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The Western boys track and field team extended its perfect season to include the championship of the Kokomo Sectional Thursday at Walter Cross Field, scoring 136 points to pull away from runner-up Oak Hill (83).
The host Wildkats were third (81.5) with Eastern fourth (57). From around Howard County, Northwestern (48) was sixth and Taylor (46) seventh.
The top four finishers in each event return to Cross Field for the Kokomo Regional in one week.
It was the second sectional crown for the Panthers in as many years.
“We haven’t lost yet this year,” Western senior Corey Scott said. “I like that!”
Scott played a key role in the meet for Western, leading off the 4x800 relay team that won in 8:19.37, just 11/100ths of a second off the sectional record. That team included Kody Harmon, Chris Love and Zac Martinez.
Northwestern was second in the 4x800 in 8:30.35.
“I like that we set the tone early with the 4x8,” said Scott, who missed much of April with an injury. “Northwestern was super-pumped to get that and we just shut ’em down. One thing led to another.”
Building gradually to a heavier work load, Thursday’s meet was the first in a while he’s ran the 4x800 in place of teammate John Capps. Scott also finished second to Oak Hill’s Cameron Balser in both the 1,600 and the 3,200.
Next week, Scott will scratch the 1,600 and concentrate on the relay and the 3,200.
“John has stepped up all year in the 4x8 and has done well for a freshman,” Scott said. “I would have liked to do this for every meet, but I just can’t handle it. I want to help the guys get a good time in the 4x8 — I know the guys want it — and see what happens in the [3,200].”
UP AND OVER :Western senior Dean Shepherd clears the bar in the pole vault competition during the Kokomo Sectional on Thursday night at Walter Cross Field. Shepherd took third place with a vault of 14-3 and teammate Chris Harter took first with a vault of 15-0, helping the Panthers repeat as team champions.
Western’s strength, its tremendous depth, was seen throughout the results, placing two athletes among the top eight finishers in eight of 13 individual events.
Jerel Hall was again a dominant force. The lanky senior won the 100-meter dash in 11.33 seconds, just edging Taylor’s Shawn Fogleman (11.38), and came back with the 200 title in 23.02.
Hall placed second behind Kokomo’s Tony Moses in the 400-meter dash, and as he has done for the third time now this month, came from behind to beat Eastern’s 4x400 relay team in 3:28.87.
That 4x400 relay team included Jake Askren, Lucas Luckey and Martinez.
In pole vault, Chris Harter cleared a personal-best 15 feet to capture first place. Dean Shepherd (14-3) was third. In the 110-meter high hurdles, Aaron Van Auken was fourth and Indy Mathew fifth, and Van Auken finished second in high jump.
Mathew and Jacob Hopkins were 4-5 in the 300 hurdles, and Bart Shepherd and Trevor Buckalew were 5-6 in discus. Askren was sixth in the 200 and Austin Young finished fourth in the 1,600 and fifth in the 3,200.
“It’s a real good feeling the way the kids were able to come out and do what they had to do,” Panthers coach Marvin Boswell said. “You just go up and down the lineup as a team, and it was definitely a team victory. The kids came out and put the points up where they had to.”
In addition to Moses, the Kats got second-place finishes from John Alsup in the 200 meters and the long jump, as well as Cliff Burns in shot put. Alsup finished third in the 100 and Robert Lancaster was third in the 300 hurdles.
All three relays advanced for Kokomo, including second in the 4x100, third in the 4x800 and fourth in the 4x400.
“There were some things I was pleased with,” Wildkats coach Tom Byrnes said. “The 4x8 relay team picking up a couple spots, I challenged the kids in five or six events and that’s one of them. They rose up to the challenge and did what they were supposed to do.
“Unfortunately, in some areas we didn’t have our best performances, and in a big meet like this, you’ve got to do it. It was a learning experience. We’ve still got a long way to go.”
Eastern coach Paul Nicholson rolled the dice a bit, scratching his 4x800 relay team and pulling Brett Buckmaster from the open 400 meters in favor of the anchor of the 4x400 relay.
It almost paid off, as Hansen Martin, Dylan Buck, Mitch Padfield and Buckmaster finished second in 3:29.09, another school record for that quartet.
Earlier, Martin had broken the Eastern school record in the 800 meters in 1:58.40, finishing second to Peru’s Aaron Garretson.
“We chopped some more off of our school record but Western is a good [relay] team,” said Nicholson. “It’s not exactly a shame [to finish second]. Martin has run faster, but he just came out of that excellent 800 race.”
Blake Donson was a pleasant surprise. He captured the discus with a toss of 147 feet, 10 inches on his first throw.
“I wanted to just qualify and I would have been happy with that,” Donson said.
Kevin Jackson was second in pole vault, clearing 14-6 for the first time outdoors, and the Comets’ 4x100 relay team finished third.
“I’m so proud of the guys,” Nicholson said. “They came here to get better and they did. It was a great night for everybody.”
Taylor’s Austen Conwell qualified in three events. He won the 110-meter high hurdles in 15.48 seconds, was second in the 300 hurdles and led off the winning 4x100 relay team that included Walter Wheeler, Gordon Jenkins and Fogleman.
“I practiced real hard this week,” Conwell said. “We all did, especially our 4x1 [relay team]. This is the first time we’ve had our third leg of the 4x1 [Gordon Jenkins] since the second meet, and he ran really well, so we’re happy about that. Shawn pulled through and did really good. We’re really proud of that.”
Kory Kennedy finished third to advance in the 3,200 for the Purple Tigers. He also ran a leg of the second-place 4x800 relay team.
“We’ve been training Kory for a faster pace,” Northwestern coach Dave Stevens said. “He ran us a 2:04 split in the 4x8, which is his fastest 800. I knew he was going to have a big night.
“He got a little jostled [in the 3,200] but I told him to put a grin on his face and he came back strong.”
Brock Ford finished third in both the discus and shot put. Ryan Pattison was fourth in the 400 meters and Michael Schulte finished fourth in the 200. |
