Morris’ Welch heads area boys state track contingent

MORRIS – Kaden Welch was tired after his 800-meter race June 9 at the Class 2A Geneseo Sectional.

And Welch still had the 1,600-meter race to run.

All Welch, a sophomore at Morris Community High School, did was cut 10 seconds off his personal best time in the 1,600 and, in the process, qualify for the state meet this weekend at Eastern Illinois University’s O’Brien Field. Welch’s time of 4:45.60 was good for second place in the sectional, behind the 4:43.94 turned in by Dunlap’s Noah Hopkins.

“I had already run the 800 and took fourth,” Welch said. “Coach [Ryan] Battersby just said for me to go run my race and do the best I can. I never thought I would take 10 seconds off my PR [personal record], but I did and I qualified for state.

“It will be nice at state since I will be able to concentrate just on running the 1,600. I hope to set another PR. That’s what it’s about, getting better each time. It’s my first time going to state, so I am pretty excited.”

Welch’s qualification continues a streak for Battersby, who has had at least one state qualifier since he took over as head coach in 2017.

“We thought we might get shut out,” Battersby said. “Kaden was seeded fifth in the 1,600, so he beat three people he wasn’t supposed to beat.”

Others for Morris that scored points in the sectional but did not qualify for the state meet were Welch in the 800 (fourth, 2:08.68), Matt Clark in the 3,200 (third, 10:40.50), Noah Smith in the 110-meter hurdles (fifth, 16.85) and the 300-meter hurdles (fourth, 44.13) and Bryce Claypool in the pole vault (fifth, 3.36 meters).

Coal City’s Asa Cooper qualified for state in three events at the same sectional, taking first in the triple jump (13.12 meters) and second in the long jump (6.57 meters) and in the 100-meter dash (11.37).

In Class 1A, Seneca saw Carson Collet qualify in the triple jump and pole vault, Given Siegel in the 110-meter hurdles, Nathan Grant in the high jump and Carter Thomas in the discus. The Fighting Irish also qualified all four relay teams: The 4x800 team of Brady Danek, Chris Poyner, Billy Glasscock, Spencer DeGraaf and alternate Noah Petty; the 4x100 team of Kolya Cato, Ryan McCauley, Trey Hauch, Chase Hauch and alternate Siegel; the 4x200 team of McCauley, Trey Hauch, Chase Hauch, Siegel and alternate Collet; and the 4x400 team of Wilson Widman, Collet, Glasscock, Trey Hauch and alternate Grant.