The Parkland boys track and field squad ran, jumped and threw themselves into a bronze finish last week at the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference track and field championships at Whitehall High School.

The Trojans finished with 71 points, 14 less than champion Nazareth and seven behind second-place East Stroudsburg.

“The momentum has grown through the season,” Parkland coach Stephen Ott said. “They want to improve and win. This is their chance to shine.”

Shining bright as a midday sun in July was the 800-meter relay team, who took gold. Other young men in a hurry were Tyler Rothrock, who took third in the 800 meters, Ethan Willard who claimed third in the 3,200 meters, Tyler Hoysan who won third in the 110-meter hurdles, and Andrew Beers who finished third in the 300-meter hurdles. Another runner who performed well was Brady Hoffman, who finished behind Rothrock in the 800 meters by .06 of one second for fourth place. Also on the beam was javelin thrower Andrew Nguyen, who claimed second.

Ott said the journey to postseason distinction began months ago, when the weather was raw and almost no one was watching.

“Our student-athletes have worked hard this year,” he said. “Many of them trained with us during the indoor season and hit the ground running in March.”

The next chance to run, jump and throw is during the District 11 Class 3A championships. They’re set for May 17 and 18 at Whitehall High School.