BC's string of Big Northern titles ends
STILLMAN VALLEY - Burlington Central's run of 4 straight Big Northern Conference boys track and field titles came to an end here Thursday night, but considering how things have been going for the Rockets, they couldn't be too disappointed with a solid third-place showing.
Tre Llanes won the triple jump and the Rockets won the 800-meter relay while taking third place overall during the conference's annual meet.
"I knew that coach really wanted to win this meet, so I used that as my motivation to get out there and just get it done," said Llanes, who at 41 feet, 11 1/2 inches came within 2 inches of his personal best.
Oregon, led by Jordan Thomas, ran away with the title. The Hawks' 145 points easily beat second-place Winnebago, which had 106. The Rockets finished with 94.5. Richmond-Burton was fourth with 77.
Central's Nick Smith finished second to Thomas in both the 100 and 200 meters. Freshman Clint Kiem finished third in both the 1,600 and 3,200 for BC.
"I felt good going into (the 100), and I got second place to Jordan (Thomas)," said Smith. "I feel like I'm improving."
Mitch Plum took third in the 400, less than 2 seconds behind Thomas, while Joe Manzie finished third in the pole vault.
"It would have taken just an unbelievable effort for us to win tonight," said Central coach Mike Schmidt. "Realistically, I knew it was going to be a battle for second. We tried to bring out the extras in our team and we just didn't have it. But I'm not disappointed in these guys."
Hampshire's top finisher was Ray Quesada, whose second-place finish in the 330 hurdles was 3 spots better than his seeding.
"Ray's having a good season," said Hampshire coach Steve Bruhn. "Tonight he came on and took another step. Seeded fifth, he took second, so we're happy he came out tonight and took a couple of spots that we weren't expecting."
Coming into the meet, the Rockets had several key athletes out with illnesses and injuries, including Tom Gast and Kyle Kita. Things didn't get any better for the Rockets when Kane County pole vault champion Paco Wleklinski no-heighted.
Gast and Kita ran the 400-meter relay, but showed signs of rust after not running for 2 weeks and were scratched from longer events.
The Rockets still grabbed the 800 relay, with sophomores Mike Kellenberger and Tyler Panariello joining Smith and T. J. Pasia.