Three relays, three individuals move on to state for SJO boys’ track and field

The St. Joseph-Ogden High School boys’ track and field team will have a solid contingent representing the Spartans at the Class 1A state meet.

SJO qualified three relay teams and three individuals to this year’s event, which starts on Thursday with prelims at O’Brien Stadium on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston and concludes on Saturday with the finals.

The Spartans placed fourth as a team at this past Friday’s sectional meet that SJO hosted, compiling 55 points. Salt Fork won the meet with 11 points, while Maroa-Forsyth (87), Uni High (58), SJO (55) and Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin (45.5) rounded out the top five schools.

The Spartans’ 800-meter relay team of Brady Buss, Aiden Meyer, Dwight Colvin and Lane Gaskin posted a time of 1 minute, 31 seconds flat to win a sectional title and tie Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley for the state’s top time in the event going into state. The Spartans’ 400 relay also won a sectional title as Buss, Meyer, Colvin and Gaskin placed first in 43.49.

Another SJO relay, the 1,600, also will run at state after Gaskin, Kaleb Harshbarger, Meyer and Ethan Vanilew placed sixth at the sectional meet but compiled a state-qualifying time of 3:31.58.

Gaskin will also stay busy at the state meet in an individual event after the senior qualified in the 200 with a time of 23 seconds flat at the sectional meet that placed fourth.

Sophomore Hayden Knott will represent SJO in the shot put after he had a state-qualifying toss of 49 feet, 3.25 inches that landed him a fourth-place finish at the sectional meet. Junior Nolan Peacock will also compete at state after placing second in the pole vault by clearing 11-9.