Sectional fever hits track and field, as all local teams scatter across Section V to compete on the big stages at Bath-Haverling, Dundee, Marion
By CHRIS BROOKS, managing editor, wellsvillesports.com
MARION — After a long wait, the track and field scene has now reached its highest point in Section V, with many of the area’s teams spreading out far and wide across the region to battle amongst the best of the best across a two-day period beginning on Thursday.
The first Sectional Championship meet to take place was the Class B5 title meet in Marion where many of Allegany County and Steuben County’s teams clashed, also seeing many Section V champions return home with patches and glory for their efforts.
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Leading the field was a dynamic performance from Arkport-Canaseraga boys, who saw their boys team place second overall with 113.5 points and their girls team finish fourth with 67 points, both behind eventual champion Harley Allendale-Columbia, who swept the meet entirely, behind many title victories and secondary finishes to boot.
Leading the boys were both Kohler Preston and Ibra Ford, as each Wolf scored four Top 5 finishes, with Ford collecting two Sectional titles behind his performances in the 3000 steeplechase and 1600 runs before placing second overall in both the 800 and 3200 runs. Preston followed behind with his title-clinching finish in the 400 dash, following up with third place finishes in the 100 dash and high jump, and fourth place finish in the 200 dash.
Adding more big finishes along the way was Zach Smith, who placed second in the pole vault and fifth in the 200 dash. Salim Ford finished third in the 1600 run and fourth in the 3200 run. Micah Churchman placed fifth in both the 3000 steeplechase and 3200 run, while Alex Vilkhu had fifth place finishes in the 110 and 400 hurdles. Rounding off the individual performances were both Dan Clark and Zander Ebelink, as they each placed fourth in the shot put and triple jump, respectively.
Arkport-Canaseraga also garnered a pair of third place finishes in the relay department, collecting them in the 400 and 3200 each.
On the girls side, the Lady Wolves scored three Top 5 finishes from Shannon Spoth to lead the field, as she placed second in the pole vault and fifth in both the 100 hurdles and triple jump events. Lizzie Young (4th Steeple, 4th 3000 run) and Alivia Kocan (5th Steeple, 5th 3000 run) each had a pair of secondary finishes, while Natalee Muhleisen (4th Triple Jump), Chloee Henshaw (5th Long Jump), Graysen Milliman (3rd Discus), Julianna Swift (T-3rd High Jump) and Charli Vilkhu (4th Pentathlon) all had a finish each.
The Lady Wolves would also score second place finishes in both the 400 and 3200 relays.
Following up with another phenomenal performance were the Avoca-Prattsburgh girls, as they collected 96 points to place second overall behind four Sectional title-clinching performances. Leading was Madisyn Everdyke, who placed first in the 100 hurdles and second in the 400 hurdles. Olivia Kilmer was crowned champion in the long jump, adding a third place finish in the triple jump along the way. Tess Adriance was the last individual to score a patch, as she claimed victory in the pole vault.
Adding more secondary finishes along the way for the Lady Titans were Gracie Boccia (4th 400 dash), Haley Prindle (5th Discus), Vivian Crane (3rd Pole Vault), Breanna Jorritsma (2nd Pentathlon) and Diane Hakes (5th Pentathlon). Avoca-Prattsburgh would also pick up a Sectional patch in the relay department, placing first in the 1600 relay, adding third place finishes in the 400 and 3200 relays along the way.
On the boys side, the Titans saw Jesse Reagan and Carter Button each garner a third place finish, earning them in the 110 hurdles and Pentathlon, respectively.
Jasper-Troupsburg also collected strong performances in the Top 5, with Jon Foster’s pair in the throwing events leading the way, as he posted a second place finish in the shot put and fifth place finish in the discus. Cooper Hayes placed third in the long jump, while Dakota Farrand was fourth in the 400 dash. For the Lady Wildcats, Kiersten Lamphier finished fourth in the 100 hurdles to go with the team’s pair of top finishes in the relay department, as they collected a fourth and fifth place finish from their 1600 and 400 relay squads.
The Genesee Valley/Belfast boys were phenomenal from start to finish, as they creeped into the Top 5 with a fourth place overall finish behind Sectional patches from both Callahan Tallman and Thayne Cobb from the field, as they picked up title wins in the high jump and long jump each. Tallman would also contribute a fourth place finish in the long jump. Brayden Cooper placed second in the 200 dash and fourth in the 100 dash to further the team’s cause. The boys also chipped in two strong finishes in the relay department, turning in a second place 400 relay and fourth place 1600 relay.
On the girls side, Sophie Zillgitt was the team’s lone winner, as she came away as champion in the Pentathlon.
The Fillmore boys placed ninth overall behind a school-record breaking performance from Henry Sardina, as he galloped his way to victory in the 800 run with a time of 2:01.57. Noah Strickland followed suit with a fifth place finish in the 1600 run. As for the Lady Eagles, Rachel Hatch also rewrote the school’s history books with her best performance of the season in the 100 hurdles, claiming second with a time of 16.93. Ava Sylvester placed second in the 2000 steeplechase, while Jillian Beardsley was fifth in the 1500 run.
Friendship/Scio saw Cassidy Scholla return home as champion with her title-capturing victory in the high jump. She would also add in a third and fourth place finish in the 100 and 200 dashes, while Jerimiah Brown placed fifth in the high jump to lead the boys team.
Class B2 Championships at Bath-Haverling
BATH — At the home of the Rams, many more big performances were recognized between Wellsville, Hornell, Canisteo-Greenwood and Wayland-Cohocton at the Class B2 Championships on Friday. Leading the pack were both the Chargers boys team and the Lady Red Raiders, with Canisteo-Greenwood taking the overall team title behind a dominant 92 point first place finish, while Hornell placed second with 83 points.
The Chargers were captained by Carson Chaffee and his first place finish in a 100 dash event that saw five different runners, including Declan McAnerney and Ashton Davis who finished third and fourth, all placed inside the Top 10. Chaffee would go on to add a second place finish in the high jump along the way. Kylan Burdick was the second Charger to claim his Sectional patch, as he recorded the winning distance in the discus event from the field.
Dylan Depew-Cappadonia chipped in with two more strong finishes, placing third in the 3000 steeplechase and fourth in the 3200 run, while Jonah Burns (5th 200 dash), Simon Warriner (4th Long Jump), Will Hosmer (2nd Pole Vault), Mathias Sharp (4th Pole Vault), Nathan Prete (2nd Pentathlon) and Noah Drouin (5th Pentathlon) all had strong finishes to further the team’s cause. The Chargers also recorded a second place finish in the 400 relay, behind Hornell.
The Lady Chargers completed a sixth place finish behind five top finishes, with Mackenzie Hurlbut having two of them — a third place finish in both the 200 and 400 dash events. The team’s lone champion, Kora Dinniny, captured gold with the winning height in the pole vault, with Matayah Sharp following right behind her with a second place finish in the same event. Madison Woodworth rounded out with her fourth place finish in the triple jump.
The Hornell Lady Red Raiders scored a marvelous performance with a slew of top finishes propelling them into the upper echelon of the meet, led by two-time Sectional champion Ella White, who earned her patches in both the 100 dash and 100 hurdles. Selena Maldonado was also crowned champion in the 200 dash, adding a second place long jump finish along the way. Furthering the team’s cause even more was Elisa Bodin and her pair of finishes, placing third in the 3000 run and fifth in the 1500 run.
Other individual finishes for Hornell include Madison Rudenauer (second 400 hurdles), Parker Graham (3rd 400 hurdles), Silvia Carretto (3rd 800 run) and Delainey Thompson (T-4th High Jump). The Lady Red Raiders also scored a second and third place finish in the 400 and 1600 relays, respectively.
For the boys, they tied right alongside their longtime rival Wellsville for sixth overall with 58 points, with two-time champion Kellen Crowe headlining the efforts with his patch-earning wins in the 200 and 400 dashes. Jacob Phillips chipped in with a patch of his own in the 400 hurdles, while Austyn Gollnitz placed fifth in the 100 dash and shot put. Hornell also collected two relay champions, scoring them in both the 400 and 1600.
As for those Lions, Wellsville saw first-year superstar JJ Howard take care of business with not one nor two, but three Sectional titles, as he dominated the field with his wins in the high jump, long jump and the triple jump. Xavier Scott joined in on the party with a patch of his own, hurdling his way towards a winning time in the 110 hurdles. Following up in the secondary finish department was Lucius Griggs, who placed third in the triple jump. Noah Joslyn (400 dash), Ben Jordan (1600 run) and Jack Davis (400 hurdles) all had fifth place finishes to add.
Wellsville also bolstered their performance with two fifth place finishes in the 400 and 3200 relays.
The Lady Lions saw their fair share of success by finishing in the Top 10 themselves, placing ninth behind another phenomenal performance from Kaylee Oswald in the shot put to claim her Sectional title, adding a fourth place Discus finish along the way. Brooklyn Dahlgren placed second in the high jump.
Wayland-Cohocton saw their ladies team place seventh overall with multiple secondary finishes being garnered. At the front of the pack was Celise Wicker, who collected two second place finishes in the 800 and 1500 runs. Rowan Ferguson placed third in the Pentathlon. Rachel Gray (1500 run) and Riley Goodwin (3000 run) each finished fourth, while the Lady Eagles also scored a fifth place 1600 relay finish to help round out their performance.
Chucky Cibrian had the Eagles lone top finish for the boys team, placing fourth in the 400 hurdles.
Class B4 Championships at Dundee
DUNDEE — Finally to help round off Sectional weekend on the track and in the field, Cuba-Rushford, Bolivar-Richburg and Alfred-Almond all made their way to Dundee to compete for second season glory in the Class B4 Championship meet.
Leading the way was the Cuba-Rushford boys team, who placed inside the Top 5 with a fourth place finish overall. Helping propel those efforts was Ethan Coleman, who was crowned champion for the Rebels with his fantastic performance in the pole vault. Joe Wojciechowski placed second in the 1600 run. Tristan Clayson ranked third in the discus, while Alex Linn finished fifth in the 3200 run to finish off the individual performances.
The Rebels also scored a Sectional title victory in the 400 relay, placing second in the 3200 and third in the 1600 relays along the way to finish off a strong night. As for the Lady Rebels, Alleyah Gross and Cloey Larabee pitched in with third and fourth place finishes in their respective events — the shot put and 800 run. The team also scored a fourth place 400 relay finish.
The Alfred-Almond boys were right behind Cuba-Rushford, as they scored five secondary finishes to go with their Sectional patch-capturing 1600 relay victory, as the Eagles placed fifth overall to round off the Top 5. Adding individual finishes along the way were Tighe Grigg and Kouki Yatani, as each Eagle placed second in their respective events — the 400 dash and 800 run. Ben Byrnes chipped in with a fifth place finish in the 800 run, while Nolan Palmer was fifth in the high jump from the field, and Gabe Fioretto was fifth in the 110 hurdles.
Bolivar-Richburg collected strong performances of their own along the way, with Raegan Giardini and Kori Thomas leading their girls squads with a Top 5 finish each. Giardini placed third overall in the 1500 run event, while Thomas hurdled towards a fourth place conclusion in the 100 hurdles. The Lady Wolverines also posted a fifth place 3200 relay finish. As for the boys, Calyn Todd was the team’s lone recipient of a Top 5 finish, closing out in fifth in the 400 hurdles.
