Prep boys track and field: Tigers star Volavola sweeps throws in dominating fashion

May 22-For Sam Volavola, rugby was his favorite sport growing up in Fiji. Track and field took a back seat.

Once he came to Centralia High School his sophomore season, it was flip-flopped. He started learning more about track, picking up little notes from his opponents and gaining an appreciation for the sport.

"I just did it more fun (in Fiji)," he said. "When I started coming here, I started getting serious about it."

The results speak for themselves.

Volavola unleashed a new personal best in the shot put of 56 feet, 2 inches and cruised in the discus by over 12 feet to sweep the throws for the second straight week during Thursday's Class 2A District 4 Championships at W.F. West High School.

"It feels really good," Volavola said. "To come out with two golds in districts, I am really proud of myself."

He's routinely went over 50 feet in the shot and the district meet marked the fourth time his best discus toss was north of 170. It is a far cry from even last year, when he didn't make it out of districts and his marks were over 40 (shot) and 130 (discus).

Still, the wins were not on a weekly basis. He got tested by the likes of Onalaska's Ethan Thayer, Olympia's Carson Godfrey and others at the Chehalis Activators, Shelton Invite and the Shaner Invite.

The placements have never dipped below third in either event.

"Every meet I try to fix something," Volavola said. "Watching (Ethan Thayer) throw, seeing that technique, I tried to add it."

Once he tossed the shot 53-11.50 on his second attempt Thursday, he was in the lead and never relinquished it. His fifth throw ended up as the PR toss. In discus, he was in front from the beginning and hit the back row of flags on his second throw that went 174-plus.

Initially, he thought it was 180-plus.

"I try to get as relaxed as possible," he said.

Volavola will enter next week's state meet as one of the favorites in both. Yet he knows the challenges that await him.

"It is going to be tough," he said. "I have confidence, but it will be hard."

One of the upsets of the night came on the final throw in the javelin, where Tumwater freshman Cody Hayes uncorked a toss of 173-04 for a cozy 13-foot PR to upend W.F. West's Peyton Santiago.

The toss came roughly a day after injuring his hamstring.

At one point, Hayes thought he was a sprinter. He's fully invested in javelin now.

"I'm just shook," he said. "I cleared my head completely. I didn't even know where it was flying, I thought I nose-dived it. I never expected to do javelin; my all-time goal is to be a decathlete."

Prior to his final throw, his best in the series was 157-03, comfortably in third. When the measurement was announced, he embraced head coach Jordan Stray and his family. Now, his sights turn to the state meet in his debut varsity season.

"Keep the javelin up, that's what my coach always tells me," Hayes said.

The stunner on the track was one of the fastest runners in 2A, Blake Kirkpatrick, will not be running in either the 100 or 200-meter dashes next week in Tacoma. Jaxon Budd decided Tumwater needed at least one representative and he cashed in a title with a PR time of 10.73 seconds.

Budd also triumphed in the long jump, seeing his first jump of 22-00.25 be his best.

"I was thinking potentially fourth place so I was like 'Alright, I got to go,'" Budd said of the 100. "The goal was to get out fast and stay there."

When Budd toes the line and leaps into the sand pit, it'll be the last state event as a T-Bird. Once upon a time, he didn't like track and thought about quitting it all together. He's grateful he gave it another chance.

"I wasn't the biggest fan, didn't totally enjoy it," Budd said. "I figured I'd give it one more shot. I want to win something."

Tumwater also saw Laurent Opoku (200) and Owen Reamer (high jump) pick up district titles. For Centralia, Ethan Weiher (1,600) and Zander Corwin (high jump) both placed fourth. For Black Hills, Jess Bender (long jump) was its highest finisher in 11th.

W.F. West had six runner-up placements on its final meet at home.

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