The Franklin Park Bobcats were runners up for the 2nd straight year at the SIJHSAA Class L State Track meet held at Carterville. It was a very fast meet with 13 state records falling out of the 31 events. Casey Mount Vernon nipped Salem 67-65.83 for the title with Pontiac 3rd with 52 and Marion 4th at 43.33.
It came down to the final race in the boys competition with Franklin Park needing to win the 4×400 relay to win the state title. And although the team of Avery Gullion, Skylar Clark, Alex Spencer and Payton Gullion ran a PR time of 3:51.68, it was 2nd to a blazing fast Pontiac who ran a blazing time of 3:48.31 to finish 1st.
Salem’s Trey Clark won the discus with his throw of 160’5”. Salem double-pointed in the high jump with Madden Thompson matching his school record height of 5’10” to take 2nd place and Avery Gullion finished 5th matching his PR of 5’8”. 7th grader Silas Lux finished on the podium in the shot put with his 3rd place throw of 44’8”.
Also medaling for the Bobcats was Nate Lowry in the pole vault finishing 7th with a clear of 8’. Payton Gullion was 7th in the 400m in a PR time of 55.64 with Avery Gullion was just out of medaling with his 10th place in a PR of 56.10.
Salem also saw some school records fall as Marquis Ettress broke his own long jump record with a leap of 18’4” which placed him 5th. Alex Spencer broke the school record in the 800m with his 2nd place time of 2:12.40. He caught the kid ahead of him at the finish line which allowed Salem to have a chance to win heading into the final event. Also the 4×100 team of Kyler King, Thompson, Ettress and Clark brok the school record in a time of 46.07 placing them 3rd.
Also setting PR’s for the Bobcats were Alex Spencer in the hurdles finishing 8th in a time of 14.92 and getting a medal. He also was 3rd in the mile run in a PR time of 4:56 finishing off a fantastic day for the 8th grader. Trey Clark ran a PR time in the 200m in 24.31. The 4×200 team of Thompson, Gullion, Gullion and Clark finished 6th in a PR time of 1:40.39.
