Charlie Ellerbrock, charliee@mywebtimes.com 815-431-4035
SPRING VALLEY — There are a lot of pole vaulters that wish they could have as lousy a day as Logan Pflibsen had Saturday.
The defending Class 2A state pole vault champion from Streator broke the Rollie Morris Invitational record of 15 feet that he set at the Spring Valley Hall track just a year ago, this time clearing 15-6.
But despite claiming that new mark, winning the long jump and coming in second in the 100-meter dash and the 400 relay, Pflibsen was not happy with his results on a sunny, cool and very windy day.
“The wind at your back helps you, but it also takes the bar off when you don’t want it to,” said Pflibsen. “As soon as they let the standards go, they were swaying back and forth and the bar just wasn’t in the same place as when you went up. Stupid …I was looking for more than 15-6 … I know you have to be prepared for everything, but I don’t really take that much positive out of this. It kinda sucks, but what are you going to do?”
“I also had my worst start all year in the 100. I could everyone out in front of me right away … But I can’t complain too much. Overall, it was a pretty good day, I guess.”
It wasn’t a bad day for the Bulldogs as a team either. Pflibsen’s efforts, coupled with Tyler Sauers performances, helped the STHS boys to third place. Streator had 77 points, behind only champ Bureau Valley’s 104 and St. Bede’s 88.
Pflibsen had some trouble initially with his launch in the pole vault, but still managed to clear 15-6 with ease. He made 15-9, though the bar blew off after he’d cleared it, to earn three attempts at 16 feet. He barely grazed the waving bar on the first and third tries, but still easily beat out runner-up Bryce Quinn of Hall (12-0) for another first, to go with his winning the long jump at 18-11.
His 11.31 time in the 100 meter was equal to that of Mendota’s Alex Caruso, but Caruso was deemed the winner on the lean.
Sauers was very nearly as effective a scorer on the day, notably taking first places in the 200-meter dash in 22.85 seconds and the 400 dash in 51.93 seconds. He also captured second with Pflibsen, Mike Knox and Mike Rexius with that 400 relay clocking of 45.52 seconds, and added a third place in the high jump with a leap of 5-7.
“It started out pretty tough into that wind, but after the first 100, I felt I could catch (St. Bede’s Michael Massamba) and I felt good the last 200,” said Sauers of the 400. “I really messed up in the high jump today, but this kinda makes up for it a little.”
Also for the Bulldogs, Jake Petges claimed second place in the shot put with a heave of 43-10.
The Fieldcrest foursome of Kinsley Tarmann, Collin Mangold, Jake Meyer and James Leigh had themselves quite a day, first by winning the 3,200 relay with a time of 8:38.0 and then rearranged into Meyer, Leigh, Mangold and Tarmann to capture the 1,600 relay in a sizzling time of 3:29.29.
But they weren’t done. Leigh also won the 800 with a solid 2:03.83, while Meyer placed second in the 300 hurdles in 43.91 seconds and Tarmann second in the 1,600 with a time of 4:43.04.Also for the Knights, who were seventh in the eight-team field, Guthrie Wyss took third place in the 3,200 in 10:54.58.
In the girls meet, a first place and three seconds by Stacy Taylor and a first, two seconds and a third by Alycia Welch led Streator to fourth place. Their total of 73 points trailed only Hall (131), Princeton (109) and Aurora Christian (74).
Taylor captured the top spot in the 100 dash with a clocking of 12.83 seconds, having already captured a solo second place in the long jump with a leap of 14-11. She also took part in the Lady Bulldogs’ runner-up finishes in the 400 relay, joining Amy Goerne, Janelle Hackathorn and Welch for a time of 53.72 seconds, and in the 800 relay, teaming with Goerne, Welch and Emily Falcone for a 1:53.83 posting.
In addition to being a part of those relay events, Welch ruled the field in the triple jump with an effort of 32-9, and also posted a third place in the 200 dash with a 27.51-second posting.
Also claiming a third was distance ace Annie Richards with a 12:49.19 clocking in the 3,200 meters and Jessica Tooley with a 57.07 time in the 300 hurdles.
The Fieldcrest girls placed eighth with 24 points behind fine showings from senior Katie Janssen and junior Danielle Meierhofer. However, it could have been a little better if not for some back luck.
Janssen already has a terrific school-record time of 12:09.04 under her belt and was set to achieve a distance double, leading the 1,600 virtually the entire race. However, Henry-Midland’s Rachel Kingery put on a tremendous kick, passing Meierhofer for second and then getting to the finish just a single step ahead of Janssen, who didn’t know the Lady Mallard star was coming.
Kingery finished in 5:47.96, Janssen second in 5:48.29 and Meierhofer third in 5:51. 46, but only after herself fending off a late charge by Princeton’s C.J. Rhodes to beat her by just 29/100ths of a second.
“I just had no idea where she was,” said Janssen. “I thought I had her and listened for the crowd reaction, if someone was coming, but no one was saying anything, so I thought I had it. Then I look over and she’s right there, and I thought ‘oh, no’ …It was a good race. I was a little nervous about how much I’d have left after going all out, giving everything I had in the two-mile, but it turned out OK. I should have had first, but I guess I’ll take second.”
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