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Top talent on display at Cougar Relays

JANESVILLE — The state’s oldest continuous high school track and field meet is slated for Friday night at Monterey Stadium.

The 62nd annual Cougar Relays will begin at 4 p.m., with eight girls teams competing and seven boys teams.

There are no defending team champions after last year’s meet was halted after only five events due to heavy rain and lightning.

“Those were probably the worst conditions I can ever remember a meet being held in in my 31 years of coaching this sport,” Janesville Craig girls coach Mark Marsden said. “Hopefully, the weather cooperates this year.

“It’s always a great meet because there is so much talent on display. A lot of these kids you’ll see at the state meet, too.”

Middleton won the girls team title in 2006 and 2007, and Marsden expects the Cardinals to be the team to beat once again this year.

“Middleton’s depth is what makes them so tough to beat,” Marsden said. “But Waterford’s got a really nice program, and Parker is always strong, too.

“In a relay meet like this, you have to have more than just one good athlete in each event to score well.”

The top female athlete competing will be Parker’s Shelby Demos. The senior is the defending state Division 1 champion in the high jump and a member of the Vikings’ state-ranked 800-meter relay team.

Parker and La Follette will be the favorites on the boys side, but there will be plenty of individual talent on tap.

“It’s a fun night because it’s the type of meet that kids don’t get to compete in very often,” Marsden said. “As a coach, you get the opportunity to try some different combinations in certain events.”