Movin' on up!

Lady Railers win two sectional titles and advance to state

By Rick L. Hobler

[May 12, 2008]  MATTOON -- Preparation met with opportunity Friday night at Mattoon High School.

The preparation consisted of several months of hard work from the Lincoln Lady Railers track team in less-than-optimum early spring weather conditions.

The opportunity was the 2008 Class AA sectional. The Mattoon Sectional was just one of 16 large-school sectionals around the state on Friday and Saturday. Each participant was looking for one thing -- the right to qualify for the state's premier girls' track event the following weekend. Participants qualify by placing first or second in an event or by meeting an IHSA preset qualifying standard in their event.

When all was said and done, some of the Lady Railers used their preparation to turn the opportunity into their own ticket to this weekend's Class AA state finals at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. For Lincoln, those tickets were issued to four familiar Railer faces: Hilary Hobler, Kelsey Bunner, Bridgette Hyde and Kylie Sparks. Hobler's preparation was rewarded with two tickets to state.

The Lady Railers' lone individual state qualifier and sectional champion was Hilary Hobler. Hobler's best of six jumps measured out to a personal best of 17 feet, 9.5 inches, which came on her third jump of the night. The IHSA qualifying standard for the Class AA state tournament is 17 feet, 3 inches. Hobler defeated her fellow CS8 competitor Kirsten Daykin of Taylorville, whose best jump was 17 feet, 4 inches. Both Hobler and Daykin move on to the state meet. No other girls were able to reach the IHSA qualifying standard at the Mattoon Sectional. Statewide, a review of all 16 IHSA large-school sectionals indicates that Hobler's jump will give her the 11th-best jump in the state, based on sectional performances last weekend. Hobler will participate Friday in the state preliminaries, where 12 individuals advance to the state finals on Saturday. The top nine participants on Saturday earn medals.

The Lady Railer 800-meter (4x200) relay team of Hyde, Sparks, Bunner and Hobler also fought their way to a sectional championship and a berth in the state finals. This in spite of some last-minute strategy shenanigans from the Mahomet-Seymour team. Mahomet, seeded fourth in the relay, decided to pull its two best runners from the 400-meter dash and instead "load up" the 800-meter relay team to try to pull off a surprise victory. This loading-up strategy is perfectly legal. The decision was made for "strategy reasons," according to the Mahomet coach, as quoted Saturday in the Champaign News-Gazette. One of the inserted runners was Mahomet's best 200-meter runner and eventual 200-meter sectional champion, Hannah Query. Query was placed in the relay anchor position during a last-minute substitution before the meet began. The Mahomet strategy almost paid off for them, except for one small detail they overlooked -- the Lady Railer relay team refused to lose the event.

Bridgette Hyde once again started the Railers off quickly with an effort that saw her put her team in a position to win. Kelsey Bunner took the baton next and ran an excellent second leg of the relay, putting the Railers at the front of the pack by the time she made her handoff to Kylie Sparks. Sparks had her usual gutsy performance and extended the lead a few meters more as she handed off to relay anchor Hilary Hobler. From there the final battle of the relay was on to determine if Mahomet's Query could outrun Hobler for the last 200 meters to the finish line. She couldn't. A last-second, finish-line lean by Hobler was just enough to hold off Mahomet from their "Friday surprise," with the Railers winning the event by a clocked difference of only seven-hundredths of a second.

The official, fully automated time for the Railer foursome was 1:47.81. Second-place Mahomet was clocked in by the camera at the finish line at 1:47.88. An excited group of four Lady Railers met at the finish line moments later to replay it all over again several times for Coach Alexander. Moments later, cell phones and text messages were zooming to various places to announce the news.

At the state finals on Friday, the 800 relay team will need to place in the top nine teams order to keep advancing to Saturday.

In addition to these state-qualifying first-place finishes, both Hobler and Hyde brought home additional individual medals, in the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash, respectively. Hobler finished fifth in the 100-meter dash with a fully automated time of 13.08. Hyde also finished fifth in the 200-meter dash with a fully automated time of 27.77. The Railer 400-meter (4x100) relay team consisting of Martin, Hyde, Bunner and Hobler medaled with a third-place finish in 51.26.

Will the qualifying Railers be satisfied with making it to state or will they choose to challenge the state's best? My guess? None of these ladies are ready to settle … not yet. For Hyde and Sparks, both seniors at LCHS, this is their last shot. Their competitive attitudes and the "senior factor" will be sufficient motivation for both of them. This will be their chance to ramp their performances into some state medals. Hobler and Bunner are, well … just competitors. From their junior high days at WL-B and C-EL, respectively, when these two were opponents, to the last three years as close teammates and friends, these two ladies also just refuse to let people out-compete them. I have no doubt that this group will compete at its highest level and give it all they have this weekend.

It is up to you, ladies. Keep movin' on up. You've already made your families and your school proud. Don't be satisfied and don't settle for less than your very best. Get after it!

GO, RAILERS!

[By RICK L. HOBLER]

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