Cessna flights enable dual-sport athletes to secure double victories

Four Holyoke High School dual-sport athletes found themselves in an unusual predicament this past weekend. Juniors Wyatt Sprague and Cash Weber, sophomore Reid Sprague and freshman Colby Weber all qualified for the state track meet which overlapped with the regional baseball tournament that their team also qualified for. 

Some tough decisions were made about who had to miss what, but arrangements were made to fly some of the athletes between Holyoke and Denver to maximize their involvement in both the track meet and the baseball tournament. 

Speaking to the unique situation, HHS baseball coach Jimmy French said, “Any team can look good when they have ideal conditions and everything is going according to the usual plan and routine, but playing so well with so much uncertainty around you is a real testament to the character of the players.”

On Saturday, May 20, Cash, Colby and Reid started out in Lakewood, missing out on the first baseball game to compete in their track events. Colby finished at the track meet fairly early in the day and was able to return to Holyoke by car to finish the Dragons’ first baseball game. 

While his teammates were in Lakewood, Wyatt began his day in Holyoke pitching a winning baseball game against Las Animas. As soon as the game was finished, he headed to the Holyoke airport, boarded a four-seat Cessna 182 Skylane, and departed on the 80-minute flight to Denver. There, he joined Cash, Reid, and Max Kleve to compete in the 4x400 relay in which they took first place.  

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