Princeton boys ready to ‘compete’ at state

The Princeton Tigers conquered last week’s sectional track and field meet. Now they set their sights on some gold at state.

The Tigers will compete for state medals in eight events in Friday’s Class 2A State Track & Field Meet in Charleston.

There will also be four area athletes competing in Class 1A on Thursday.

There is a new format in place for this year’s state finals. Instead of having state prelims and bringing back finalists on Saturday, each class will have single-day competition with 1A on Thursday, 2A on Friday and 3A on Saturday.

Class 2A: Princeton is seeded to medal in two events and is knocking on the door in two others.

PHS coach Dan Foes has high hopes for all of his state contingent.

“We really only ask one thing of all our athletes and that is to ‘compete,’” Foes said. “That works out well for us because that is one quality that all eight of these athletes have in common. I believe that with all our great performances on the season, that our best is still yet to come. We are blessed to be taking such a great group of young men down to state.”

Senior Grant Foes has the best seed, standing third in the discus. He won sectionals with a throw of 155-6 1/4, about 5 feet less than top seed Barry Evans of Mascoutah. Foes is also seeded 11th in shot at 47-9 1/4, less than a foot from the medal hunt. Evans is also seeded No. 1 in shot at 55-0 1/4.

Sophomore Teegan Davis will be in the medal hunt in two jumps. He is seeded eighth in the long jump (21-7), an event headed by Jackson Garrard of Wheaton St. Francis at 23-3 1/2. While Davis is seeded 14th in the high jump with his winning sectional effort of 6-1 1/2, he has cleared 6-7 this season. CJ Shoaf of Mahomet-Seymour leads all jumpers at 6-9 1/2.

Sectional champ Keegan Fogarty is seeded 15th in the 200 (22.7) and 16th in the 100 (11.17).

The Tigers also take down two relays, the 4x200 which is seeded 15th (1:32.08) and the 4x100, which is 17th (44.14).

Junior Logan Glancy is the Tigers’ “block guy,” joined by classmates Ethan Thompson and Drew Harp in both relays. Fogarty picks up the anchor in the 4x100 and is in line to also run in the 4x200, taking over for teammate Ronde Worrels, who has reported to Northern Illinois University to begin his football career.

Class 1A: St. Bede qualified a pair of athletes who are no strangers to state — Duncan Lawler and Zach Roebach. Both are returning state qualifiers from 2019.

Lawler was the sectional high jump champion at El Paso while Roebuch was runner-up in the 300 LH.

Roebach is seeded 10th with a time of 41.87 at sectional. Isaiah Chatman of Gibson City is the top seed (39.26).

Lawler checks in as the 26th seed, clearing 5-10 3/4 at sectional. The best jump belongs to Drew Hurelbrink of Macon Meriden at 6-8.

Lawler was unable to make opening height at state in 2019. Roebuch did not make the finals.

Hall’s Caleb Savitch goes down in pole vault as sectional runner-up at El Paso at 10-8. He is the 21st seed.

Ohio junior Brock Loftus of A-L-O made it down to state by qualifying on time (10:11.63) at the Erie Sectional, placing fourth. He is seeded 19th.