The Christ Our Rock Lutheran High School Boys Track and Field team placed 5th today out of 20 schools at a very tough Chester Class 1A IHSA sectional with only 10 athletes competing! The Stallions will send 2 athletes to next weekend’s IHSA Class 1A State Track and Field Meet at Eastern Illinois University.
They also finished the day with 4 Sectional Medalists and a total of 8 medals on the day, as well as 9 personal records set, despite the windy conditions in Chester lL today!
Jr. Landyn Mitchell has earned his spot to compete in the 110M Hurdles, as he is a back to back Sectional Champion in the event, winning it for the 2nd straight year (:15.46). Mitchell would also claim his first IHSA Sectional Championship in the 300IM hurdles (:41.68), as this is his first season competing in the event. He would place 2nd in the Triple Jump as well sending him to State in that event. He was narrowly beat on a last jump by just (.02M) in the event, and he had take his last 3 jumps in the final after running the 300IM Hurdles on tired legs and feeling a bit exhausted. He also medaled in the Long Jump placing 4th!
He will be joined at the IHSA Class 1A State Meet by Soph. Carson Pigg, who ran an incredible race in the 3200 Meter run battling for the lead at many stages of the race, and beating Adam Jansen of Belleville Althoff HS, who had defeated Pigg just a couple weeks earlier at the Gateway Metro Conference Meet. Pigg came into the race ranked 3rd but absolutely crushed his PR time by :16 to run a time of (10:16.7) to claim 2nd place and a birth at the State Meet! Pigg would also medal in the 1600 meter run finishing 5th (4:55.4).
It was a great ending to a strong high school distance running career for Sr. Zerek Koch as well today! Koch would run a gutsy race in the 3200 meter run to claim 5th place and a IHSA Sectional Medal with his career best time in the event of (11:17.0). Koch came into the event ranked 7th and knew he would have to give it everything he had to medal. He set his goal to end his high school career with a Sectional medal and he did just that. Koch moved from 7th to 6th place in the 2nd mile of the race and then with a strong kick in the last 100 meters would make a pass securing a 5th place Sectional medal to end his high school career!
Also medaling on the day was Sr. Isaiah Lyons in the 400 meter dash placing 3rd (:55.25). It is no coincidence that his last name is Lyons, because this Senior has ran with the heart of a lion all season for the Stallions and today was no exception to that! He leaves his high school career with the school record in the event, which he has set and has broken his own record many times this season!
The Stallions 4X400 team of Anderson Engele, Alton Davis, Wyatt Gregory and Isaiah Lyons also placed 7th today scoring points for the Stallions.
Finally, Sr. Jayden Cushman had a standout day for himself and finished his high school career with 3 PRs! He would go (15’6.75″) in the long jump, (26’8.5″) in the Shot Put, and (:13.37) in the 100M Dash. His younger brother Jaxon Cushman , only a Sophomore would PR in both of his throwing events as well today! He came up just shy of 100 feet in the Discus throwing a PR of (99’06”) and threw (31’8.5″) in the Shot Put. Soph. Wyatt Gregory and Fr. Cameron Jones would PR in the 800 meter run as well, Gregory in (2:14.0) and Jones with (2:39.9).
Coach Tim Koch in his final year coaching track at Christ Our Rock said…..
“There was a lot of emotions for me as the day ended. It’s been an amazing ride these last 4 years at CORLHS coaching these athletes and I thank God for this opportunity!” These kids gave their hearts today and all season long and this has been one of the best track and field season’s in CORLHS school history!” “This team has accomplished so much this season” “We had a great showing today at a very tough Sectional with just 10 athletes competing.” “I can’t thank our parents and these athletes enough for what the last 4 years have meant to my life!” The memories are etched in my mind forever! We have a couple goals left at State of course, but today was incredible! To see Lando fight as hard he did today despite being exhausted, to see Carson shock everybody with his incredible race, to watch Isaiah battle to the bitter end for a medal, to watch my own son fight with all of his heart to go out with a medal his senior Sectional meet and to all our other athletes who gave 110% today to get their personal best times; it makes all the hours put in, the long bus rides, the preparation and long nights all worth it. Thank you to my Ast. Coach Nickie Mitchell for the insurmountable effort she has put in to help me and help make our program great! Thank you to my wife Melissa Ray Koch for being my rock as I’ve missed so much time with her n my daughters while coaching these past 4 years! They have been so supportive of me and all of our athletes these past four years! Thank you to my family Michael Koch, Carol Koch, Mary Ann McCann, Mike McCann , Kathleen Melissa Ray and Keith Ray for supporting me, my children and our athletes at so many meets in both Cross Country and Track and Field! “Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end! Thank you to everyone for an amazing last 4 years, it’s been a lot of work and a lot of fun! I think what I’ll miss most is just seeing kids believe in themselves and seeing them realize that hard work pays off! And I’ll miss the friendships made with athletes, parents, coaches, officials, and even athletes of other schools that you come to know and root for! Rylee Brammeier, Landyn Mitchell, and Carson Pigg were not done just yet! Let’s go make some noise in Charleston!”
