Bureau County boys bring state experience to Charleston: BCR state track & field preview

There’s a common theme to the Bureau County contingent running in this weekend’s IHSA Boys Track & Field finals in Charleston, experience.

Nine of the 17 athletes have competed at Charleston before with a combined 12 years of state experience between them.

Bureau Valley sends four returning state qualifiers back to the Class 1A meet, which starts Thursday at O’Brien Stadium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.

Landon Hulsing was crowned sectional champ at Rockridge with a throw of 51.83 meters and is seeded third heading into the state meet. He took home a seventh-place medal last year with a throw of 45.32m.

The Storm senior also qualified in shot put for the first time by placing second with a toss of 14.34m. He is seeded 33rd.

Senior Justin Moon, who finished 20th at state last year in the triple jump, was the sectional runner-up and is seeded 26th with a jump of 12.56m. He also qualified for state as a sophomore on the Storm’s 4x400 relay.

“We are very excited about this group going to state. Justin has the most experience having run the 4x4 as a sophomore and triple jumped last year. Landon has the experience of medaling last year in discus,” BV coach Dan DeVenney said.

“Many of them know all the feelings that come with competing at state. Every one of these kids had a PR on Thursday at our sectional meet, so that tells me that they are peaking at the right time.”

The hurdles events will have some Bureau County flavor with St. Bede senior Greyson Marincic and Bureau Valley junior Andrew Roth.

Marincic returns to state in both hurdles events, placing third in the 110 highs and fifth in the 300s at the El Paso-Gridley Sectional, qualifying on time in both events. He is seeded fifth in the 110s with a time of 15.24 and 33rd in the 300s at 42.56.

Roth is seeded 17th in the 300s with a time of 41.97 and 25th in the 110s at 16.21

Bureau Valley sends its 4x800 relay of brothers Alex and Adrian Gallardo, Nathan Siri and Maddox Moore, which placed fourth at sectional with a state-qualifying time of 8:30.3. They are experienced runners with Moore running the 4x800 and Adrian Gallardo the 4x800 and 4x400 as freshmen.

The Storm are in the medal hunt, seeded 11th.

“Nathan Siri, Alex Gallardo, and Andrew Roth are all very competitive people and have a good head on their shoulders, so I think everyone is sitting in a good spot to have a great day on Thursday,” DeVenney said.

St. Bede will also be represented by senior Kaden Nauman, the 800-meter sectional champion at El Paso-Gridley. He is seeded 23rd with a time of 2:05.97.

Hall sends down senior Jeremy Smith in the triple jump, who was a sectional runner-up. He is seeded 30th at 12.47m.

Amboy senior Joel Billhorn returns to state in the 400 meters. He was runner-up at the Rockridge Sectional and is seeded 12th with a time of 50.71.

The Clippers also send Henry Nichols in the 3,200. He was second at sectional.

Putnam County sends junior Alex Rodriquez, who placed first in discus and second at shot at the El Paso-Gridley Sectional. He is seeded eighth in discus and 20th in shot at state.

Tigers compete in 2A on Friday

Princeton qualified four athletes for the 2A meet, which starts Friday. Two Tigers are seeded to medal in the throws and another is a returning state medalist.

Freshman Landen Hoffman (49.26m) and senior Ian Morris 48.82m finished 1-2 at the Pontiac Sectional and are seeded No. 2 and No. 4, respectively heading into the 2A competition.

Morris makes a return trip to Charleston having placed 20th a year ago.

“Both Ian and Landen are setting well for state,” PHS coach Dave Moore said.

Senior teammate Cade Odell punched his return ticket to state by placing third at sectional in shot put at 15.51m. He received a fourth-place medal last year and is seeded 18th this year.

“Cade is ready to compete down at state and will give it his best as he always does,” Moore said.

Rounding out the Tigers’ state contingent is junior Casey Etheridge, who placed second at sectionals in the 300 hurdles with a PR of 40.85 and is seeded 18th.

“When it comes to hard work, Casey won’t be out performed. I think Casey will lower his mark yet and the best is yet to come,” Moore said.