Senior Daniel Haines carries the baton as he heads into the final lap of the 4x800-meter relay during the Frontier League meet at Spring Hill on Thursday. Haines ran a 1:59.92 on the anchor leg of the relay to lead the Paola Panthers to first place in the event. Haines also won the 800-meter run. (Gene Morris / gmorris@miconews.com)
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League runner-up
Haines, Mueller, Stephens, relay teams capture individual titles at Spring Hill
By Gene Morris, gmorriS@miconews.com
Daniel Haines left the Frontier League track and field meet with a new title — league champion.
Haines, a Paola High School senior, ran a time of 2 minutes, 1.29 seconds to win the 800-meter run by one-half of a second.
It was one of five league championship performances by the Paola Panther boys in the league meet at Spring Hill on Thursday.
Heading into the final two events, the 3,200-meter run and the 4x400-meter relay, Paola was seven points ahead of De Soto for the league team title.
De Soto placed second, third and fifth in the 3,200-meter run and won the 4x400-meter relay, defeating Paola by 14 points for the title. De Soto won it with 153 points. Paola scored 139 points for second. Spring Hill placed eighth with 17 points.
Antonio Smith ran the anchor leg on the 4x100-meter relay, leading the Panthers to first place with a time of 45.39.
“It was the first time we won the event, and we picked a good time for it,” Smith said. “To win the event and do it for our first time for the league title is great.”
Running the relay were Skylar Hawkins, Trent Teuscher, Kaleb Mueller and Smith.
Haines was under two minutes in his leg of the 4x800-meter relay as Paola took 20 seconds off its season record and came within four seconds of setting a school record, placing first at the league meet with a time of 8:21.28.
Haines turned in a time of 1:59.02. Mike Gamerl (2:04), Devon Wolf (2:07) and Brint Hastert (2:09) also joined in the season-record relay.
“It was all right,” Haines said. “That was a good race.”
Everyone was celebrating at the finish line, even before they heard it was a personal record time for the team.
“It was exciting,” Gamerl said. “I felt like that was the best we have run in the 4x800 all year.
“I caught Baldwin around the corner and got Gardner at the end,” he sad. “What a race.”
Gamerl knew what he was talking about on the time. It was the best performance by the relay team all season.
Kaleb Mueller struck gold in the javelin, winning the league title with a mark of 176 feet 1 inch.
Joe Stephens was in a personal battle with hurdler R.J. Saunders of Louisburg.
Saunders edged Stephens in the 110-meter hurdle preliminaries (15.32 to 15.35) but the Wildcat fell to the Panther in the finals. Stephens won the league title in the event with a time of 14.96. Saunders was second in 15.34.
The two met again in the 300-meter hurdles. Saunders and Stephens both broke the league meet record of 39.76. Saunders won the event in 39.35 and Stephens was second with a time of 39.74.
Stephens added more silver and gold in the field events.
He cleared 6-2 for first place in the high jump. Teammate Clay Kessler was second at 6-0.
Stephens placed second in the long jump with a leap of 22-4.
“It felt great,” Stephens said of the league title in the hurdles and the high jump. “I knew there would be great competition.
“It was a great chance to test myself against people I would be seeing again at regional and state,” he said. “It lets me know where I am at and what I need to improve on.”
Stephens and Saunders have gone back and forth in the 300-meter hurdles.
“I beat him in the last meet,” Stephens said. “He got me today.”
The rematch will be at Ottawa on Friday for the Class 4A regional track and field meet.
Stephens had trouble with his footwork which cost him time at league.
“I was off a few steps on my third hurdle,” he said. “I stutter stepped and had to jump early on one hurdle. I almost didn’t get over it.”
Stephens hurt his foot early in the year and has not been in the high jump most of the season to rest it. He made a dramatic return at league.
“It was nice to feel good in it again and jump,” he said. “And nice to win it. It was great to go first and as a team with Clay.”
Aaron Horan of Spring Hill placed second in the discus with a mark of 144-10. He was seventh in the shot put.
Gamerl, a Paola runner, placed second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:05.69.
Haines was third in the 1,600-meter run, crossing the finish line in 4:52.92.
Luke Wilson of Paola placed third in the shot put with a mark of 50-8. Mueller was fourth. Wilson placed seventh in the discus.
Other league results were:
800-meter run: Hastert, Paola, seventh; Joe Ravnikar, Spring Hill, 15th.
1,600-meter run: Jesse Smith, Paola, fourth; Ravnikar, Spring Hill, 11th; Nick Richards, Spring Hill, 12th.
3,200-meter run: Smith, Paola, sixth; Wolf, Paola, eighth; Thad Husted, Paola, 10th; Luke Dickinson, Spring Hill, 11th.
110-meter hurdles: Brandon Sutterfield, Spring Hill, fifth; Adam Henn, Paola, sixth.
300-meter hurdles: Henn, Paola, sixth; Nathan Stiles, Spring Hill, seventh; Sutterfield, Spring Hill, 10th.
4x100-meter relay: Spring Hill, sixth.
4x400-meter relay: Paola, fourth; Spring Hill, eighth.
4x800-meter relay: Spring Hill, eighth.
High jump: Mark Sherman, Spring Hill, 10th.
Pole vault: Bryant Mendel, Paola, ninth; Mike Holcomb, Spring Hill, 11th.
Long jump: Hawkins, Paola, sixth; Alex Rogers, Paola, seventh; Sherman, Spring Hill, ninth; Hakeem Young, Spring Hill, 14th.
Triple jump: Wil Cunningham, Paola, fifth; Rogers, Paola, seventh; Henn, Paola, 10th.
Shot put: Anthony Floyd, Paola, 10th; Patrick Goldman, Spring Hill, 15th.
Javelin: Goldman, Spring Hill, ninth.
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Haines, a Paola High School senior, ran a time of 2 minutes, 1.29 seconds to win the 800-meter run by one-half of a second.
It was one of five league championship performances by the Paola Panther boys in the league meet at Spring Hill on Thursday.
Heading into the final two events, the 3,200-meter run and the 4x400-meter relay, Paola was seven points ahead of De Soto for the league team title.
De Soto placed second, third and fifth in the 3,200-meter run and won the 4x400-meter relay, defeating Paola by 14 points for the title. De Soto won it with 153 points. Paola scored 139 points for second. Spring Hill placed eighth with 17 points.
Antonio Smith ran the anchor leg on the 4x100-meter relay, leading the Panthers to first place with a time of 45.39.
“It was the first time we won the event, and we picked a good time for it,” Smith said. “To win the event and do it for our first time for the league title is great.”
Running the relay were Skylar Hawkins, Trent Teuscher, Kaleb Mueller and Smith.
Haines was under two minutes in his leg of the 4x800-meter relay as Paola took 20 seconds off its season record and came within four seconds of setting a school record, placing first at the league meet with a time of 8:21.28.
Haines turned in a time of 1:59.02. Mike Gamerl (2:04), Devon Wolf (2:07) and Brint Hastert (2:09) also joined in the season-record relay.
“It was all right,” Haines said. “That was a good race.”
Everyone was celebrating at the finish line, even before they heard it was a personal record time for the team.
“It was exciting,” Gamerl said. “I felt like that was the best we have run in the 4x800 all year.
“I caught Baldwin around the corner and got Gardner at the end,” he sad. “What a race.”
Gamerl knew what he was talking about on the time. It was the best performance by the relay team all season.
Kaleb Mueller struck gold in the javelin, winning the league title with a mark of 176 feet 1 inch.
Joe Stephens was in a personal battle with hurdler R.J. Saunders of Louisburg.
Saunders edged Stephens in the 110-meter hurdle preliminaries (15.32 to 15.35) but the Wildcat fell to the Panther in the finals. Stephens won the league title in the event with a time of 14.96. Saunders was second in 15.34.
The two met again in the 300-meter hurdles. Saunders and Stephens both broke the league meet record of 39.76. Saunders won the event in 39.35 and Stephens was second with a time of 39.74.
Stephens added more silver and gold in the field events.
He cleared 6-2 for first place in the high jump. Teammate Clay Kessler was second at 6-0.
Stephens placed second in the long jump with a leap of 22-4.
“It felt great,” Stephens said of the league title in the hurdles and the high jump. “I knew there would be great competition.
“It was a great chance to test myself against people I would be seeing again at regional and state,” he said. “It lets me know where I am at and what I need to improve on.”
Stephens and Saunders have gone back and forth in the 300-meter hurdles.
“I beat him in the last meet,” Stephens said. “He got me today.”
The rematch will be at Ottawa on Friday for the Class 4A regional track and field meet.
Stephens had trouble with his footwork which cost him time at league.
“I was off a few steps on my third hurdle,” he said. “I stutter stepped and had to jump early on one hurdle. I almost didn’t get over it.”
Stephens hurt his foot early in the year and has not been in the high jump most of the season to rest it. He made a dramatic return at league.
“It was nice to feel good in it again and jump,” he said. “And nice to win it. It was great to go first and as a team with Clay.”
Aaron Horan of Spring Hill placed second in the discus with a mark of 144-10. He was seventh in the shot put.
Gamerl, a Paola runner, placed second in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:05.69.
Haines was third in the 1,600-meter run, crossing the finish line in 4:52.92.
Luke Wilson of Paola placed third in the shot put with a mark of 50-8. Mueller was fourth. Wilson placed seventh in the discus.
Other league results were:
800-meter run: Hastert, Paola, seventh; Joe Ravnikar, Spring Hill, 15th.
1,600-meter run: Jesse Smith, Paola, fourth; Ravnikar, Spring Hill, 11th; Nick Richards, Spring Hill, 12th.
3,200-meter run: Smith, Paola, sixth; Wolf, Paola, eighth; Thad Husted, Paola, 10th; Luke Dickinson, Spring Hill, 11th.
110-meter hurdles: Brandon Sutterfield, Spring Hill, fifth; Adam Henn, Paola, sixth.
300-meter hurdles: Henn, Paola, sixth; Nathan Stiles, Spring Hill, seventh; Sutterfield, Spring Hill, 10th.
4x100-meter relay: Spring Hill, sixth.
4x400-meter relay: Paola, fourth; Spring Hill, eighth.
4x800-meter relay: Spring Hill, eighth.
High jump: Mark Sherman, Spring Hill, 10th.
Pole vault: Bryant Mendel, Paola, ninth; Mike Holcomb, Spring Hill, 11th.
Long jump: Hawkins, Paola, sixth; Alex Rogers, Paola, seventh; Sherman, Spring Hill, ninth; Hakeem Young, Spring Hill, 14th.
Triple jump: Wil Cunningham, Paola, fifth; Rogers, Paola, seventh; Henn, Paola, 10th.
Shot put: Anthony Floyd, Paola, 10th; Patrick Goldman, Spring Hill, 15th.
Javelin: Goldman, Spring Hill, ninth.