She is her grandmother's "Little Butterfly," perhaps because Germe Poston flutters in the air with ease and grace.

And put the Franklin Pierce High junior on a track anywhere – even at Mount Tahoma Stadium for Star Track XXVII – the numbers aptly reflect the description.

A day after her coach told her she was running "in the shadow of legends," Poston put herself in the company of the greatest high school sprinters in Washington state history.

Her electrifying winning marks in the Class 3A girls' sprints – 11.63 seconds in the 100 meters, and 24.06 in the 200 – not only were state records, they go down as some of the all-time best times.

Her 11.63 was the fastest mark in 17 years, and ranks No. 5 all-time – and a spot better than her sixth-best 24.06 in the 200, which would be a state-meet record in any classification.

The frightening part? Poston is a junior.

"Those names that come out of the past – (Cheryl) Taplin, Erika Harris and Donna Dennis – are we looking at her joining that list?" Franklin Pierce coach Howard Lutton said. "I think so. I think she has the potential to walk in those shoes."

Selah High's Brett Blanshan was just as dominating in the short races. He smoked the field in the 2A boys 100 in 10.60 – a shade faster than his day-old meet record of 10.67. His time is tied for No. 5 all-time in Washington.

And the newcomer displayed a veteran's flair Saturday. Blaine High ninth grader Cherish Morrison captured the girls' 2A 100 (12.32), 200 (25.24) and 400 (57.53) in convincing fashion.

The North Central boys repeated as 3A team champions while the Rainier Beach girls won their eighth team crown, and first since 2004. The Lynden boys and Blaine girls won in 2A.

Of all the oustanding performances – 12 3A and 2A records were set this week – Poston's reigned supreme.

And she didn't see it coming. Minus a 2A meet record time in the girls' 200 preliminaries Friday, she had an ordinary day, except for the conversation she had with Lutton over team dinner at The Olive Garden.

On Saturday, she ran a near-perfect 100, getting out of the blocks first, and blazing to the best girls mark since Lake Washington's Danielle Marshall ran 11.36 in 1992.

"I was focused more today from the start, getting that title," Poston said.

Anybody roaming the infield Saturday now knows the ABC's of Selah sprinting, at least for 2009.

Members of the Vikings' 400 relay team, including Blanshan, donned homemade T-shirts that read, "Amazin' Blazin' Caucasion."

Who could argue, especially with the Washington State-bound Blanshan running. He won the 100, 200 and anchored a come-from-behind showing in the relay.

"It was Colin (Anyan's) idea, and right when he mentioned it, I was like, 'Yeah, let's make those shirts now,'" Blanshan said. "We did it … as a team at my house, in the basement."

Other action:

• On a track where he experienced victories – and disqualifications – over the past year, Lakes High's Anthony Wright got the last laugh, emerging out of a crowded 3A boys' 100 to win in 10.86.

"It's a big relief," Wright said. "People were looking at me to win"

• Bonney Lake High's Tiara Killmer is sure glad she came back to track and field. The junior beat the field in the 3A girls shot put with an opening throw of 39 feet, 73/4 inches.

"This is my first year doing this (since middle school), and today made me confident to come back and do this again," Killmer said. "It's about competing. I love it."

• Four-even athletes such as Foster High's Rashaun Johnson have to know when to conserve energy. He had enough to capture the 3A boys 300 hurdles championship in 38.80 over a hard-charging Abe Kellogg, of Enumclaw (39.07).

"My body, it preserves the energy for me," Johnson said. "It knows when to go fast, when to slow down and how to win the race."

• Washington High's Vanessa Garris won the 2A girls discus at 124-10. Prosser's Ana Zapien (122-8) and Othello's Tiffany Martinez (122-4) were in close pursuit.

NOTES

More records went up in smoke Saturday. Sehome High's Nelson Westlin won the 2A boys discus in 172-11 (old mark was 171-0 by former teammate Steven Ayers in 2007) and the Rainier Beach girls captured the 800 relay in 1:39.49, eclipsing their day-old record of 1:40.95. … Blaine High's Shayne Moore won the 2A 300 hurdles Saturday – twice. Because Star Track officials determined during a protest meeting that one of the hurdles was set too high on the first turn, the championship heat was rerun later in the afternoon. Moore won it it 38.89, after going 38.65 in the earlier race.

Todd Milles: 253-597-8442