Logan County schools send several athletes to IESA state track & field tourney

By Greg Taylor

[May 12, 2012]  The debate has been carried out in many a coffee shop, school gymnasium and church fellowship hall. Is Logan County a basketball county? Or is it volleyball county? You could make the case for hoops, considering the successes of basketball teams at Lincoln High School and several of the county schools. And how about the volleyball in Logan County? National championships have been won at Lincoln Christian University, and state tournament appearances have become almost commonplace at places like Mount Pulaski and Hartsburg-Emden -- high school and junior high.

I'm here this morning to wonder aloud if another sport is trying to stake its claim: Logan County junior high track and field athletes are saying what about us?

This weekend at the beautiful EastSide Centre in East Peoria, 11 junior high athletes and three relay teams are representing our county well at the IESA seventh- and eighth-grade Class A state championships. Athletes from five county schools are spending this weekend trying to bring home some glory. Here are your Class A state qualifiers:

• Lexi Barry from Hartem -- competing in the seventh-grade girls 800 and 1,600 runs.

• Michael Chi from Chester-East Lincoln -- competing in the seventh-grade boys long jump, 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash.

• Madi Guy from Chester-East Lincoln -- competing in the eighth-grade girls long jump.

• Kolton Johner from Hartem -- competing in the eighth-grade boys high jump.

• Zac Montcalm from West Lincoln-Broadwell -- competing in the seventh-grade boys shot put and discus.

• Emma Moats from Hartem -- competing in the eighth-grade girls shot put and discus.

• Clay Olson from Hartem -- competing in the eighth-grade boys shot put and discus.

• Emme Olson from Hartem -- competing in the seventh-grade girls shot put.

• Zach Podunajec from Chester-East Lincoln -- competing in the eighth-grade boys 400 dash.

• Elizabeth Siebert from Mount Pulaski -- competing in the eighth-grade girls high jump.

• Peyton Taylor from Mount Pulaski (just a sixth-grader) -- competing in the seventh-grade boys discus.

And the following relay teams also made the state tournament:

• Hartem seventh-grade girls 4x100 relay.

• Chester-East Lincoln seventh-grade boys 4x100 relay.

• Carroll Catholic eighth-grade girls 4x100 relay.

Congratulations to each of these athletes. Thanks for representing your schools and your county with pride and excellence. Good luck at state, each and every one of you!

[By GREG TAYLOR]