Track & field: Area middle schoolers bring home medals at IESA State Meet

Athletes from the Sauk Valley area made quite a haul at the IESA Class 1A & 2A State Track & Field Meet this past weekend at EastSide Centre in East Peoria, as the seventh- and eighth-grade boys and girls combined to win 43 medals for finishing in the top eight, with eight state championships.

There were 21 medals won by the boys, led by dual-state champ Eli Ferris of Forreston, who won the Class 2A eighth-grade 110 hurdles (16.20 seconds) and the high jump (5 feet, 8 inches). Rock Falls St. Andrew’s Rylan Alvarado won the title in the 2A eighth-grade long jump (22-3.25) and took second in the 100 (11.23 seconds), while Erie’s Carson Eyrich won the 2A seventh-grade pole vault (8-6).

Girls athletes won 22 medals and also claimed four state titles. Fulton River Bend won the 2A seventh-grade 4x400 (4:25.52) with the team of Wrenn Coffey, Kerby Germann, Chloe Wilkin and Breleigh Hayton, while Amboy won the 2A eighth-grade 4x100 (53.24 seconds) with the team of Aubrey Wells, Maddie Althaus, Lili Leffelman and Alexa McKendry; that same quartet finished fourth in the 4x400 (4:26.25).

Milledgeville-Chadwick won the 1A eighth-grade 4x200 (1:57.95) with the foursome of Jozlynn Castro, Kennedy Livengood, Adelle Wilkinson and Juliana Folkers, and Forreston’s Bree Schneiderman won the 2A eighth-grade 100 (27.39 seconds) and took second in both the 100 (13.27) and long jump (15-10).

Other seventh-grade boys medalists were Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico’s John Holland in the 2A shot put (3rd, 38-6.5) and discus (5th, 108-3); Erie’s Elijah Franzen in the 2A long jump (4th, 17-1.25) and 400 meters (8th, 59.91 seconds); Erie’s Jackson Tegeler in the 2A pole vault (4th, 8-0); Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico’s relay team of Ace Wetzell, Logan McIntire, Mason Minssen and Holland in the 2A 4x100 (5th, 54.48); Erie’s relay team of Mason Voeltz, Noah Berk, Caleb Brown and Franzen in the 2A 4x200 (6th, 1:51.23); and Milledgeville-Chadwick’s Blake Wooden in the 1A discus (6th, 102-3).

Eighth-grade boys medalists were Rock Falls St. Andrew’s relay team of Jackson Graham, Matthew Blackert, Parker Strommen and Alvarado in the 2A 4x200 (2nd, 1:38.94) and 4x400 (2nd, 3:47.69); Rock Falls St. Andrew’s John Rowzee in the 2A high jump (2nd, 5-8) and 800 (7th, 2:14.93); Erie’s Bradyen Morrell in the 2A pole vault (3rd, 9-3); Eastland’s relay team of Kole Hauptman, Carsten Wade, Brecken Hayden and Phineas Mullen in the 2A 4x100 (3rd, 48.67); Forreston’s relay team of Jonathan Milnes, Ferris, Brody Schwartz and Hayden Vinnedge in the 2A 4x200 (3rd, 1:40.19); and Erie’s Nathan Punke in the 2A pole vault (8th, 8-6).

Other seventh-grade girls medalists were Rock Falls St. Andrew’s Paizlee Williams in the 2A 200 (3rd, 27.90 seconds), long jump (3rd, 15-4.5) and 100 (4th, 13.66); Erie’s Ayden Grawe in the 2A pole vault (6th, 6-9); Erie’s Kelsi Packer in the 2A long jump (6th, 15-0.5); Fulton River Bend’s Wilkin in the 2A 100 hurdles (7th, 18.07); Fulton River Bend’s Hayton in the 2A 400 (8th, 1:05.46); and Fulton River Bend’s Coffey in the 2A discus (8th, 72-0).

Area eighth-grade girls who also earned medals were Rock Falls St. Andrew’s Ella Ford in the 2A high jump (tied 2nd, 4-11); Erie’s Sarah Link in the 2A 800 (3rd, 2:27.81) and long jump (8th, 15-1); Erie’s Lexi Kapple in the 2A pole vault (3rd, 7-9); Amboy’s Althaus in the 2A 400 (6th, 1:03.41); Milledgeville-Chadwick’s Folkers in the 1A 200 (7th, 28.91); and Milledgeville-Chadwick’s relay team of Gabriella Gallegos, Ava Schluter, Tori Gabbard and Lillian Weires in the 1A 4x400 (7th, 4:52.75).