The Oxford Boys Varsity Track team came out ready to run on Saturday, placing second with 94 points at the 53rd Annual Elmer Ball Track and Field Invitational.
‘I was ecstatic to see they finished up as high at they did in the caliber of competition we had,? said Head Coach Matt Johnson. ‘It just proves to me our potential to be league champions in an invite type meet.?
Teams included Beverly Hills Groves, Bloomfield Hills, Lake Orion, Pontiac, Stoney Creek, Romeo, Troy, Utica, Walled Lake Central, Warren De LaSalle and Waterford Kettering.
Highlights for the boys included Conner Bandel who took first and broke his own school record in the discus by 17 feet, after throwing 188-8, as well as first in the shot put with 59-inch throw.
Dallas Pruitt took second in the long jump with 21-4, Jacob Lewinski placed second in the pole vault with 12-6
On the Track, Gabe Hogan, Dominic Bruce and Bradley Vandecar placed second in the 3200 meter relay with a time of 8:23. In the 800 meter relay Logan Bruni, Zacharia Smith and David Staser took fourth with 1:38.08. Pruitt took fifth in the 200 meter dash with 23.95. Hogan ran 9:50.09 in the 3200 meter run, while Christian Corrion, Matt Scheer and Luke Rolling took fourth in the 1600 meter relay with 3:44.78.
The Girls? Varsity took fourth with 72 points
‘The girls are a young team and they’re getting better in their PR (personal records) every week. We have a lot of middle distance girls who are carrying us. We just got to develop some speed in our girl sprinters,? Johnson said. ‘The sport options for girls (in the spring season) once they get to the high school is detrimental on the track program. We have a very small girls? team, so we have to deal with that.?
In field events Jennifer Brasington placed second in shot put with 31-3 and fourth in the discus with 102-1. In pole vault Kylie Reis placed fourth with 7-6.
On the track Bridget Cusick, Heather Czarnecki, Jessica Murphy and Ashley Vican took first in the 3200 meter relay. Cara Commons took fifth in the 300 meter hurdles with 52.23. In the 800 meter run, Czarneck placed fourth with 2:31.62 and Cusick followed in fifth with 2:32.90. With a time of 12:10.65 Sabrina Smith took fifth in the 3200 meter run.
The boys and girls will run away tonight against the Dragons of Lake Orion. After the results his boys put out this past weekend, Johnson is looking forward to the OAA Red championship on May 8, which will include Clarkston, Lake Orion, Rochester, Adams, Troy and Athens. The winner of that meet this year will be the league champion.
Johnson said Oxford, Clarkston, Orion and Adams are all in the ‘top? of the league.
‘Our boys were second behind Walled Lake Central this past weekend and we barely beat Lake Orion by two points, but it proves it’s possible (for us to win the league).?