Depth leads host Seneca to Class 1A boys track sectional championship

SENECA – The Seneca boys track and field team took first place in only one of the 18 events Wednesday, but the Irish’s depth was enough to lead them to the team championship of the Class 1A Seneca Sectional.

They scored 106 points to finish ahead of Dwight (2nd, 80), Timothy Christian (3rd, 74), Bishop McNamara (4th, 64) and Yorkville Christian (5th, 52). Ottawa Marquette (51) to sixth and was followed by Wilmington (7th, 47), Somonauk (8th, 44), Unity Christian Academy (9th, 34), Immaculate Conception Catholic (10th, 28), Westmont (11th, 23), Beecher (12th, 21.5), Lisle (13th, 19.5), Newark (14th, 19), Illinois Lutheran (15th, 12.5), Momence (16th, 9) and Walther Christian (17th, 5.5).

The lone champion for Seneca was long jumper Matt Stach, who won with a leap of 6.79 meters.

“This was a big night for us,” Stach said. “It was kind of shocking that we took first place. We have had a lot of injuries and we didn’t expect to take first, but we had a lot of people step up.

“We had a lot of [personal records], and a lot of the freshmen and first-year guys stepped up and did good things. I was injured last year and didn’t get a chance to qualify for state, so I wanted to make sure I did it tonight.”

Dwight sophomore Graham Meister was a two-time champion, easily outdistancing his competition in the shot put and discus. His shot put of 19.20m was well ahead of runner-up Cale Hamilton’s distance of 14.63m. In the discus, he threw 50.57m, beating runner-up Jesus Govea of Seneca’s throw of 43.84m.

“I had a really good day today,” Meister said. “My shot put was a PR. My best before was 17.99.

“In track, you are pretty much going against yourself. You can’t do anything about how the other guys do. If I finish third at a meet, but have a PR, I would be happier than winning but not getting a PR. I am always looking to do better than I have done before.”

Another dominant individual performance came from Marquette sophomore Jacoby Gooden, who qualified for state in the 100-meter dash as well as being the anchor of the 4x100- and 4x200-meter relay teams. In the 4x100, he lunged at the finish line to edge Bishop McNamara’s Jackson Kirchner, and his momentum carried him into a somersault beyond the finish line.

“It was great to qualify in three of my four events,” Gooden said. “If someone would have told me before the meet that I would qualify in one out of four, I would have been happy.

“I am probably more happy to qualify in both relays. There are a couple of seniors on those teams, and they deserve to get to state. That’s why I went all out like I did in the 4x1. You don’t want to leave a sectional thinking you didn’t give everything you had.”

State qualifiers from the sectional in individual running events inlcuded Gooden and Timothy Christian’s Jonathan Kelsey in the 100, Evan Smith of IC Catholic and Billy Moore in the 200, Smith and Kelsey in the 400 and Dwight’s Joe Faris, Yorkville Christian’s Graham Razum and Timothy Christian’s Ryan McKenzie in the 800.

Also qualifying were Razum and Somonauk’s Landin Stillwell in the 1,600, Stillwell and Lisle’s Zeke Gonzalez in the 3,200, Wilmington’s Hunter Kaitschuck and Dwight’s Joseph Duffy in the 110 hurdles and Timothy Christian’s Chandler Brady, Unity Christian’s Aiden Robinson, Duffy and Seneca’s Colton Pumphrey in the 300 hurdles.

Qualifiers in relay events included Marquette’s team of Marcus Baker, Jimmy Lawsha, Charlie McGrath and Gooden and Bishop Mac’s team of Willie Felton, Rhys Landsmann, Dashaun Winters and Kirchner in the 4x100; and Marquette’s team of Baker, Lawsha, McGrath and Gooden and Seneca’s team of Travis Barr, Stach, Trenton Powell and Brayden Simek in the 4x200.

Dwight’s Aden Roff, Chris Ozee, Duffy and Faris and Wilmington’s Reid Waldon, Jimmy Lewsader, Cole Boersma and Moore qualified in the 4x400; and Somonauk’s Stillwell, Jackson Brockway, Gunnar Swenson and Caden Hamer and Bishop Mac’s Sebastian Cortes, Justice Provost, Jack Purcell and David Quigley advanced in the 4x800.

Field event qualifiers were Meister and Hamilton in the shot put; Meister, Govea, Seneca’s Zebadiah Maxwell, Bishop Mac’s Keegan Cooper and Brock Clott and Marquette’s Alex Schaefer in the discus; Beecher’s Wences Baumgartner and Simek in the high jump; Yorkville Christian’s Nico Harris and Seneca’s Powell in the pole vault; Stach, Brady and Timothy Christian’s Peyton Scholma in the long jump; and Brady and Illinois Lutheran’s Dawveed Holland in the triple jump. Seneca’s Noah Odum qualified in the wheelchair shot put and discus.

“This was a real nice performance by our guys,” Seneca coach Terry Maxwell said. “We had a lot of top fives and a ton of PRs. Everyone ran out of their minds, and that’s what you need in a championship meet like this.

“Travis Barr did a great job for us, and freshman Brady Fort taking fourth in the mile was huge. Matt Stach is one of the top long jumpers in the state, and he came up big for us, and so did Jesus Govea and Zeb Maxwell in the discus.”