The Bellwood-Antis track and field teams were treated to a rude awakening at Bedford in the season opener for both schools on Monday.
The B-A boys fell to a strong contingent from Bedford, which returned a number of state qualifiers, by an 84-56 score, while the Lady Blue Devils lost to the Bedford girls 87-63.
Bellwood-Antis veterans Dan Houser, Matt Plummer and Aaron Bell led the B-A boys. Houser won the 100 and 200-meter dashes and was second in both the long jump and triple jump, Bell won the 1600 and 3200-meter runs and Plummer won the discus and was second in the 110 high hurdles and 300 intermediate hurdles. Freshman Tyler Narehood won the shot put.
“We lost a lot of kids from last year’s squad, while Bedford has a lot of kids back, experienced guys, a bunch of whom qualified for state,” said Bellwood-Antis boys coach Nick Lovrich. Our experienced veterans did a good job. Dan Houser, Matt Plummer and Aaron Bell came through for us. We just need time to get the young kids involved in pacing for us to help out the veterans with the second and third place finishes. We were able to get firsts today, but when the other team gets second and third, you only pick up a net of one point.”
Some of those younger kids did come through in their first varsity meet for Lovrich. Narehood took his first with heave of 39-4, while Brandon Pruznak took a second in the 400 meters and a third in the long jump and Evan Hughes took a second in the 800 meter run. Tony DelGrosso placed third in both the shot put and javelin. Elliot Geist was third in the 3200 and seniors Pat McCracken was second in the high jump and Will Edwards was third in the 1600.
Troy Harris led Bedford with four wins, topping the field in the 110 high and 300 intermediate hurdles and anchored the 400 and 1600 relays, on a day in which Bedford swept all three relays in the dual.
The Blue Devil girls were beaten by the Lady Bisons on a decided edge the jumping events.
Bedford carried the running events 47-40 and Bellwood-Antis had an 18-9 advantage in field events. The difference lay in a in the jumping events where B-A was able to get just five of 36 possible points. Last year one of the key components of long-time girls track coach Julie Roseborough’s league-leading squad was Stephanie Hatch, who is out of action this season for an indefinite period of time, if not lost for the entire season.
“I think not having Steph really hurt us point-wise,” explained coach Roseborough. “We lost our top two pole vaulters and two of our three top jumpers and the third jumper was Stephanie. The kids who are in those events for us this year are working hard, but are very inexperienced. Steph would have helped out and given the younger girls the time they need to develop. I was pleased with their effort. In time we will be fine, all we need is more work.”
Allison Cherry won the 1600 meter race and was a member of the victorious 3200 relay along with Jenna Ralston, Heather Shura and Nicole Ross and was second in the 800. The 400-meter relay team of Haley Crider, Lauren Carter, Erica Greene and Ashley Mueller also placed first. Lauren Leap won the 400 meters, Katie Gardner won the shot put and the Lady Blue Devils swept the javelin with Allison Sinisi first, Ashley Edevane second and Lindsey Claar third. In addition Mueller was second in the 100 and 200 and Greene was third in both those dashes. Laura Ayers had placed second in the 110 high hurdles and high jump. Edevane was second in the shot put and Carter second in the 300 intermediate hurdles. Ralston was third in the 800 -meter run and Sarah Bell was third in both the 1600 and 3200 runs.
Boys
Bedford 84 Bellwood-Antis 56
100 Dash – 1. Houser (BA) 11.4, 2. D. Harris (B) 11.5, 3. Duff (B) 11.6; 200 Dash – 1. Houser (BA) 23.5, 2. Ja. Marshall (B) 23.6, 3. Schendle (B) 24.3; 400 Dash – Bittner (B) 55.6, 2. Pruznak (BA) 57.2, 3. Nicklis (B) 57.4; 800 Run – 1. Garlock (B) 2:14.7; 2. Hughes (BA) 2:21.4; 3. Nicklis (B) 2:21.6; 1600 Run – 1. Bell (BA) 4:59.8, 2. Ulbrich (B) 5:10.6; 3. Edwards (BA) 5:20.6; 3200 Run – 1. Bell (BA) 11:11.2, 2. Ulbrich (B) 11:17.3, 3. Geist (BA) 11:57; 110 High Hurdles – 1. T. Harris (B) 16.0, 2. Plummer (BA) 16.5. 3. Mickle (B) 16.9; 300 Intermediate Hurdles – 1. T. Harris (B) 42.4, 2. Plummer (BA) 44.0; 3. Lightner (B) 45.3; 400 Relay – 1. Bedford 45.1; 1600 Relay – 1. Bedford; 3200 Relay – 1. Bedford; High Jump – 1. D. Harris (B) 5-10, 2. McCracken (BA) 5-4; Long Jump – 1. D. Harris (B) 20-10, 2. Houser (BA) 20-1 1/3, 3. Pruznak (BA) 17-6 1/2; Triple Jump – 1. Ja. Marshall (B) 39-9 1/2, 2. Houser (BA) 38-1 1/2, 3. Jo. Marshall (B) 37-0 1/2; Shot Put – 1. Narehood (BA) 39-4, 2. Dibert (B) 37-9, 3. DelGrosso (BA) 36-10 1/2; Discus – 1. Plummer (BA) 113-11 1/2, 2. Schendel (B) 99-10, 3. Dibert (B) 96-3; Javelin – 1. Spade (B) 119-10, 2. Young (B) 119-8 1/2, 3. DelGrosso (BA) 113-0; Pole Vault – not contested.
Girls
Bedford 87 Bellwood-Antis 63
100 Dash – 1. Ritchey (B) 14.0, 2. Mueller (BA) 14.5, 3. Greene (BA) 14.51; 200 Dash – 1. Ritchey (B) 28.5, 2. Mueller (BA) 29.8, 3. Greene (BA) 29.81; 400 Dash – 1. Leap (BA) 1:06.3, 2. Hampson (B) 1:06.5, 3. Beland (B) 1:07.3; 800 Run – 1. Wilson (B) 2:45.4, 2. Cherry (BA) 2:49.6, 3. Ralston (BA) 2:54.5; 1600 Run – 1. Cherry (BA) 6:06.3, 2. Zack (B) 6:10.5, 3. Bell (BA) 6:18.2; 3200 Run – 1. Zack (B) 13:33.5, 2. Butterbaugh (B) 13:54.9, 3. Bell (BA) 14:05.2; 110 High Hurdles – 1. Giangregorio (B) 18.7, 2. Ayers (BA) 19.1, 3. Grimes (B) 19.1; 300 Intermediate Hurdles – 1. Giangregorio (B) 53.7, 2. Carter (BA) 55.2, 3. Grimes (B) 56.7; 400 Relay – 1. Bellwood-Antis (Crider, Carter, Greene, Mueller) 55.5; 1600 Relay – 1. Bedford 4:39.6; 3200 Relay – 1. Bellwood-Antis (Ralston, Shura, Cherry, Ross) 11:10.9; High Jump – 1. Garlock (B) 4-6, 2. Ayers (BA) 4-6, 3. Giangregorio (B) 4-6; Long Jump – 1. Henderson (B) 13- 2 1/2, 2. Lightner (B) 13-0 1/4, 3. Young (B) 12-6; Triple Jump – 1. Lightner (B) 30-7 1/4, 2. Henderson (B) 30-6, 3. Young (B) 27-5; Shot Put – 1. Gardner (BA) 28-11, 2. Edevane (BA) 26-1, 3. Decker (B) 25-7; Discus – 1. Whisel (B) 75-2, 2. Decker (B) 74-8, 3. Gardner (BA) 73-2; Javelin – 1. Sinisi (BA) 83-2, 2. Edevane (BA) 73-0 1/2, 3. Claar (BA) 71-9; Pole Vault – 1. Goss (B) 6-6, 2. Tie- Bilka (BA), Short (B) 6-6.
