110 HURDLES Evergreens Will Ruetz crosses the finish line as he won the 110 and 300 hurdles to help the Vikings to a league title VIEW ALL PHOTOS OF THIS EVENT FOR FREE AT WWWTHEVILLAGEREPORTERCOM
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
METAMORA (May 10, 2024) – Coach Alex Lutheran and his Evergreen boys track team got the emergency blast…”Bzzztt…bzzzttt..this is NASA. Engage rocket boosters..you are now in launch mode.”
The Vikings received that message loud and clear as they not only entered the launch sequence but lifted off and rocketed to the NWOAL track title.
The Vikes used eight first place finishes that helped compile 135 points to bypass runner-up Bryan (103 points) and the rest of the field.
“We have preached all year that we have to come out and compete,” a jubilant Lutheran expressed.
“That’s every drill, every practice and there is no better time to compete than the end of the year during league and post season.” “These guys went out and they did it. We’ve had a great year and it all cumulated today.”
Riley Dunbar began the surge by winning both the long jump with a leap of 22′ 8.5″, an Evergreen record, with teammate freshman Luke Woodring grabbing second. Later during the first day of the meet, Dunbar nailed a first in the high jump.
Will Johnson took second in the discus, Robbie Pennington third in the shot put and Grant Richardson fourth in the pole vault as Evergreen held a slim 51-49 lead over Liberty Center after the field event portion of the meet.
That margin grew in quick fashion when sophomore Wil Ruetz ran a winning time of yet another school record 15.63 in the 110 hurdles, then also took first in the 300 hurdles.
Fellow sophomore Breyden Hoffman sped to wins in the 100 and 200, the second victory giving Evergreen a comfortable 41-point margin heading into the final events.
“Having him win the 100 and then turn around and win the 200 was really big,” Lutheran said. “Bryan was on us, they were hunting us down and having him beat out the guys from Bryan was huge.”
“It was the whole meet though. Points added up throughout the meet. We were doing what we had trained for.”
“This is year two,” Lutheran explained of his tenure as Viking track coach. “We still have a long way to go, and this should just be the start.”
“Again it comes down to that word..compete..every single practice, every year that is going to be our goal. This is special and hopefully this is something that turns into a norm.”
The Vikings 4×100 relay of Woodring, Ruetz, Hoffman and Dunbar won by over a second at 44.16, and the 4×200 of Drew Gillen, Dunbar, Hoffman and Woodring ran a 1:32.29 to grab first in that event, both of those times being school records.
Bryan tried to come back from a deep hole as senior Xander Fackler won the 800, 1600 and 3200 with freshman Spencer Woodward getting a gold in the 400 but the Vikings scored in every event except the 400 to hold off the rest of the competition.
Other first place finishes were the Delta 4×400 team of Eli Mora, Alex York, Eli Armstrong, and Justin Ruple who took a come from behind win over Wauseon in that race.
The Golden Bears 4×800 relay of Woodward, Elijah Cummins, Braydon Buchanan and Fackler took first in that event.
Liberty Center won both throwing events as Hunter Spangler took the shot put and Max Walker won the discus. Archbold’s Preston Nofziger won the pole vault.
On the girls’ side, the Henry County schools dominated with Liberty Center winning their fourth straight league championship and Patrick Henry placed second.
Wauseon led area schools by taking third (109 pts), just four points behind Patrick Henry, paced by Teagan Rupp who took gold in the pole vault, was second in the high jump and grabbed third in the 100.
Kara Ehrsam added to the Indians’ point total with first place finishes in the shot put and discus.
Brooklynn Spradlin was a dual winner for Evergreen after taking first in the 100 and 200, Swanton’s L. Bettinger won the 400, and the Bryan 4×800 relay team was first.
BOYS RESULTS
NWOAL Championships
TEAM SCORES: 1. Evergreen 135; 2. Bryan 103; 3. Liberty Center 102; 4. Delta 79; 5. Wauseon 77; 6. Archbold 76; T7. Patrick Henry 43, Swanton 43
TOP 3 AREA PLACERS – RUNNING EVENTS: 100 METERS – 1. B. Hoffman (E) 11.35; 2. D. Hahn 11.36; 3. D. Nijakowski 11.5; 200 METERS – 1. B. Hoffman (E) 23.2; 2. D. Bush (B) 23.4; 3. J. Keiser (A) 23.5; 400 METERS – 1. S. Woodward (B) 51.1; 2. E. Felzer (W) 52.6; 3. D. Nijakowski (S) 52.7; 800 METERS – 1. X. Fackler (B) 2:04.34; 2. A. York (D) 2:04.82; 3. E. Armstrong (D) 2:06; 1600 METERS – 1. X. Fackler (BB) 4:38; 3. J. Hudson (A) 4:47; 3200 METERS – 1. X. Fackler (B) 10:07; 2. B. Buchanan (B) 10:23; 110 HURDLES – 1. W. Ruetz (E) 15.6; 3. S. Richer (W) 16.1; 300 HURDLES – 1. W. Ruetz (E) 41.4; 2. S. Richer (W) 41.6; 3. A. Tomaszewski (B) 42.1; 4X100 RELAY – 1. Evergreen (L. Woodring, R. Dunbar, W. Ruetz, B. Hoffman) 44.1; 4X200 RELAY – 1. Evergreen (D. Gillen, L. Woodring, R. Dunbar, B. Hoffman) 11:32; 2. Swanton 1:35.6; 3. Archbold 1:35.8; 4X400 RELAY – 1. Delta (E. Mora, E. Armstrong, A. York, J. Ruple) 3:34; 2. Wauseon 3:36; 4X800 RELAY – 1. Bryan (S. Woodward, B. Buchanan, E. Cummins, X. Fackler) 8:30; 2. Delta 8:35; 3. Archbold 8:52; TOP 3 AREA PLACERS – FIELD EVENTS: HIGH JUMP – 1. R. Dunbar (E) 6’0”; 2. T. Ruple (D) 5’10”; POLE VAULT – 1. P. Nofziger (A) 13’6”; 2. J. Ruple (D) 12’6”; LONG JUMP -1. R. Dunbar (E) 22’8.50”; 2. L. Woodring (E) 20’8.75”; 3. S. Carman (S) 20’2.25”; SHOT PUT – 3. R. Pennington (E) 50’2.50”; DISCUS – 2. W. Johnson (E) 137’4”
GIRLS RESULTS
NWOAL Championships
TEAM SCORES: 1. Liberty Center 162.5; 2. Patrick Henry 113; 3. Wauseon 109; 4. Evergreen 75.5; 5. Delta 69; 6. Bryan 59.5; 7. Archbold 36; 8. Swanton 35
TOP 3 AREA PLACERS – RUNNING EVENTS: 100 METERS – 1. B. Spradlin (E) 12.8; 2. C. Spisak (B) 13.1; 3. T. Rupp (W) 13.3; 200 METERS – 2. B. Spradlin (E) 27.0; 400 METERS – 1. L. Bettinger (S) 11:01; 800 METERS – 3. B. Hurst (A) 2:26; 1600 METERS – 3. E. Rhoades (W) 5:16; 3200 METERS – 2. J. Welch (D) 11:33; 3. N. Stickney (B) 11:34; 110 HURDLES – 2. K. Huntzinger (E) 16.5; 3. A. Pedraza (A) 116.6; 300 HURDLES – 2. K. Huntzinger (E) 48.3; 3. A. Pedraza (A) 50.5; 4X100 RELAY – 2. Evergreen (I. Beroske, R. VanWormer, Br. Sintobin, B. Spradlin) 52.5; 4X200 RELAY – 3. Evergreen (E. Nash, K. Huntzinger, Br. Sintobin, B. Spradlin) 11:51; 4X400 RELAY – 2. Delta (L. Hunt, A. Dunning, A. Todd, A. Savage) 4:18; 4X800 RELAY – 1. Bryan (M. Smith, K. Thormeier, A. Zimmerman, N. Stickney) 9:54; TOP 3 AREA PLACERS – FIELD EVENTS: HIGH JUMP – 3. A. Wyse (D) 5’0”; POLE VAULT – 1. T. Rupp (W) 11’0”; 3. M. Burkholder (W) 9’6”; LONG JUMP – 2. T. Rupp (W) 116’11.50”; SHOT PUT – 1. K. Ehrsam (W) 35’9.75”; 2. C. Bates (D) 35’6.50”; DISCUS – 1. K. Ehrsam (W) 101’5”
