Pekin track teams clean up at district meet

RIVERSIDE ? Don?t expect any elaborate celebrations this week in the wake of the Pekin boys? track team?s 18th district title in school history.

No, that?s just not Davis Eidahl?s style.

?It was just business as usual. It was a nice job, but we?ve been there before,? said the hall of fame coach, who is in his 50th year coaching track and field. ?We won?t be putting signs up about it or anything.?

Still, that?s not to say the Panther boys didn?t have a day worth celebrating at the Class 1A district meet held Thursday at Highland. Pekin scored 165 points to win its third district title in a row and qualify eight events to the state meet scheduled this week in Des Moines.

Senior Cory Loyd will be running the 400-hurdles at state after he won the district title in 58.60. Loyd also will be competing in Des Moines with teammates Colton Lanman, Tanner Adam and Chase Earnest on the shuttle hurdle relay, which finished second in 1:02.42.

Chase Copeland, Keaton Winn, Christian Wittrock and Quentin Garrels qualified together in both the 4x100 and 4x200. The foursome finished third in the 4x100 (45.64) but won the district title in the 4x200 (1:34.34). Copeland, Garrels, Christian Wittrock and Eli Harper also won the distance medley in 3:44.59.

Graham Wittrock, Cade Millikin, Austin Fariss and Harper set a season best in the 4x800 to qualify, earning second place in the event in 8:28.

In the field, Eric Adam is set to represent Pekin in the shot put (45? 1.5?) and discus (126? 9?). Adam won both events Thursday as junior teammate Jared Bond finished second in the throws.

?We don?t have a superstar this year like a Bryce Sines or a Derek Morales, so our main goal was we wanted to do real well and win the district,? Eidahl said. ?We compete by having a well-balanced team. Some things went well and some things didn?t go so well, but any time you can score 160-plus points at the district meet you?ve had a job well done.?

Highland finished in distant second place with 128 points and Lone Tree was third with 114. Van Buren scored 69 to finish in fourth.

Panther girls qualify in 11 events

RIVERSIDE ? If the state track meet is food, then the Pekin girls will be getting plenty of helpings this year.

The Panthers qualified 11 events, including three events of double qualifiers, and will be represented in the field and on the track after burying the competition at Thursday?s Class 1A district meet in Riverside.

Leading the long list of Pekin qualifiers Thursday was freshman Gwynne Wright, who will be representing her team in four events at the state meet in Des Moines.

And the Panther freshman did it running the maximum distance allowed.

Wright opened the day with a win in the 3000 (11:12) and later broke the tape in the open-800 (2:25.66). She also anchored the distance medley to second place in 4:26.84 and still had the energy to finish second in the 1500 (5:08).

Maleaha Earnest qualified in the 1500 with a time of 5:19, and Taylor Lock earned a trip to Des Moines with an 11:30 time in the 3000.

Other individual qualifiers for Pekin include Shelbie Williams in the shot put (35? 8.75?), and Maranda Baker in both the shot put (35? 0.75?) and discus throw (103? 8?). Mallory Reed qualified in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.40 and Samantha Wright made it in the 400-hurdles in 1:11.51.

Victoria Eckley, Reed, Jessica Horras and Baker earned a spot in the 4x100 (53.84), as did Samantha Wright, Sloan Reighard, Tayler Winn and Whitney Horras in the 4x400 (4:26.16); and Samantha Wright, Earnest, Reighard and Whitney Horras in the 4x800 (10:18).

The Panthers scored 197 points to easily run away from the 11-team field. Highland and Winfield-Mount Union scored 82 points apiece to finish second and third, respectively, and Danville was fourth with 68.

Cardinal, Van Buren to be represented

Cardinal and Van Buren athletes also will be competing at the state meet scheduled May 16-18 thanks to efforts at their respective state-qualifying meets.

Van Buren qualified four events for state at its Class 1A meet in Highland, while Cardinal earned one invite from its 2A state qualifier in Eddyville.

Unity Daugherty is making a return trip for Van Buren after placing fourth in the 1500 (5:22) and third in the 3000 (11:30). Hanna Haynes also won the 100-hurdles in 16.39 to punch her ticket to Des Moines.

For the Van Buren boys, the 4x800 team of Brayden Starnes, Wyatt Cole, Garrett Saunders and Thomas Fitzsimmons qualified in 8:37.

The Cardinal boys will be represented by the school record-setting shuttle hurdle relay. Jonathan Pedersen, Tyler Albert, Neil Urtado and Charlie Rachford qualified the race in 1:02.33.