By: Joe Blystone
METAMORA – The date was May 1st, but conditions resembled more like February at Evergreen’s Pifer Field for the TJ Rupp Memorial Track Invitational.
Despite the raw ‘feels like’ 28-degree weather and winds gusting to 25 MPH, it was Delta’s boys outdistancing runner-up Evergreen 111-93 to take one team title while on the girls’ side the two Fulton County schools swapped spots as the Viking girls outscored the second-place Panthers 97-79.5.
“I probably still haven’t decided on my top lineup yet,” explained Panther coach KJ Abair.
“The last four meets I let them choose what events they wanted to do but now I choose so I can figure out who’s my best four for everything.
It’s not always the four fastest for example in a relay, but the handoffs and everything else. This was big especially for our 4×1 and 4×2 boys because we have struggled with handoffs and today especially with this bad weather, they were good.”
“These guys won at Hopewell-Loudon a few days ago and this is a good confidence builder going into the league meet.”
“You never know what will happen at that meet because people will put people in different events trying to get an edge and you have to expect almost anything.”
All except four events on the boys’ side drew a first place for either the Panthers or the Vikings.
Eli Mora, Caden Mignin and Ronnie Wyse were the top point scorers for the Panthers.
Mora won the 300 hurdles, Mignin the 100 meters and both were on the winning 4×100 and 4×200 teams. Wyse took first in the high jump and 110 hurdles.
Evergreen’s Sam Worline was a double winner in the shot and the disc while Riley Dunbar outjumped the competition by nearly three feet in the long jump with a leap of 21’8″ in the adverse conditions.
In the girls events, Evergreen used an outstanding performance by Kara Huntzinger, along with plenty of speed in the sprints and relays to gain the win.
Huntzinger easily won both hurdle events and also took first in the high jump. Brooklyn Spradlin and Deanna Hoffman grabbed first and second in the 100 and 200, then were part of the winning the 4×100 and 4×200 relays for the Vikings.
“We are really still figuring out who is running in certain events heading into leagues and districts,” said Viking coach Alex Lutheran.
“This was really the final test, but confidence is certainly important going forward, especially in a meet like this with a rival to the south involved (in Delta), it’s nice to compete and get after each other a little bit.”
“Again, it’s definitely big going into leagues next week and the districts the week after.”
Other teams competing in the meet were Ottawa Hills, Northwood, and Emmanuel Christian.
BOYS RESULTS
TEAM SCORES: 1. Evergreen 97; 2. Delta 79.5; 3. Ottawa Hills; 4. Northwood 57; 5. Emmanuel Christian 23
RUNNING EVENT WINNERS: 100 meters – C. Mignin (D) 11.3; 200 meters -R. Coleman (N) 23.3; 400 meters – A. York (D) 58.7; 800 meters – M. Carson (OH) 2:17; 1600 meters – R. Nixon (OH) 4:58; 3200 meters – J. Mayer-Heckathorn (OH) 11:16; 110 hurdles – 1. R. Wyse (D) 15.4; 300 hurdles – E. Mora (D) 41.9; 4×100 relay – Delta (46.1); 4×200 relay – Delta (1:38); 4×400 relay – Evergreen (4:12); 4×800 relay – Delta (9:45); FIELD EVENT WINNERS: High jump – R. Wyse (D) 5’8”; Long jump – R. Dunbar (E) 21’8”; Shot put – S. Worline (E) 48’6.5”. Discus – S. Worline (E) 116’8”
GIRLS RESULTS
TEAM SCORES: 1. Delta 111; 2. Evergreen 93; 3. Ottawa Hills 65.6; 4. Northwood 44.5; 5. Emmanuel Christian 10
RUNNING EVENT WINNERS: 100 meters – B. Spradlin (E) 13.0; 200 meters – B. Spradlin (E) 27.6; 400 meters – J. Ramsey (EC) 1:06; 800 meters – E. Wilmore (OH) 2:48; 1600 meters – A. Nixon (OH) 6:02; 3200 meters – J. Ramsey (EC) 12:50; 100 hurdles – K. Huntzinger (E) 17.33; 300 hurdles – K. Huntzinger (E) 55.0; 4×100 relay – Evergreen (55.6); 4×200 relay – Evergreen (1:59); 4×400 relay – Ottawa Hills (4:47); 4×800 relay – Ottawa Hills (11:15); FIELD EVENT WINNERS: High jump – K. Huntzinger (E) 4’6”; Long jump – K. Moyer (N) 15’2.25”; Shot put – B. Bolden (N) 36’10”; Discus – A. Lewin (N) 99’10”
Joe can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com