Common Green was always a runner and jumper for Princeton.
Then he got bigger and stronger for football and not as fast.
He’s made the transition from sprints to throws this spring and loving it.
“This is my first year ever doing this. Wished I started last year,” Green said. “I got a little bit bigger and not as fast as I used to be. Thought I should use my strength, probably be better at it. I was always a sprinter and a jumper.
“I’m enjoying it. It’s a lot of fun. And I don’t have to run, so. It’s pretty fun that way I still get to be with my friends. And I throw decently far.”
It’s been a work in progress for Green. He got off to a good start indoors, but went “on a downhill” a bit, but started going back up with the start of the outdoors season.
“Today was my farthest ever, 12.01 (meters),” Green said of Tuesday’s third place finish in PHS’ Howard-Monier Invite.
Green’s also picking up the discus, having scratched all four throws in his first meet before landing two on Tuesday.
He said the hardest part has been his technique at the very end.
“I can get around, but hitting my spots and actually staying and turning my hips right, Just finishing is the hardest part right now,” Green said.
Green gets a lot of good advice from sophomore teammate Landen Hoffman, who was the 2A state runner-up in discus to Princeton’s Ian Morris last year and one of the topped ranked freshmen in the nation.
“I ask him so many questions and he’s been helping me,” Green said. “I try to put it together, but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”
Moving day at BV
Six Bureau Valley track & field athletes will be moving on.
Bureau Valley held a signing day for its track & field athletes who will be running at the collegiate level next year.
Four Storm athletes - Gus Anderson, Adrian Gallardo, Morgan Mahnesmith and Emma Mussche - signed to compete in track & field for Sauk Valley Community College. Gallardo and Mussche will also run cross country for the Skyhawks.
Andrew Roth will be heading to Augustana College.
Esther Kalapp will run at Blackburn College.
Maddie Wetzell will be running track and cross country at Illinois Wesleyan University.
Morris, Ferris invites on deck
Hall and Princeton have their annual invitationals coming up.
The Rollie Morris Invite, named after the late Red Devils coach, will run at Hall on Saturday starting with field events at 9:30 a.m. and running events at 11 a.m.
Participating schools are the Amboy co-op, AFC, Bureau Valley, Fieldcrest, Hall, Lowpoint-Washburn, Marquette, Mendota, Princeton (girls only), Putnam County, St. Bede, Somonauk, Stillman Valley, Streator and Williamsville. The Princeton boys do not run, opting for their traditional date at the Hub Relays in Rochelle.
The Bureau Valley boys and Lowpoint-Washbun girls are the defending champions.
Two days later Princeton welcomes the traditional field of former NCIC rivals Hall, Mendota, Rock Falls and Kewanee for its Ferris Family Invitational at Rathje Track on Monday.
Field events will start at 4:30 p.m. with track events at 5:15 p.m.
Rain date is Tuesday, April 21.
:quality(70)/author-service-images-prod-us-east-1.publishing.aws.arc.pub/shawmedia/9f52a36c-1098-48b5-9e2e-235383b4c2ac.png)