Warsaw Boys Tie Memorial For Title
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
GOSHEN - It all came down to a last lean in the last race at the Goshen Boys Track Sectional Thursday.
Needing at least a second-place finish in the sectional's final event, Warsaw's Jon Hill outleaned Elkhart Central's Nathaniel Banks, and the Tigers came up with the school's first sectional title since 1991 and first at Goshen, tying No. 6 Elkhart Memorial with 117 points.
Heading into that event, Warsaw led Memorial 109-107. The difference between first and second place is two points (10-8). Going into the final lap, it was clear Memorial would get first, but Central was giving Warsaw all it could handle for second.
Hill was behind by a few meters heading into that final lap when he caught Banks, and it was back and forth right to the line. At first Warsaw looked to have been in third place, which would have given Memorial the title. After looking at the photo, it was determined that Hill had won the battle, and Warsaw celebrated.
"My first thought was not we lost the meet, I felt for four kids who busted it," Warsaw coach Troy Akers said. "They ran the best time of the year. I was thankful, though, that we were going to regional in the 4 X 400, an event we are going to do some good things in."
The final event was made even more interesting with a late substitution. One of Warsaw's usual relay guys, Shaun Mudd, had injured himself earlier in the meet and his replacement, David Hoffert, had just ran the grueling 3200 run an event before.
It was up to Steve Fussle, Warsaw's sixth man, to move into the third spot in the relay. Fussle held his own and gave the Tigers the fighting chance at the end.
"I was nervous before the 3200 relay," Akers said. "What a big night for Fussle. He really came through. We knew that every race is important. You try to tell your kids that it is not won on paper. We have been competing well the past three weeks."
Warsaw adds the sectional title to a growing list of titles, including the Max Truex and the Northern Lakes Conference championships.
"I am very proud of these kids," Akers said. "A team that is ranked No. 6 team in the state and a team that is not ranked. We were up for the competition tonight.
"It was a fun meet, and we had a lot of kids involved," he said. "We don't have a superstar. The kids look at the rankings, and ask 'are you ranked? We are not, but we went undefeated and won a lot of championships. That (the ranking) doesn't matter. The only rankings that count are the ones June 7 (state meet) in Indianapolis."
Akers has now led teams to sectional titles in four of the past five years, including three titles with the Wawasee girls teams.
Warsaw got its usual strong individual performances from Hill (first, 400; second, 200) and Greg Seiss (first, 800). The big surprise came in the high jump where sophomore Justin Bellamy won the high jump with a leap of 6-feet-4. It was Bellamy's first varsity meet after just joining the team two weeks ago.
"We did very well in the field," Akers said. "Bellamy came up big. This is a kid that has been out for less than a month. Shepherd jumped well for us again, and we had two finishers in the discus. Our field events have been our Achilles Heel for us, but they have come through the last few weeks."
The meet was close throughout with Elkhart Memorial building a 72-61 lead through nine events. Warsaw closed the gap and caught the Crimson Chargers after event No. 12 at 93-84. Memorial made it close and got the tie on the final event of the night.
"We had some great individual performances, but there were some situations where we thought we would do much better," Akers said. "We may not have been as competitive as we were a week ago, but all in all what a great overall effort."
It was a better effort from Warsaw, who finished seventh at last year's sectional with 49 points.
"The big things this year are we have depth, we have kids who are committed, and we are having fun," Akers said. "That is the whole key."
Warsaw's top four finishers in each event now goes onto the Fort Wayne Wayne Regional Thursday.
"We got to Fort Wayne, and that is the best regional in the state," Akers said. "If you can run with those people, then you will score some points at the state meet.
"We have had a rough week with the city (elementary) track meet for every night this week and the girls track sectional for two nights this week," he said. "I have been a nervous wreck on what kind of performance we would have based on not having a facility this week. They made the best of it and overcame."
WARSAW 117, ELKHART MEMORIAL 117, ELKHART CENTRAL 88, CONCORD 87, GOSHEN 58, NORTHWOOD 48, FAIRFIELD 38, WAWASEE 28, JIMTOWN 25, NORTHRIDGE 13
Top four advance to Fort Wayne Wayne Regional
1600 relay - 1. Elkhart Memorial 3:23.44 (Henderson, Meteiver, Palmer, Jones), 2. Warsaw, 3. Elkhart Central, 4. NorthWood, 5. Concord, 6. Goshen, 7. Jimtown, 8. Fairfield
3200 - 1. Myers (c) 9:55.49, 2. Payne (G), 3. Hoffert (WR), 4. Wolfe (F), 5. Hoover (NW), 6. Gibney (EM), 7. Balthese (EM), 8. Schoeherr (C)
200 - 1. Palmer (EM) :22.22, 2. Hill (WR), 3. Harwell (EC), 4. Thrush (G), 5. Davis (C), 6. McKenzie (C)
Shot put - 1. Elliott (G) 52-3 1/2, 2. Searer (EC), 3. Jordan (NR), 4. Robinson (EM), 5. Stanley (C), 6. Dukes (EM), 7. Farmer (WR), 8. Bossnack (EC)
Long jump - 1. Malone (EM) 22-2 1/2, 2. Shepherd (WR), 3. Johnson (EM), 4. Bauer (J), 5. Brown (NW), 6. Jones (EC), 7. Suggs (C), 8. Barton (G)
Pole Vault - 1. Cunningham (EC) 13-6, 2. Kazmierczak (EM), 3. Mitschelen (NW), 4. Herrli (EM), 5. Cassidy (NR), 6. Rumfelt (F), 7. Lloyd (NR), 8. Scheetz (WR)
High jump - 1. Bellamy (WR) 6-4, 2. D.Brown (NW), 3. Vargo (EC), 4. Williamson (EC), 5. Miller (G), 6. Myers (F), 7. Faulkner (G), 8. Adams (NR)
Discus - 1. Steffen (F) 135-1, 2. Fribley (WR), 3. Dukes (EM), 4. Leasure (WR), 5. Bossnack (EC), 6. Binns (WW), 7. Pettit (G), 8. Jackson (C)
100 - 1. Palmer (EM) :11.4, 2. Harwell (EC), 3. Newbill (EM), 4. Esquivel (WR), 5. Davis (C), 6. C.Brown (NW), 7. Outlaw (EC), 8. Duncan (WR)
3200 relay - 1. Warsaw 8:15.25 (Seiss, Peters, Rice, Dock), 2. Goshen, 3. Concord, 4. Elkhart Memorial, 5. Elkhart Central, 6. Fairfield, 7. NorthWood
110 hurdles - 1. Whittaker (J) :14.88, 2. Huber (c), 3. Jones (EM), 4. Lantz (c), 5. Lambert (WW), 6. Whalen (J), 7. Barden (F), 8. Rockenbaugh (EC)
300 hurdles - 1. Martin (c) :38.04, 2. Huber (c), 3. Jones (EM), 4. Lambert (WW), 5. Esquivel (WR), 6. Cook (NW), 7. Goss (G), 8. Thomas (EC)
800 - 1. Seiss (WR) 1:57.79, 2. McKalips (G), 3. Mikel (WW), 4. Rice (WR), 5. Yoder (F), 6. Greenlee (NW), 7. Flores (J), 8. Ermis (EC)
400 relay - 1. Elkhart Memorial :43.31 (Malone, Palmer, Newbill, Stout), 2. Elkhart Central, 3. Concord, 4. NorthWood, 5. Warsaw, 6. Jimtown, 7. Fairfield
1600 run - 1. Tahmassebi (c) 4:29.51, 2. Hoffert (WR), 3. Lytle (WW), 4. Payne (G), 5. Stoffel (WW), 6. Wolfe (F), 7. Montiel (EC), 8. Dock (WR)
400 - 1. Hill (WR) :50.43, 2. Banks (EC), 3. Meteiver (EM), 4. Brennaman (NW), 5. Vargo (EC), 6. Mudd (WR), 7. Shultz (F), 8. Peterson (C) [[In-content Ad]]
GOSHEN - It all came down to a last lean in the last race at the Goshen Boys Track Sectional Thursday.
Needing at least a second-place finish in the sectional's final event, Warsaw's Jon Hill outleaned Elkhart Central's Nathaniel Banks, and the Tigers came up with the school's first sectional title since 1991 and first at Goshen, tying No. 6 Elkhart Memorial with 117 points.
Heading into that event, Warsaw led Memorial 109-107. The difference between first and second place is two points (10-8). Going into the final lap, it was clear Memorial would get first, but Central was giving Warsaw all it could handle for second.
Hill was behind by a few meters heading into that final lap when he caught Banks, and it was back and forth right to the line. At first Warsaw looked to have been in third place, which would have given Memorial the title. After looking at the photo, it was determined that Hill had won the battle, and Warsaw celebrated.
"My first thought was not we lost the meet, I felt for four kids who busted it," Warsaw coach Troy Akers said. "They ran the best time of the year. I was thankful, though, that we were going to regional in the 4 X 400, an event we are going to do some good things in."
The final event was made even more interesting with a late substitution. One of Warsaw's usual relay guys, Shaun Mudd, had injured himself earlier in the meet and his replacement, David Hoffert, had just ran the grueling 3200 run an event before.
It was up to Steve Fussle, Warsaw's sixth man, to move into the third spot in the relay. Fussle held his own and gave the Tigers the fighting chance at the end.
"I was nervous before the 3200 relay," Akers said. "What a big night for Fussle. He really came through. We knew that every race is important. You try to tell your kids that it is not won on paper. We have been competing well the past three weeks."
Warsaw adds the sectional title to a growing list of titles, including the Max Truex and the Northern Lakes Conference championships.
"I am very proud of these kids," Akers said. "A team that is ranked No. 6 team in the state and a team that is not ranked. We were up for the competition tonight.
"It was a fun meet, and we had a lot of kids involved," he said. "We don't have a superstar. The kids look at the rankings, and ask 'are you ranked? We are not, but we went undefeated and won a lot of championships. That (the ranking) doesn't matter. The only rankings that count are the ones June 7 (state meet) in Indianapolis."
Akers has now led teams to sectional titles in four of the past five years, including three titles with the Wawasee girls teams.
Warsaw got its usual strong individual performances from Hill (first, 400; second, 200) and Greg Seiss (first, 800). The big surprise came in the high jump where sophomore Justin Bellamy won the high jump with a leap of 6-feet-4. It was Bellamy's first varsity meet after just joining the team two weeks ago.
"We did very well in the field," Akers said. "Bellamy came up big. This is a kid that has been out for less than a month. Shepherd jumped well for us again, and we had two finishers in the discus. Our field events have been our Achilles Heel for us, but they have come through the last few weeks."
The meet was close throughout with Elkhart Memorial building a 72-61 lead through nine events. Warsaw closed the gap and caught the Crimson Chargers after event No. 12 at 93-84. Memorial made it close and got the tie on the final event of the night.
"We had some great individual performances, but there were some situations where we thought we would do much better," Akers said. "We may not have been as competitive as we were a week ago, but all in all what a great overall effort."
It was a better effort from Warsaw, who finished seventh at last year's sectional with 49 points.
"The big things this year are we have depth, we have kids who are committed, and we are having fun," Akers said. "That is the whole key."
Warsaw's top four finishers in each event now goes onto the Fort Wayne Wayne Regional Thursday.
"We got to Fort Wayne, and that is the best regional in the state," Akers said. "If you can run with those people, then you will score some points at the state meet.
"We have had a rough week with the city (elementary) track meet for every night this week and the girls track sectional for two nights this week," he said. "I have been a nervous wreck on what kind of performance we would have based on not having a facility this week. They made the best of it and overcame."
WARSAW 117, ELKHART MEMORIAL 117, ELKHART CENTRAL 88, CONCORD 87, GOSHEN 58, NORTHWOOD 48, FAIRFIELD 38, WAWASEE 28, JIMTOWN 25, NORTHRIDGE 13
Top four advance to Fort Wayne Wayne Regional
1600 relay - 1. Elkhart Memorial 3:23.44 (Henderson, Meteiver, Palmer, Jones), 2. Warsaw, 3. Elkhart Central, 4. NorthWood, 5. Concord, 6. Goshen, 7. Jimtown, 8. Fairfield
3200 - 1. Myers (c) 9:55.49, 2. Payne (G), 3. Hoffert (WR), 4. Wolfe (F), 5. Hoover (NW), 6. Gibney (EM), 7. Balthese (EM), 8. Schoeherr (C)
200 - 1. Palmer (EM) :22.22, 2. Hill (WR), 3. Harwell (EC), 4. Thrush (G), 5. Davis (C), 6. McKenzie (C)
Shot put - 1. Elliott (G) 52-3 1/2, 2. Searer (EC), 3. Jordan (NR), 4. Robinson (EM), 5. Stanley (C), 6. Dukes (EM), 7. Farmer (WR), 8. Bossnack (EC)
Long jump - 1. Malone (EM) 22-2 1/2, 2. Shepherd (WR), 3. Johnson (EM), 4. Bauer (J), 5. Brown (NW), 6. Jones (EC), 7. Suggs (C), 8. Barton (G)
Pole Vault - 1. Cunningham (EC) 13-6, 2. Kazmierczak (EM), 3. Mitschelen (NW), 4. Herrli (EM), 5. Cassidy (NR), 6. Rumfelt (F), 7. Lloyd (NR), 8. Scheetz (WR)
High jump - 1. Bellamy (WR) 6-4, 2. D.Brown (NW), 3. Vargo (EC), 4. Williamson (EC), 5. Miller (G), 6. Myers (F), 7. Faulkner (G), 8. Adams (NR)
Discus - 1. Steffen (F) 135-1, 2. Fribley (WR), 3. Dukes (EM), 4. Leasure (WR), 5. Bossnack (EC), 6. Binns (WW), 7. Pettit (G), 8. Jackson (C)
100 - 1. Palmer (EM) :11.4, 2. Harwell (EC), 3. Newbill (EM), 4. Esquivel (WR), 5. Davis (C), 6. C.Brown (NW), 7. Outlaw (EC), 8. Duncan (WR)
3200 relay - 1. Warsaw 8:15.25 (Seiss, Peters, Rice, Dock), 2. Goshen, 3. Concord, 4. Elkhart Memorial, 5. Elkhart Central, 6. Fairfield, 7. NorthWood
110 hurdles - 1. Whittaker (J) :14.88, 2. Huber (c), 3. Jones (EM), 4. Lantz (c), 5. Lambert (WW), 6. Whalen (J), 7. Barden (F), 8. Rockenbaugh (EC)
300 hurdles - 1. Martin (c) :38.04, 2. Huber (c), 3. Jones (EM), 4. Lambert (WW), 5. Esquivel (WR), 6. Cook (NW), 7. Goss (G), 8. Thomas (EC)
800 - 1. Seiss (WR) 1:57.79, 2. McKalips (G), 3. Mikel (WW), 4. Rice (WR), 5. Yoder (F), 6. Greenlee (NW), 7. Flores (J), 8. Ermis (EC)
400 relay - 1. Elkhart Memorial :43.31 (Malone, Palmer, Newbill, Stout), 2. Elkhart Central, 3. Concord, 4. NorthWood, 5. Warsaw, 6. Jimtown, 7. Fairfield
1600 run - 1. Tahmassebi (c) 4:29.51, 2. Hoffert (WR), 3. Lytle (WW), 4. Payne (G), 5. Stoffel (WW), 6. Wolfe (F), 7. Montiel (EC), 8. Dock (WR)
400 - 1. Hill (WR) :50.43, 2. Banks (EC), 3. Meteiver (EM), 4. Brennaman (NW), 5. Vargo (EC), 6. Mudd (WR), 7. Shultz (F), 8. Peterson (C) [[In-content Ad]]