DHS boys track team second at state meet
CHARLESTON - Four points. That's how close the Du Quoin High School boys track team was to placing first at the Class 1A Track and Field State Finals Saturday on the campus of Eastern Illinois University, settling instead for a second-place team tie with Pana.
The Indians totaled 36 team points while Catlin (Salt Fork) was first with 40. Du Quoin actually led with two events left, but a second-place finish in the 200-meter dash by one of Salt Fork's sprinters - senior Caine Wilson - resulted in eight points and overcame what was a four-point deficit.
"I'm really proud of our kids," said Indians head coach Derek Beard. "We broke two school records up at state and set some personal records along the way, and did all that without one of our senior leaders competing at 100 percent. I couldn't have asked for a better effort."
It was senior Westly Milam who Beard was referencing. The sprinter tweaked a hamstring at the River to River Conference meet a couple of weeks prior to state and was limited in his effectiveness. He did manage to run the anchor leg of the 4x100 relay, which placed third overall. Milam was joined in that relay by Dasani Edward, Ethan Zettler and Shamar Adams. Anthony Cole also played a key role, helping the Indians qualify for the finals.
It was Edward who claimed the only individual title at the state meet for the Tribe. He was first in the long jump with a leap of 23 feet, 5 1/2 inches. That ties a school record first established by Trent McKinney in 2005. A senior-to-be, Edward will have all next spring to take a shot at becoming the new school record holder in the event.
Adams, a senior standout like Milam and Cole, placed second overall in the 110-meter high hurdles. He was clocked in 43.06 seconds, breaking his own school record by two-tenths of a second.
Edward finished third in the triple jump with a vault of 44 feet, 11 1/4 inches.
The 4x200-meter relay group of Adams, Cole, Zettler and Edward was sixth overall with a time of 1:31.13.
Cole did not medal, but was 11th in the long jump at 21 feet, 6 3/4 inches.
Freshman Landen Swiney did not place in the 3200-meter run, but turned in a more-than-respectable time of 10:41.53, just four seconds off a personal best.
"Landen's the best two-miler I've had since I started coaching," Beard said. "I give a lot of credit to my assistant coach, Eric Kirkpatrick, who has worked really well with our distance runners."
In addition to Adams, Milam and Cole, DHS graduated Carson Davis.
"Those are some big shoes to fill," Beard said. "We're going to need some guys to step up next year if we want to be back on that trophy stand. But with guys like Dasani, Ethan, Landen and Jacob Green to build around, could be pretty good."
Team Scoring (in terms of medalists)
1 Catlin (Salt Fork) 40
2 Du Quoin 36
2 Pana 36
4 Morrison 33
5 Pleasant Plains 30.50
6 Carlinville 23.33
7 Forreston [Coop] 21
7 Spring Valley (Hall) 21
9 Argenta (A.-Oreana) 20
9 Colfax (Ridgeview) 20
9 Seneca 20