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Weatherford headed back to state
Staff reports
LAFAYETTE -- Andy Weatherford will once again have the opportunity to defend his state titles in the 1,600 meter run.
The GHS senior ran a 4:21.54 at Thursday's Lafayette Jefferson Boys' Track Regional to win the 1,600 and advance to next Saturday's Indiana High School Athletic Association State Finals.
"Andy just hung around in the pack, then decided to outkick them all at the end," GHS coach Mike Schimpf said. Weatherford simply ran his usual race, knowing when he needed to turn it on and simply doing so.
The top three placings in regionals all advance to the IHSAA State Finals, slated for June 1 at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington.
Weatherford's time was good enough to defeat Drew Shields of Fishers by almost two seconds, however, the competition will get even stiffer at next week's finals. Weatherford will look to turn it on one last time for the final race of his high school career.
While there were some better times at other regionals around the state, Schimpf remains confident in Weatherford's ability to perform at the state's top level.
"I feel pretty good about where he is," Schimpf said.
Other Tiger Cubs scoring points at regional were Joel Bottom and the 3,200 relay.
Bottom's long jump of 21 feet 4.75 inches was good enough to place fourth in the competition. The unfortunate part of Bottom's evening was he and Schimpf believed he had finished third, and was advancing to state. However, when the scores were announced, Bottom had finished fourth.
The coach did try to put a positive spin on the situation. "At least he got the feeling for a little while," Schimpf said.
The 3,200 relay team of Weatherford, Camron Humphreys, Ty Buchanan and Wilson came home in seventh with a time of 8:27.94.
The Tiger Cubs finished 10th at regional with 17 points.
GHS also had three other competitors at the regional competition. Ben Wilson joined Weatherford in the 1,600 and placed 12th with a time of 4:47.22.
"Ben ran his second-fastest time," Schimpf said.
Mark Jedele was 11th in the 3,200 with a 10:19.05. "Mark had a good first mile, but just wasn't feeling it," the coach said.
Jordan Lewis' jump of 6 feet placed 12th in the high jump. Schimpf was very happy his young jumper had gotten a taste of regional.
"Jordan got to experience the regional, which is good for a sophomore," he said.
North Putnam was the other Putnam County School represented at Lafayette Jeff Thursday, with one individual and one relay.
Griffen Dahlstrom finished 15th in the 200 with a 24.86. The 400 relay of Jerrett Ban, Dahlstrom, Kyle Rooker and Craig Wood was 12th with a time of 45.35.
In the long jump, Ban finished 12th in the long jump at 19"8.5'. Raine Young fouled and finished with no official jump.
Cougar coach Kevin Lutes was pleased for his athletes, even as they were not necessarily pleased for themselves.
"Our young men finished up the season last night. Several of the guys were disappointed with their personal performances, but I was happy with the effort they gave," Lutes said. "In a field of that caliber, we knew it would be difficult to move on. The boys gave their best, as they always have, and I'm proud of that. Hopefully they got a taste of high level competition and will work all the harder next year to get back."
At Lafayette Jeff
Lafayette Jeff Boys' Track Regional
(Putnam County Results Only)
Team Results -- Carmel 95, Noblesville 68, Lafayette Jeff 64, Zionsville 51, Avon 50.5, Plainfield 44, Fishers 35, Hamilton Southeastern 29.5, McCutcheon 21, Danville 17, Greencastle 17, Frontier 16.5, Brownsburg 16, Hamilton Heights 15, Harrison 13.5, West Lafayette 13, Clinton Prairie 10, Lebanon 9, Frankfort 9, Southmont 5, Tipton 5, Fountain Central 4, Seeger 4, Tri County 3, University 3, Twin Lakes 2, Westfield 2, Crawfordsville 2
200 -- 15. Dahlstrom (NP) 24.86
1,600 -- 1. Weatherford (GHS) 4:21.54, 12. Wilson (GHS) 4:47.22
3,200 -- 11. Jedele (GHS) 10:19.05
400 R -- 12. North Putnam (Ban, Dahlstrom, Rooker, Wood) 45.35
3,200 R -- 7. Greencastle (Weatherford, Humphreys, Buchanan, Wilson) 8:27.94
HJ -- 12. Lewis (GHS) 6-00
LJ -- 4. Bottom (GHS) 21-04.75, 12. Ban (NP) 19-08.5, -- Young (NP) Foul
Next meet -- Weatherford will compete in the 1,600 at the IHSAA State Finals June 1.
REGIONAL TRACK ROUNDUP
Cheatham comes up just short of qualifying for state
BLOOMINGTON -- Cloverdale senior Christain Cheatham came up just short of advancing to the IHSAA State Finals Track Meet in the high jump Thursday night at the Bloomington North Boys' Track Regional.
Cheatham's jump of 6 feet was good enough to tie for fifth. He came in seeded second, but could not clear his seed height of 6'2".
The top three placings in regionals all advance to the Indiana High School Athletic Association State Finals, slated for June 1 at the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington.
Cheatham was the only Clover who scored at last night's competition. His fifth-place tie in the high jump earned 3.5 points, while his seventh-place finish in the long jump earned two more. The Clovers' total of 5.5 placed them 23rd among the 32 teams which scored.
Also competing at the regional were sophomore Nick Keefer and junior Dylan Stone.
Keefer placed 10th in the 300 hurdles, with a time of 42.52.
Stone came home 13th in the shot put with a throw of 41' 11.5".
At Bloomington North
Bloomington North Boys' Track Regional
(Putnam County Results Only)
Team Results -- Bloomington North 80.5, Bloomington South 72, New Albany 46, Mooresville 42, Floyd Central 37.5, Providence 34, Jeffersonville 31, Martinsville 28, Clarksville 28, Brown County 26, Edgewood 22, Austin 22, Brownstown Central 19.5, Corydon Central 18, Salem 17, Silver Creek 14, Jennings County 12, Orleans 10, Scottsburg 8, North Harrison 7, Bedford North Lawrence 6.5, Shawe Memorial 6, Cloverdale 5.5, West Washington 5, Seymour 5, Mithcell 5, Paoli 4, Madison Consolidated 3.5, Monrovia 3, Owen Valley 2, Charlestown 2, Henryville 1, Southwestern Hanover 1
300 H -- 10. Keefer (Cl) 42.52
HJ -- 5. C. Cheatham (Cl) 6-00
LJ -- 7. C. Cheatham (Cl) 20-05
SP -- 13. Stone (Cl) 41-11.5