SVM area roundup: Sterling strong in relays to take second at Western Big 6 Meet

The Sterling boys track & field team took second at the Western Big 6 Conference Meet on Friday at Augustana College in Rock Island, scoring 153 points to finish behind only United Township (159).

The Golden Warriors ruled the relay races, as they won three of them and took third in the other. The 4x100 team of Joseph Holcomb, Dylan Doss, Kael Ryan and Cale Ledergerber set a new school record of 42.59 seconds in their victory. Ryan, Jordan Britt, Dale Johnson and Maurice Delacruz won the 4x400 (3:25.20), and Owen Anderson, Britt, Parker Janssen and Thomas Holcomb won the 4x800 (8:21.24). Delacruz, Kaedon Phillips, Joseph Holcomb and Ryan ran to third in the 4x200 (1:31.68).

Johnson swept the distance races, taking the top spot in the 1,600 (4:24.68) and the 3,200 (9:40.57). Doss also had a big night, taking second in the 100 (11.17 seconds) and 200 (22.45), and third in the 400 (50.75).

Ledergerber was second in the long jump (6.37 meters) and fourth in the 100 (11.23 seconds), and Tavian Kelly was runner-up in the high jump (1.87 meters) for Sterling. Andrew Bland took third in the 200 hurdles (41.81 seconds) and triple jump (12.86 meters), and fifth in the high jump (1.82 meters). Thomas Holcomb placed third in the 800 (1:59.60), and Brandeis Shore was third in the pole vault (3.65 meters).

Aalin Schmidt (10:30.76) and Ian Hilty (10:31.04) finished 4-5 in the 3,200, while Owen Anderson took fifth in the 800 (2:00.52).

Three Rivers Conference Meet: Riverdale was second at the Three Rivers Meet at Bryant Field in Princeton, scoring 94 points to finish behind only Monmouth-Roseville (119.5). Kewanee took third (82), Erie-Prophetstown finished fourth (73), and Bureau Valley rounded out the top five (62.5).

Morrison placed seventh (48) and Newman was ninth (31).

Bureau Valley’s Elijah House won the 400 (51.34 seconds) and 800 (1:58.21), while Morrison ran well in the relays. The Mustangs won the 4x100 (44.46 seconds) with the team of Levi Milder, Zach Milder, Chase Newman and Brady Anderson, and also took the top spot in the 4x400 (3:29.85) with Zach Milder, Logan Baker, Newman and Anderson. The Milders, Baker and Anderson ran to second in the 4x200 (1:32.40), and Anderson added a runner-up finish in the 100 (11.20 seconds).

Riverdale’s Tommy Murray swept the 1,600 (4:23.40) and 3,200 (9:52.95), while teammate Braeden Bode was second in the 3,200 (9:57.91) and Peyton Sand took third in the 1,600 (4:37.40) behind Murray and Newman’s Lucas Schaab (4:32.82). The Rams’ William Leighty won the 110 hurdles (16.26 seconds), placed second in the 300 hurdles (43.97), and took third in the triple jump (12.31 meters). Mitchell Hasenour, Sand, Murray and Landis Musser won the 4x800 (8:20.57), and Musser added a runner-up finish in the 800 (2:02.33). Brody Clark, Musser, Sand and Murray ran to third in the 4x400 (3:32.75) for the Rams, and Tyler Lockby added a fourth in the 300 hurdles (44.80 seconds).

Erie-Prophetstown’s Parker Holldorf won the pole vault (3.96 meters), while teammate Caleb Eads was second in the triple jump (12.40 meters) and fifth in the long jump (5.95). Charlie Link took third in the 800 (2:03.87) and fourth in the 1,600 (4:38.56).

The other local runner-up was the Newman 4x800 relay team of Wyatt Widolff, Lucas Simpson, Schaab and Kenny Boesen, who clocked an 8:28.18. Widolff, Brady Williamson, Cody McBride and Simpson finished fourth in the 4x400 (3:34.69), and Simpson was fifth in the 400 (53.22 seconds).

Other top-five finishers for E-P were Hunter Bruketta in the 400 (4th, 52.81 seconds), Aidan Jepson in the pole vault (4th, 3.20 meters), Demetree Larsen in the long jump (5.95 meters), and Tyson Skinner in the 3,200 (5th, 11:18.83). The Panthers finished fourth in the 4x800 with Link, Lucas Dreisbach, Wyatt Beck and Gus Schultz, and were fifth in the 4x100 (46.27 seconds) with Jack Minssen, Tyler Ballard, Bruketta and Frank Bushaw.

Bureau Valley took third in the 4x800 (8:32.89) with Adrian Gallardo, Maddox Moore, Benjamin Roth and House, and Justin Moon finished fifth in both the high jump (1.67 meters) and triple jump (11.57). Owen Larkin, Eli Attig, Beau Spencer and Brady Hartz ran to fifth in the 4x200 (1:37.63) for the Storm.

Morrison got a pair of fourth-place finishes from Levi Milder in the 200 (23.61 seconds) and Karder White in the 110 hurdles (17.98).

Baseball

Dunlap 4, Sterling 1: The Golden Warriors lost a nonconference game at Gartner Park, as the Eagles erased a 1-0 deficit with a three-run sixth inning.

Mason Smithee had two doubles to lead Sterling (7-21), and Bryce Hartman had a single and scored the lone run. Dylan Ottens and Gio Cantu also had hits for the Warriors.

Braden Hartman gave up just two hits, two walks and a hit batsman in five shutout innings, striking out five. Only one of the four runs Cantu allowed in two innings of relief was earned, and he also had two strikeouts and hit a batter.

Bureau Valley 10, Eastland 7: The Storm scored at least two runs in four of their six half-innings in a nonconference win over the Cougars in Manlius.

Sam Wright was 3 for 4 with two doubles, two runs and three RBIs to pace Bureau Valley, and Isaac Attig singled twice, drove in a run and scored three times. Ethan Freeman had two hits and two runs, Bryce Helms had a hit and scored once, and Corban Chhim had three RBIs on a groundout and a sacrifice fly. Ayize Martin and Elijah Endress each added an RBI for the Storm.

Logan Philhower allowed three runs and six hits in five innings, striking out eight, walking one and hitting a batter. Helms gave up three runs and three hits in two-thirds of an inning, walking two and hitting a batter. Endress finished off the final 1 1/3 innings, allowing one run and three hits, with two strikeouts and a walk.

Allyn Geerts was 3 for 4 with a double, a run scored and three RBIs to lead Eastland, and Trevor Janssen was 4 for 4 and scored three times. Cole Huber drove in two runs, and Hunter Miller and Brady Sweitzer each added an RBI for the Cougars.

Max McCullough gave up eight runs (four earned) and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings, striking out eight and walking three. Geerts allowed two runs and four hits in 2 2/3 innings, striking out three and walking two.

Softball

Fulton 3, Bureau Valley 1: The Steamers scored three runs in the top of the sixth to answer the Storm’s run in the bottom of the fifth in a nonconference game in Manlius.

Kira Wilson and Emily Kane each had a double for Fulton, and Wilson, Resse Germann and Brooklyn Brennan each scored a run. Addison Hartman gave up an unearned run and four hits in a complete game, striking out 10 and walking two for the Steamers.

Landry Hitzler had a single and a double, and Lesleigh Maynard and Liana Ledergerber each added a single for Bureau Valley, while Callie Schoff scored the lone run. Madison Smith allowed three unearned runs and two hits in seven innings, striking out 14 and walking just one.