Short-Handed Tigers Take Third
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Little did Troy Akers know it then, but events on April 20 would determine where his team placed in the May 20 Goshen Boys Track and Field Sectional.
April 20 was the night Warsaw lost senior sprint star Jon Hill to a pulled hamstring.
Hill, nowhere near 100 percent, returned to the track last night for the first time since April 20. He ran, but he did not place high enough to have any effect on the meet. Warsaw, 7-0 during the regular season, took third place with 87 points. Elkhart Central won the meet with 125.50, and NorthWood took second with 99.50. Elkhart Central advances to next week's regional, as do the top four athletes in each event.
"We were upset last year," Central coach Tom Kurth said. "Last year we had a down year for us. When you fall down like that, you use all the motivational things to get yourself back on track again. We're not happy with second or third. We want to be No. 1. We have a tradition here."
Before Thursday, Warsaw had finished behind Elkhart Central and NorthWood in the last two weeks. Warsaw took third to Elkhart Central's second in the Max Truex Invitational, and Warsaw took second to NorthWood's first in the Northern Lakes Conference Invitational.
"We were hoping to win," Akers said. "But realistically, we were hoping to place in the top three. Elkhart Central is the cream of the crop, and I felt NorthWood would challenge them because they have a nice balance in the track and field events."
A subpar Hill was not the only blow for the Tigers. They also competed without the suspended Jose Esquivel.
"Had we been at full strength, I'm saying we would have beaten (Elkhart Central)," Akers said. "I'm pretty confident in that. A healthy Jon Hill in a meet like this is 20 points, possibly 30 points, in one individual. He would have run the 100, 200 and 400. Would he have beaten Central's sprinters? Probably not, but no worse than second or third.
"People don't realize what Jose Esquivel meant to the team. He is a cog in the relays. I know the 400 relay team would have made it out. Both Jon and Jose were on the last relay (1,600), so I'm proud of that last race, that we made it to the next level. With Jon, Jose, Greg Seiss and one of the others, we could have gone a long way in the state tournament.
"Jose would have scored points in the 100 and 300 hurdles."
Central won by dominating the sprint events. Central's Brandon Wilson took first and teammate Tedric Harwell second in the 100; Harwell took first and Wilson second in the 200. Central's Nathan Banks won the 400, and teammate Daniel Martin won the 300 low hurdles.
"The heart and soul of our team is the sprints," Kurth said. "There's no doubt about that. Our strength over the years has been on the track."
NorthWood will advance to the regional in eight events. The Panthers' Matthew Traub and Jonathan Cook took first and second in the 110 hurdles. Corey Brown won the long jump. Aaron Hoover took first and teammate Mark Davidhizar fourth in the 3,200. Bill Mitschelen took second and Traub third in the pole vault. Jonathan Cook took second in the 300 low hurdles, Jason Brennaman third in the 400 and Hoover fourth in the 1,600. NorthWood's 400 relay team of Brown, Cook, Luke Schafer and Eric Esenwein finished second.
Greg Seiss and Justin Bellamy highlighted Warsaw's evening.
Bellamy obliterated the competition in the high jump with his leap of 6-foot-8. Second place? Elkhart Memorial's Joseph Adkins at 6-2. Officials moved the bar to 6-10 1/2 -Êthe sectional record - and Bellamy just missed that.
"A 6-8 high jump tonight," Akers said. "Wow. That places at the state meet. That's an incredible jump. I hope he has a few of those left. He was nearly over 6-10."
While Bellamy just missed the record, Warsaw did set the one and only record Thursday. Warsaw's 3,200 relay team of Greg Seiss, Juan Garcia, Justin Rice and Jon Dock finished first with a time of 7:58.72. The old record was 8:02.88, set by Goshen in 1997.
Seiss also led the 800 from start to finish, winning the race with a time of 1:57.60.
Other Warsaw athletes advancing to the regional include Wes Rodman (shot put, second), Jerrod Leasure (discus, third) and Ryan Brennan (discus, fourth). The Tigers' 1,600 relay team of Juan Garcia, Steve Fussle, Nate Ridderman and Seiss finished fourth. Garcia took third in the 800.
"As far as any event I feel we could do well in the state meet, the 3,200 relay should be the one that has the best opportunity," Akers said. "It's been a different season, a difficult season, but I'm pleased with results. With the injuries, it just left us a little short."
Elkhart Memorial, which won the meet last year, took fourth with 71 points. Rounding out the competition were Concord (70), Goshen (60), Fairfield (45), Wawasee (29), Jimtown (23), Northridge (10) and Howe Military (1).
Three Wawasee athletes will advance to the regional. Rob Chalfant took second in the 1,600, Jamie Salazar third in the shot put and Chris Lambert fourth in the 300 low hurdles.
Teams and individuals advancing out of the Goshen Sectional feed into Thursday's Ft. Wayne Wayne Regional.
GOSHEN BOYS TRACK SECTIONAL
Team scores - 1. Elkhart Central 125.50, 2. NorthWood 99.50, 3. Warsaw 87, 4. Elkhart Memorial 71, 5. Concord 70, 6. Goshen 60, 7. Fairfield 45, 8. Wawasee 29, 9. Jimtown 23, 10. Northridge 10, 11. Howe Military 1
Top eight individuals
Points: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1
110 high hurdles - 1. Matthew Traub (NW) :14.94, 2. Jonathan Cook (NW) :15.20, 3. Brian Peterson (CON) :15.25, 4. Ryan Whalen (JT) :15.32, 5. Adam Rockenbaugh (EC) :15.34, 6. Nathaniel Jones (EM) :15.81, 7. Chad Barden (FF) :15.96, 8. Mike Penrose (FF) :16.02
3,200 relay - 1. Warsaw (Greg Seiss, Juan Garcia, Justin Rice, Jon Dock) 7:58.72, 2. Goshen 8:05.19, 3. Elkhart Memorial 8:10.48, 4. Elkhart Central 8:13.42, 5. Concord 8:41.61, 6. NorthWood 9:20.03
400 relay - 1. Concord (Donald Jackson, Rickey McKenzie, Daniel Martin, Brian Emerson) :43.59, 2. NorthWood (Corey Brown, Jonathan Cook, Luke Schafer, Eric Esenwein) :43.84, 3. Goshen :44.12, 4. Elkhart Central :44.15, 5. Elkhart Memorial :44.73, 6. Warsaw :45.43, 7. Fairfield :45.56, 8. Howe Military :46.35
high jump -Ê1. Justin Bellamy (WAR) 6-8, 2. Joseph Adkins (EM) 6-2, 3. Aaron Faulkner (GOS) 6-1, 4. Brian Peterson (CON) 6-0, 5. Jason Brennaman (NW) 6-0, 5. William Williamson (EC) 6-0, 7. Jacob Fitzsimmons (WAR) 6-0, 8. Chris Miller (GOS) 5-10
shot put - 1. Matt Jordan (NR) 50-1/2, 2. Wes Rodman (WAR) 49-4, 3. Jamie Salazar (WAW) 48-8, 4. Jayd Richard (GOS) 47-9, 5. Justin Riley (EC) 47-9, 6. Lyle Kuhlmichel (EC) 45-10 1/2, 7. Steve Fribley (WAR) 45-6, 8. Andrew Mitschelen (NW) 45-1 1/2
discus -Ê1. Lyle Kuhlmichel (EC) 150-2, 2. Jeff Coney (JT) 144-4, 3. Jerrod Leasure (WAR) 141-4, 4. Ryan Brennan (WAR) 139-7, 5. Nicholas Daiber (EM) 136-2, 6. Paul Carroll (EM) 132-5, 7. Ryan Gerschoffer (JT) 132-1, 8. Ryan Pettit (GOS) 130-2
pole vault -Ê1. Justin Herrli (EM) 13-6, 2. William Mitschelen (NW) 13-0, 3. Matthew Traub (NW) 12-6, 4. Kevin Wilhelm (FF) 12-6, 5. Cory Gackenheimer (WAR) 12-6, 6. Drew Kazmierczak (EM) 12-6, 7. Casey Swineheart (CON) 12-0, 8. Eric Wiese (GOS) 12-0, 8. Bob Hooley (GOS) 12-0
long jump -Ê1. Corey Brown (NW) 21-4, 2. Chad Bauer (JT) 20-10 1/4, 3. Colin Applewhite (EC) 20-8 1/4, 4. Anthony Jones (EC) 20-7 1/2, 5. Destin Warren (EM) 20-4 1/2, 6. Josh Barton (GOS) 19-9 1/4, 7. Aaron Chabot (WAR) 18-8 1/2, 8. Steve Fussle (WAR) 18-8
100 -Ê1. Brandon Wilson (EC) :11.17, 2. Tedric Harwell (EC) :11.24, 3. Chester House (EM) :11.53, 4. Donald Jackson (CON) :11.57, 5. Aaron Chabot (WAR) :11.64, 6. Brian Emerson (CON) :11.65, 7. Josh Walter (FF) :11.78, 8. Corey Brown (NW) :11.87
1,600 -Ê1. Andrew McKalips (GOS) 4:29.45, 2. Rob Chalfant (WAW) 4:30.21, 3. Jacob Wolfe (FF) 4:30.82, 4. Aaron Hoover (NW) 4:31.32, 5. Jerid Stoffel (WAW) 4:33.19, 6. Justin Rice (WAR) 4:34.35, 7. Jon McKalips (GOS) 4:34.56, 8. Mike Pillow (CON) 4:36.13
400 -Ê1. Nathan Banks (EC) :50.76, 2. Kenneth Meteiver (EM) :51.40, 3. Jason Brennaman (NW) :51.86, 4. Joshua Thomas (EC) :51.99, 5. Matt Shultz (FF) :52.13, 6. Justin Smith (CON) :52.15, 7. Joshua Robinson (EM) :53.04, 8. Travis Klenke (WAW) :53.06
800 -Ê1. Greg Seiss (WAR) 1:57.60, 2. Noel Ermis (EC) 1:58.10, 3. Juan Garcia (WAR) 1:59.11, 4. Andrew McKalips (GOS) 1:59.59, 5. Eric Murto (GOS) 1:59.65, 6. Rustin Mikel (WAW) 2:00.95, 7. Tony Sands (CON) 2:01.56, 8. Dustin Young (WAW) 2:03.21
300 low hurdles -Ê1. Daniel Martin (CON) :38.59, 2. Jonathan Cook (NW) :39.64, 3. Adam Rockenbaugh (EC) :39.67, 4. Chris Lambert (WAW) :40.43, 5. Andrew Rockenbaugh (EC) :40.48, 6. Matthew Traub (NW) :40.99, 7. Chad Barden (FF) :41.15, 8. Ryan Hill (WAR) :41.81
200 -Ê1. Tedric Harwell (EC) :22.38, 2. Brandon Wilson (EC) :22.79, 3. Joe Covey (CON) :23.16, 4. Rickey McKenzie (CON) :23.51, 5. Josh Walter (FF) :23.54, 6. Andrew Cummins (EM) :23.69, 7. Louie Vogt (WAR) :24.06, 8. Stephen Riley (FF) :24.64
3,200 -Ê1. Aaron Hoover (NW) 9:49.66, 2. Thomas Wolfe (FF) 9:51.23, 3. Jacob Wolfe (FF) 9:53.45, 4. Mark Davidhizar (NW) 9:58.21, 5. Ryan Matteson (EM) 10:02.77, 6. Justin Rice (WAR) 10:10.99, 7. Jon McKalips (GOS) 10:12.34, 8. David Owens (EC) 10:16.05
1,600 -Ê1. Elkhart Central (Nathan Banks, Noel Ermis, Tedric Harwell, Joshua Thomas) 3:23.83, 2. Concord 3:27.23, 3. Goshen 3:27.98, 4. Warsaw (Juan Garcia, Steve Fussle, Nate Ridderman, Greg Seiss) 3:28.57, 5. NorthWood 3:28.90, 6. Elkhart Memorial 3:28.98, 7. Fairfield 3:34.11, 8. Wawasee 3:34.76
The top team and the top four individuals in each event move on to the regional. [[In-content Ad]]
Latest News
E-Editions
Little did Troy Akers know it then, but events on April 20 would determine where his team placed in the May 20 Goshen Boys Track and Field Sectional.
April 20 was the night Warsaw lost senior sprint star Jon Hill to a pulled hamstring.
Hill, nowhere near 100 percent, returned to the track last night for the first time since April 20. He ran, but he did not place high enough to have any effect on the meet. Warsaw, 7-0 during the regular season, took third place with 87 points. Elkhart Central won the meet with 125.50, and NorthWood took second with 99.50. Elkhart Central advances to next week's regional, as do the top four athletes in each event.
"We were upset last year," Central coach Tom Kurth said. "Last year we had a down year for us. When you fall down like that, you use all the motivational things to get yourself back on track again. We're not happy with second or third. We want to be No. 1. We have a tradition here."
Before Thursday, Warsaw had finished behind Elkhart Central and NorthWood in the last two weeks. Warsaw took third to Elkhart Central's second in the Max Truex Invitational, and Warsaw took second to NorthWood's first in the Northern Lakes Conference Invitational.
"We were hoping to win," Akers said. "But realistically, we were hoping to place in the top three. Elkhart Central is the cream of the crop, and I felt NorthWood would challenge them because they have a nice balance in the track and field events."
A subpar Hill was not the only blow for the Tigers. They also competed without the suspended Jose Esquivel.
"Had we been at full strength, I'm saying we would have beaten (Elkhart Central)," Akers said. "I'm pretty confident in that. A healthy Jon Hill in a meet like this is 20 points, possibly 30 points, in one individual. He would have run the 100, 200 and 400. Would he have beaten Central's sprinters? Probably not, but no worse than second or third.
"People don't realize what Jose Esquivel meant to the team. He is a cog in the relays. I know the 400 relay team would have made it out. Both Jon and Jose were on the last relay (1,600), so I'm proud of that last race, that we made it to the next level. With Jon, Jose, Greg Seiss and one of the others, we could have gone a long way in the state tournament.
"Jose would have scored points in the 100 and 300 hurdles."
Central won by dominating the sprint events. Central's Brandon Wilson took first and teammate Tedric Harwell second in the 100; Harwell took first and Wilson second in the 200. Central's Nathan Banks won the 400, and teammate Daniel Martin won the 300 low hurdles.
"The heart and soul of our team is the sprints," Kurth said. "There's no doubt about that. Our strength over the years has been on the track."
NorthWood will advance to the regional in eight events. The Panthers' Matthew Traub and Jonathan Cook took first and second in the 110 hurdles. Corey Brown won the long jump. Aaron Hoover took first and teammate Mark Davidhizar fourth in the 3,200. Bill Mitschelen took second and Traub third in the pole vault. Jonathan Cook took second in the 300 low hurdles, Jason Brennaman third in the 400 and Hoover fourth in the 1,600. NorthWood's 400 relay team of Brown, Cook, Luke Schafer and Eric Esenwein finished second.
Greg Seiss and Justin Bellamy highlighted Warsaw's evening.
Bellamy obliterated the competition in the high jump with his leap of 6-foot-8. Second place? Elkhart Memorial's Joseph Adkins at 6-2. Officials moved the bar to 6-10 1/2 -Êthe sectional record - and Bellamy just missed that.
"A 6-8 high jump tonight," Akers said. "Wow. That places at the state meet. That's an incredible jump. I hope he has a few of those left. He was nearly over 6-10."
While Bellamy just missed the record, Warsaw did set the one and only record Thursday. Warsaw's 3,200 relay team of Greg Seiss, Juan Garcia, Justin Rice and Jon Dock finished first with a time of 7:58.72. The old record was 8:02.88, set by Goshen in 1997.
Seiss also led the 800 from start to finish, winning the race with a time of 1:57.60.
Other Warsaw athletes advancing to the regional include Wes Rodman (shot put, second), Jerrod Leasure (discus, third) and Ryan Brennan (discus, fourth). The Tigers' 1,600 relay team of Juan Garcia, Steve Fussle, Nate Ridderman and Seiss finished fourth. Garcia took third in the 800.
"As far as any event I feel we could do well in the state meet, the 3,200 relay should be the one that has the best opportunity," Akers said. "It's been a different season, a difficult season, but I'm pleased with results. With the injuries, it just left us a little short."
Elkhart Memorial, which won the meet last year, took fourth with 71 points. Rounding out the competition were Concord (70), Goshen (60), Fairfield (45), Wawasee (29), Jimtown (23), Northridge (10) and Howe Military (1).
Three Wawasee athletes will advance to the regional. Rob Chalfant took second in the 1,600, Jamie Salazar third in the shot put and Chris Lambert fourth in the 300 low hurdles.
Teams and individuals advancing out of the Goshen Sectional feed into Thursday's Ft. Wayne Wayne Regional.
GOSHEN BOYS TRACK SECTIONAL
Team scores - 1. Elkhart Central 125.50, 2. NorthWood 99.50, 3. Warsaw 87, 4. Elkhart Memorial 71, 5. Concord 70, 6. Goshen 60, 7. Fairfield 45, 8. Wawasee 29, 9. Jimtown 23, 10. Northridge 10, 11. Howe Military 1
Top eight individuals
Points: 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1
110 high hurdles - 1. Matthew Traub (NW) :14.94, 2. Jonathan Cook (NW) :15.20, 3. Brian Peterson (CON) :15.25, 4. Ryan Whalen (JT) :15.32, 5. Adam Rockenbaugh (EC) :15.34, 6. Nathaniel Jones (EM) :15.81, 7. Chad Barden (FF) :15.96, 8. Mike Penrose (FF) :16.02
3,200 relay - 1. Warsaw (Greg Seiss, Juan Garcia, Justin Rice, Jon Dock) 7:58.72, 2. Goshen 8:05.19, 3. Elkhart Memorial 8:10.48, 4. Elkhart Central 8:13.42, 5. Concord 8:41.61, 6. NorthWood 9:20.03
400 relay - 1. Concord (Donald Jackson, Rickey McKenzie, Daniel Martin, Brian Emerson) :43.59, 2. NorthWood (Corey Brown, Jonathan Cook, Luke Schafer, Eric Esenwein) :43.84, 3. Goshen :44.12, 4. Elkhart Central :44.15, 5. Elkhart Memorial :44.73, 6. Warsaw :45.43, 7. Fairfield :45.56, 8. Howe Military :46.35
high jump -Ê1. Justin Bellamy (WAR) 6-8, 2. Joseph Adkins (EM) 6-2, 3. Aaron Faulkner (GOS) 6-1, 4. Brian Peterson (CON) 6-0, 5. Jason Brennaman (NW) 6-0, 5. William Williamson (EC) 6-0, 7. Jacob Fitzsimmons (WAR) 6-0, 8. Chris Miller (GOS) 5-10
shot put - 1. Matt Jordan (NR) 50-1/2, 2. Wes Rodman (WAR) 49-4, 3. Jamie Salazar (WAW) 48-8, 4. Jayd Richard (GOS) 47-9, 5. Justin Riley (EC) 47-9, 6. Lyle Kuhlmichel (EC) 45-10 1/2, 7. Steve Fribley (WAR) 45-6, 8. Andrew Mitschelen (NW) 45-1 1/2
discus -Ê1. Lyle Kuhlmichel (EC) 150-2, 2. Jeff Coney (JT) 144-4, 3. Jerrod Leasure (WAR) 141-4, 4. Ryan Brennan (WAR) 139-7, 5. Nicholas Daiber (EM) 136-2, 6. Paul Carroll (EM) 132-5, 7. Ryan Gerschoffer (JT) 132-1, 8. Ryan Pettit (GOS) 130-2
pole vault -Ê1. Justin Herrli (EM) 13-6, 2. William Mitschelen (NW) 13-0, 3. Matthew Traub (NW) 12-6, 4. Kevin Wilhelm (FF) 12-6, 5. Cory Gackenheimer (WAR) 12-6, 6. Drew Kazmierczak (EM) 12-6, 7. Casey Swineheart (CON) 12-0, 8. Eric Wiese (GOS) 12-0, 8. Bob Hooley (GOS) 12-0
long jump -Ê1. Corey Brown (NW) 21-4, 2. Chad Bauer (JT) 20-10 1/4, 3. Colin Applewhite (EC) 20-8 1/4, 4. Anthony Jones (EC) 20-7 1/2, 5. Destin Warren (EM) 20-4 1/2, 6. Josh Barton (GOS) 19-9 1/4, 7. Aaron Chabot (WAR) 18-8 1/2, 8. Steve Fussle (WAR) 18-8
100 -Ê1. Brandon Wilson (EC) :11.17, 2. Tedric Harwell (EC) :11.24, 3. Chester House (EM) :11.53, 4. Donald Jackson (CON) :11.57, 5. Aaron Chabot (WAR) :11.64, 6. Brian Emerson (CON) :11.65, 7. Josh Walter (FF) :11.78, 8. Corey Brown (NW) :11.87
1,600 -Ê1. Andrew McKalips (GOS) 4:29.45, 2. Rob Chalfant (WAW) 4:30.21, 3. Jacob Wolfe (FF) 4:30.82, 4. Aaron Hoover (NW) 4:31.32, 5. Jerid Stoffel (WAW) 4:33.19, 6. Justin Rice (WAR) 4:34.35, 7. Jon McKalips (GOS) 4:34.56, 8. Mike Pillow (CON) 4:36.13
400 -Ê1. Nathan Banks (EC) :50.76, 2. Kenneth Meteiver (EM) :51.40, 3. Jason Brennaman (NW) :51.86, 4. Joshua Thomas (EC) :51.99, 5. Matt Shultz (FF) :52.13, 6. Justin Smith (CON) :52.15, 7. Joshua Robinson (EM) :53.04, 8. Travis Klenke (WAW) :53.06
800 -Ê1. Greg Seiss (WAR) 1:57.60, 2. Noel Ermis (EC) 1:58.10, 3. Juan Garcia (WAR) 1:59.11, 4. Andrew McKalips (GOS) 1:59.59, 5. Eric Murto (GOS) 1:59.65, 6. Rustin Mikel (WAW) 2:00.95, 7. Tony Sands (CON) 2:01.56, 8. Dustin Young (WAW) 2:03.21
300 low hurdles -Ê1. Daniel Martin (CON) :38.59, 2. Jonathan Cook (NW) :39.64, 3. Adam Rockenbaugh (EC) :39.67, 4. Chris Lambert (WAW) :40.43, 5. Andrew Rockenbaugh (EC) :40.48, 6. Matthew Traub (NW) :40.99, 7. Chad Barden (FF) :41.15, 8. Ryan Hill (WAR) :41.81
200 -Ê1. Tedric Harwell (EC) :22.38, 2. Brandon Wilson (EC) :22.79, 3. Joe Covey (CON) :23.16, 4. Rickey McKenzie (CON) :23.51, 5. Josh Walter (FF) :23.54, 6. Andrew Cummins (EM) :23.69, 7. Louie Vogt (WAR) :24.06, 8. Stephen Riley (FF) :24.64
3,200 -Ê1. Aaron Hoover (NW) 9:49.66, 2. Thomas Wolfe (FF) 9:51.23, 3. Jacob Wolfe (FF) 9:53.45, 4. Mark Davidhizar (NW) 9:58.21, 5. Ryan Matteson (EM) 10:02.77, 6. Justin Rice (WAR) 10:10.99, 7. Jon McKalips (GOS) 10:12.34, 8. David Owens (EC) 10:16.05
1,600 -Ê1. Elkhart Central (Nathan Banks, Noel Ermis, Tedric Harwell, Joshua Thomas) 3:23.83, 2. Concord 3:27.23, 3. Goshen 3:27.98, 4. Warsaw (Juan Garcia, Steve Fussle, Nate Ridderman, Greg Seiss) 3:28.57, 5. NorthWood 3:28.90, 6. Elkhart Memorial 3:28.98, 7. Fairfield 3:34.11, 8. Wawasee 3:34.76
The top team and the top four individuals in each event move on to the regional. [[In-content Ad]]