Jr. High Knights Track and Field Bring Home Hardware from Annual Conference Meet
Pictured with their championship plaque are the Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond seventh grade girls. They scored 114 points at the annual Jr. High Okaw Conference Track and Field meet held at Okaw Valley on Monday, May 3. Their point total easily outdistanced the second place team, Tuscola who had 86 in the eight team field. Front row from left to right-Brookelyn Peeler, Ruby Burton, McKenna Blaudow, Leighton Poulos, Kate Wiley, Skie James, and Kimberly Krutsinger, Back row left to right-Coach Bryton Ragon, Maleyna Vanausdoll, Chloe Custer, Addi Rohr, Alex Clark, Reece Oye, Gracie Romine, Olivia Binion, Ady Cusick and Avery Alexander. 
The seventh grade boys track and field team competed at the annual Jr. High Okaw Conference meet held at Okaw Valley on Monday, May 3. They came home with the Runners-Up plaque from the meet. The team scored 92 points to finish behind Tuscola and ahead of Arcola in the eight team field. Shown here with their plaque are front row left to right-Preston Gingerich, Brennon Hutson, Kamden Morfey, Brayden Leech, Payton Warrior, Coye Grant, Dylan Ingersoll and Parker Beck. Back row left to right-Tristan Keagle, Ismael Corona, Cash Hale, Brayan Martinez, Cruz Hale, Nick Hubster, Tyler Lisanby and Coach Don McCarthy.
By SALLY McCARTHY
Sports Writer
The 40th Jr. High Okaw Conference track and field meet was held on Monday, May 3 hosted by Okaw Valley. A little history lesson about this meet, it was first held in 1981 with Arcola, Arthur, Atwood Hammond, Bement, Cerro Gordo, Monticello, Tolono Unity, Tuscola and Villa Grove as original members. Sullivan would take Tolono Unity’s spot in 1988 and then the conference would be reformed in 2002 with Arcola, Arthur, Atwood Hammond, Bement, Cerro Gordo, Okaw Valley, Tuscola and Villa Grove as the new JHOC. It would change in 2011 when Arthur and Lovington co-oped and then again in 2015 when Arthur annexed both Lovington and Atwood Hammond to form our now Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond Knights. The Decatur Lutheran Association school joined in 2017 to make it an eight team conference again but it will go back to seven next year with the co-op of Bement and Cerro Gordo. The Knights boy’s coach Don McCarthy has the distinction of coaching in all forty meets since the formation of the conference.
The Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond jr. high track teams brought home three plaques from the meet—first place earned by the seventh grade girls and two second places won by the eighth grade girls and seventh grade boys. The eighth grade boys finished in fifth place in their division.
Winning individual conference championships were Ruby Burton in the seventh grade girls 400 meters in a time of 1:11.86 and Payton Warrior taking both the 100 meter, (13.05) and the 200 meter, (26.91) titles. The seventh grade girls had two championship relays, the 400 meter relay of Olivia Binion, Cassidy Rohacs, Reece Oye and Leighton Poulos and the 800 meter relay of Adyson Cusick, Addi Rohr, Gracie Romine, and Maleyna Vanausdol. The seventh grade boys’ 400 meter relay of Brayden Leech, Easton Frederick, Cruz Hale and Payton Warrior also were conference champs.
The Jr. High Knights have their final competition of the 2021 season at the Illinois Elementary School Association Sectional at Maroa-Forsyth on Saturday, May 15 starting at 9:00 in the morning. There will be no State Track and Field meet this season.
ALAH 7th Grade Boys Team and Individual Results
Jr. High Okaw Conference
May 3, 2021
Team results: 1. Tuscola 103; 2, Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 92; 3.Arcola 79; 4. Bement 25; 5. Cerro Gordo 20; 6. Okaw Valley 18; 7. Decatur Lutheran Association 15; 8. Villa Grove 14
Discus: Kamden Morfey 66’ 2”; Bryan Martinez 57’ 0”;
Shot Put: Brayan Martinez 28’ 8.5, Third; Nick Hubster 22’ 6.5”;
High Jump: Cash Hale NH; Tyler Lisanby NH
Long Jump: Cruz Hale 12’ 11”, Fifth;
110 M Hurdles: Easton Frederick 19.15, Second;
100M: Payton Warrior 13.05, First; Brayden Leech 14.09;
200M: Payton Warrior 26.91, First; Brayden Leech 29.40, Fifth;
400M: Cash Hale 1:10.75, Third; Preston Gingerich 1:19.11, Fifth;
800M: Coye Grant 2:51.30, Fourth; Brennon Hutson 2:59.70, Fifth;
1600M: Cruz Hale 5:46.94, Second; Coye Grant 6:17.33, Third;
400M Relay: Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 54.10, First (Brayden Leech, Easton Frederick, Cruz Hale, Payton Warrior)
800M Relay: Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 2:06.48, Second (Brayan Martinez, Owen Herring, Ismael Corona, Cash Hale)
1600M Relay: Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 4:36.83, Second (Cruz Hale, Cash Hale, Brayden Leech, Payton Warrior)
ALAH 8th Grade Boys Team and Individual Results
Jr. High Okaw Conference
May 3, 2021
Team results: 1. Tuscola 99; 2. Okaw Valley 81; 3. Arcola 71; 4. Villa Grove 44; 5. Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 40; 6. Cerro Gordo 25; 7. Bement 22; 8. Decatur Lutheran School Association 18
Discus: Dalton Vanausdoll 101’ 7”, Fifth; Mackenley Bowles 62’ 9”;
Shot Put: Dalton Vanausdoll 37’ 0”, Second; Colin Smith 30’ 2.5”;
High Jump: None
Long Jump: Alex Rexroad 14’ 3.5”, Sixth;
110 M Hurdles: Ryan Appleby 19.73, Fourth;
100M: Dalton Vanausdoll 12.51, Fourth;
200M: Maddix Stirrett 29.39; Zach Thompson 29.86;
400M: Dalton Vanausdoll 58.48, Second; Alex Rexroad 1:05.24;
800M: Caden Binder 2:56.27; Tristan Keagle 3:10.36;
1600M: Alex Rexroad 5:44.18, Fourth; Colin Smith 6:08.48;
400M Relay: Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 54.48, Fourth (Mitaku Appleby, Zach Thompson, Ryan Appleby, Maddix Stirrett)
800M Relay: Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 2:29.54, Sixth (Dylan Ingersoll, Dustin Hodge, Parker Beck, Tyler Lisanby)
1600M Relay: Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 4:43.40, Fourth (Dylan Ingersoll, Dustin Hodge, Parker Beck, Tyler Lisanby)
ALAH 7th Grade Girls Team and Individual Results
Jr. High Okaw Conference
May 3, 2021
Team Results: 1. Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 114; 2. Tuscola 86; 3. Villa Grove 50; 4. Okaw Valley 40; 5. Cerro Gordo 24; 6. Decatur Lutheran School Association 21; 7. Arcola 20; 8. Bement 6
Shot Put: Alex Clark 22’ 3”, Fourth; Ashby Coblentz 18’ 5”;
Discus: Alex Clark 77’ 10”, Second; Ashby Coblentz 48’ 4”;
High Jump: Cassidy Rohacs NH
Long Jump: Leighton Poulos 12’ 11.5”, Second; McKenna Blaudow 11’ 6.75”, Fifth;
100 M Hurdles: Cassidy Rohacs 19.91, Third; McKenna Blaudow 21.93, Fifth;
100M: Maleyna Vanausdoll 14.43, Second; Gracie Romine 14.74, Fourth;
200M: Gracie Romine 30.71, Third; Maleyna Vanausdoll 31.03, Fourth;
400M: Ruby Burton 1:1.86, First; Olivia Binion 1:20.19, Fifth;
800M: Ruby Burton 2:56.01, Second; Leighton Poulos 3:16.04, Fourth;
1600M: Ruby Burton 6:21.21, Second; Kimberly Krutsinger 7:15.61, Fifth;
400M Relay: Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 1:01.78, First (Olivia Binion, Reece Oye, Cassidy Rohacs, Leighton Poulos)
800M Relay: Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 2:04.50, First (Adyson Cusick, Gracie Romine, Addi Rohr, Maleyna Vanausdoll)
1600M Relay: Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 5:19.57, Second (Gracie Romine, Olivia Binion, Leighton Poulos, Maleyna Vanausdoll)
ALAH 8th Grade Girls Team and Individual Results
Jr. High Okaw Conference
May 3, 2021
Team Results: 1. Tuscola 137; 2. Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 66. 3. Okaw Valley 60; 4. Villa Grove 43; 5. Arcola 30; 6. Bement; 7. Cerro Gordo 3
Shot Put: Alayna Plank 26’ 1.5”, Third; Chloe Custer 17’ 4”;
Discus: Alayna Plank 44’ 10”; Chloe Custer 41’ 2”;
High Jump: Skyler Vorck 4’ 5”, Second;
Long Jump: Skyler Vorck 13’ 4”, Third;
100 M Hurdles: Lilian Edwards 23.73, Fourth;
100M: Alayna Plank 14.64, Third; Skyler Vorck 14.76, Fourth;
200M: Kat Perez 38.61; Laci Bartley 39.98;
400M: Sierra Binion 1:18.93, Fourth; Amelia Shonkwiler 1:19.91, Fifth;
800M: Lilian Edwards 3:39.10, Third; Perla Juarez Cuevas 4:09.35, Fourth;
1600M: None
400M Relay: Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 1:01.9, Fourth (Skyler Vorck, Kat Perez, Amelia Shonkwiler, Alayna Plank)
800M Relay: Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond, 2:30.84, Second (Avery Alexander, Kate Wiley, Eme Greathouse, Chloe Smith)
1600M Relay: Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond 4:42.48, Third (Sierra Binion, Kat Perez, Amelia Shonkwiler, Brookleyn Peeler)
