Trojan records rain

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DON RATZLAFF
This year’s Hillsboro track team continued its sprint toward immortality last week with five more school-record performances in two meets.


Combined, the boys’ and girls’ teams have set nine new school records this season.


The boys set four of the newest records, including a javelin throw by Scott Winter that broke a standard established 57 years ago by the legendary Karl Ebel. Winter threw the spear 182-9 at the Center Quintet in Hillsboro May 1, surpassing Ebel’s throw by three and a half inches.


It was that kind of week for HHS.


Paced by three school records, the Hillsboro boys’ track team rolled to their seventh meet title of the season by demolishing the 12-team field at the Hesston Invitational Thursday.


The Trojans scored 170 points, more than lapping their closest rivals, Marion, with 65.


The Trojan girls, meanwhile, just missed a Hillsboro sweep. They finished in third place, but were only two points behind the winner, Hesston, and one and a half points behind Garden Plain.


In the boys’ competition, HHS won a whopping 13 of 18 events against formidable competition.


“The boys are just unbelievable right now,” said Dennis Boldt, head coach. “They are an incredibly talented and motivated group of young men and we are blessed to have such a group of athletes.”


Ryan Jilka, who set the school record in the 110-meter low hurdles earlier this season, led the way at Hesston with a school and meet record of 38.58 in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles. Craig Duerksen set the previous HHS record of 39.4 in 1992.


Alan Yoder set his second school record of the season, winning the 200 meters in a time of 22.71. That time will be rounded up to 22.8 because it was hand-timed, but it still breaks the record of 22.9 set by C.J. Vogel in 1992. Earlier this season, Yoder set the school mark in the 100 meters.


“Alan showed us just how good a 200 meters he could run last week in the Trojan Invitational,” Boldt said. “We look for him to push that time lower before the year is up.”


Yoder and Jilka also teamed with Phillip Terrell and Ross Duerksen to break the school record in the 4×100. The four circled the oval in a winning time of 44.33 seconds, bettering the previous record of 44.8 set in 1992 by Brian Kroeker, Vaughn Jost, C.J. Vogel and Craig Duerksen.


“The handoffs tonight were prefect,” Boldt said. “If there is any group that has paid their dues and deserves the rewards, it would be these four athletes.”


The Trojans also won the 4×800 and 4×400. The 4×800 team of Adam Jilka, Pete Richert, Aaron Yoder and Garrett Call won by more than 16 seconds with a time of 8:34.43.


The 4×400 team of Ross Duerksen, Daniel Yoder, Adam Jilka and Ryan Jilka won by more than seven seconds, finishing in 3:34.35.


The Trojans’ other first-place individual performances came from from Scott Winter in the discus and shot put, Aaron Yoder in the 3,200 and 1,600 meters, Adam Jilka in the 500 meters, Alan Yoder in the long jump, and Garrett Call in the 800 meters with a career best time of 2:02.91.


The Trojan girls, meanwhile, won five events, including all three relays.


The 4×100 team of Andrea Peachey, Elise Matz, Jenna Jost and Julie Hett broke the tape in 53.31 to edge Hesston.


The 4×800 team of Hett, Katie Fast, Alisa Jost and Shannon Kroeker beat Haven by less than a second in a meet-record 10:20.99.


The 4×400 team of Jessica Boese, Jost, Hett and Kroeker won by almost five seconds with a season-best 4:17.84.


The other two first-place performances came from Peachey in the 100-meter high hurdles in 15.86 and from Kroeker in the 800 meters with a time of 2:28.94.


The Trojans got a school-record effort in the pole vault from Cheryl Prieb. She eclipsed her mark of 7-0 she set last season by clearing 7-6. Despite the record performance, she did not finish among the top six in a competitive field.


Centre-Scott Winter broke the oldest school record on the books to lead the Trojan boys to an easy team win at the Centre Quintet meet at Hillsboro May 1. The meet had been rescheduled after being rained out April 10 and was the team’s last small meet of the season.


HHS scored 170 points while Centre and Peabody-Burns tied for second with 67 points. The Trojans girls lost the meet title by 15 points to Centre, 126-111.


In the boys’ division, Winter won the javelin with a record toss of 182-9, bettering the mark of 182-51/2 set by Karl Ebel in 1944.


“It was his day and this was the event he concentrated on,” said Dennis Boldt, track coach. “Scott has been flirting with this record for two years and he is well-deserving of the honor.”


HHS won 11 of 18 events. Other individual winners were Tyler Peachey in the triple jump, Sheldon Funk in the pole vault, Pete Richert in the 3,200 meters, Adam Jilka in the 110-meter hurdles and 400 meters, Alan Yoder in the 100 meters, Garrett Call in the 1,600 meters, Ryan Jilka in the 300-meter hurdles.


The 4×100 meter team of Alan Yoder, Phillip Terrell, Ross Duerksen and Ryan Jilka won, as did the 4×400 team of Call, Terrell, Dan Yoder and Duerksen.


The girls, meanwhile, racked up seven wins. Andrea Peachey was a double winner, taking the 100-meter hurdles and the high jump. Trista Hanley won the shot put, Alisa Jost won the 400 meters, and Katie Fast won the 800 meters.


Hillsboro won all three relays. Peachey, Jessica Boese, Jenna Jost and Julie Hett ran in the 4×100; Hett, Cheryl Prieb, Fast and Alisa Jost ran in the 4×800; Boese, Jenna Jost, Hett and Shannon Kroeker ran in the 4×400.


Coming-The Trojans will close their regular season at the MCAA league meet Friday at Wichita Collegiate. The boys will be a heavy favorite to win the title, and the girls should be contenders, too, according to Boldt.


“Our girls are quietly placing well in many events and are having one of their best years despite illness and injury,” he said. “We are being careful not to aggravate our injuries now in hopes that we can be in full force for the league track meet.”


Field events will begin a 4 p.m., running prelims at 5 p.m. and finals will begin 30 minutes after the prelims.

More from article archives
Ebenfeld to mark 125th anniversary
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN ALEEN RATZLAFF This weekend marks a milestone in the collective...
Read More