long to develop a mutual respect.
“We started making friends as soon as I got to know him because he transferred in from South Salem so I had no experience with him,” Peters said. “There is pressure, but also we’re tight.”
For Peters, who has worked on the javelin since he was young, the event marked the end of a long chapter.
“It’s really emotional,” he said. “When you do it so long, it gets ingrained in you and it’s like you’re done now. It’s just hard.”
He reflected on what it took to reach the state podium.
“It takes a lot of time and hard work and dedication,” Peters said. “You’ve got to be able to push through all the hard times and just try to keep getting better.”
Jamin Peters had a memorable performance on the first day of the meet, breaking a 43-year-old school record in the shot put on his final throw to place second overall.
Peters threw 53 feet, 5 inches to surpass the 53-1 mark set by John Thomas in 1983 — a record that had stood since before Peters was born. Junction City senior Caleb Moore won the event at 59-10.5.
“Really, really happy,” Peters said of his reaction. “I knew I could do it … and I did it at state.”
The competitor who had been in second place was injured on his first throw, which opened the door for Peters.
“I moved up and he didn’t get a throw the rest of the way,” Peters said.
Peters also earned a medal in the discus, placing eighth with a throw of 144-2 — a result that matched his goal heading into the meet.
“It just feels good,” he said. “I didn’t expect to get second place. I knew it was achievable but I didn’t expect it.”
He credited throws coach Brian Lucas as having the most impact on his shot put development. With a year of eligibility remaining, Peters has his eyes on the top step of the podium.
“I’m going to need to do a lot more weightlifting,” he said.
Senior Leo Pausch turned in a strong two-day showing in the distance events. He placed fifth in the 3,000-meter run Friday with a personal-best 8:50.19, then came back Saturday to finish seventh in the 1,500 in a season-best 4:09.82.
Pausch stayed near the back through the opening lap of the 1,500 before working his way up to third on the second lap, but the top two runners pulled away over the final lap as Pausch battled the pack behind them to the finish.
Junior Kaden Howard was involved in a close battle in the long jump, finishing seventh with a distance of 21-1.5. Howard’s best jump came on his second attempt.
Senior Blake Hauck rounded out the team’s scoring with an eighth-place finish Friday in the pole vault, clearing 12-2.5.
In the final team standings, Henley edged Scappoose for the state title, 97.5 to 94, and Marist Catholic finished third with 64. The Warriors scored 42 points for fourth.
Class 4A State Championships
Friday-Saturday, May 29-30 at Hayward Field, University of Oregon, Eugene
BOYS
Team scoring: 1, Henley 97.5; 2, Scappoose 94; 3, Marist Catholic 64; 4, Philomath 42; 5, Marshfield 35; 6, Klamath Union 33; 7, Baker 31; 8, La Grande 30; 9, Newport 27; 9, Phoenix 27; 11, The Dalles 26; 12, Pendleton 21; 13, Molalla 20; 14, Junction City 19; 15, Astoria 17; 16, Tillamook 14; 17, Estacada 12; 18, Seaside 10; 18, North Marion 10; 20, St. Helens 9; 21, Madras 8; 21, Sweet Home 8; 23, Cottage Grove 5.5; 24, Stayton 2.
DAY 1
PHS results : 3000 — 5, Leo Pausch, 8:50.19. 110 hurdles (Prelims) — 4, Bryce Hruska, 15.58. 300 hurdles. Shot put — 2, Jamin Peters, 53-5 (16.28m). Discus — 8, Jamin Peters, 144-2 (43.94m). Pole vault — 8, Blake Hauck, 12-2.5 (3.72m). Triple jump — 11, Kaden Howard, 41-2.5 (12.56m).
DAY 2
PHS results : 1500 — 7, Leo Pausch, 4:09.82. 110 hurdles — 2, Bryce Hruska, 15.40. Javelin — 2, Josiah Peters, 172-11 (52.71m). High jump — 2, Sammy Hernandez, 6-2.75 (1.90m). Long jump — 7, Kaden Howard, 21-1.5 (6.44m).
For complete meet results, click here.
