State Feature: Indians relay team reaches goal of state
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The Hillsboro Indians returned to where they rightfully belong in Division II this season, and this year they are also returning to the OHSAA State Track and Field Championships this Friday, where the 4x200-meter relay team will represent the school on the biggest stage of them all.
Gaining a spot to race at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium for the relay team didn’t come easy for this group as they’ve battled injuries at different times this season, but at the regionals held last weekend, everything finally went the way they’ve wanted it to, racing to a third-place finish, and with that, gaining a trip to the final event of the season.
The Indians’ 4x200m relay team consists of three seniors in Mackenzie Conlon, Anthony Anderson and Braden Wildey, along with junior Luke Gallimore, giving the Indians a very fast team to watch and their opponents this season a tough pace to keep up with as this group has been highly successful, proof being their regional relay time of 1:31.39.
“State was always something that was a goal when your first start running track, and then you never really think you will actually get to you, kind of like it is a fantasy, but actually achieving it and making it is special,” Gallimore told The Highland County Press. “For the 4x200 team, getting here was kind of hard because at the beginning of the season we ran a really good time, so you are working on the small things and fine-tuning.
“As the season went on, we had some injuries making things a little harder, but we just kept practicing and working on fine-tuning those small things because we knew we already had the speed.”
At districts last month, the Indians were third with a time of 1:33.13, and they were also South Central Ohio League champions at the meet held at Chillicothe, finishing with a time of 1:31.57.
“They started the season with a 1:33.00, and that’s the fastest 4x2 team we’ve had since I’ve been here for around 30 years,” HHS boys track and field head coach Bud Marsh said. “They have good speed in all competitions. They were focused.
“It is just one of those things where over the years we’ve had good sprinters, good 400 runners, but this is the first time we’ve had four kids like that at once. It comes down to having four kids at the same time who can all sprint. In the past, we had good 4x8 teams because we had four good distance runners. Getting four good sprinters, and though they’ve trained for the 400, they are competitive and worked hard at getting here. This year, they became more focused as a group, and having three seniors on the team has a lot to do with it. They all rely on each other, and that helps as well.”
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This group, when all healthy and running as a unit, has been capable of great things, and now their reward is to run in front of thousands of spectators this Friday in the prelims of the state meet, as they are the first HHS runners to reach the state level since 2013.
“The process (of making state) in general has been surreal in a way – magical, honestly,” Anderson said. “When we were running indoor, we all said we wanted to have the same feat outdoor. We all work at it, and now we are here in the first week of June and we are still running.
“Just the fact we came together to do this is amazing. Like Luke said, we had some injuries during the season. I was out for a couple weeks, then he got hurt and everyone has been hurt on and off, and the fact now we are all healthy and able to do this is gratifying. We are looking forward to running at the top level and seeing what we can do against the good teams we’ll be facing.”
Conlon equaled the sentiments of Anderson in speaking of making it to the state meet with his relay team. Conlon also qualified for two individual events this weekend in the 110m and 300m hurdles events.
“This being our last high school relay race, I’m glad to have these guys running with me,” Conlon said. “We’ve all run together since Luke’s freshman year.”
“Excitement” was the first word said by Wildey, who is also one of the three seniors racing his final weekend with the Indians.
“I’m pretty excited about it (racing at state),” Wildey said. “We are thrilled and want to do what we’ve done all year, and that is compete.”
The order of the running for the Indians’ relay team will be Gallimore, Anderson, Conlon and the speed at the end will be Wildey.
“Everyone is fast, so you don’t have a split second to get behind. You have to come out dry from the start, and with the staggers and the lanes, you don’t really have an idea where you are at,” Gallimore said of being the first runner of the event. “You want to get your team in good placement and go all out. There is no pace to it, you just have to kill it for 200.”
But what about the part after the running, the ever-important handoff of the baton, which Gallimore hands to Conlon?
“Mackenzie and myself have been smooth all year long, but days before the meet, you are practicing and getting your spots, and really it is just a connection and trust your teammate,” Gallimore said.
Anderson also spoke about the passing of the baton with Conlon when the team goes from their second runner to third runner in the relay.
“We work on it a lot, and sometimes he’ll get mad when I take him away from his hurdles work,” Anderson said while laughing when talking about working with Conlon. “It has paid off.”
“It has improved a lot,” Conlon said. “At the beginning of the season, we has a few mishaps and it wasn’t very fun, but now we have it pretty good.”
When in the race as the third runner, Anderson said there are two things going on in his mind.
“If I’m behind, catch who is ever in front of me, and if I’m in front, don’t let anyone pass me,” Anderson said.
The anchor of the team, Wildey spoke about being the final runner of the event.
“If we are behind, you have to compete and find a way to win,” Wildey said. “That is the best thing, when you are behind and chase them down and pass them. You know you are running a lot faster than them, and it is a good feeling.
“That happened at the regional finals. We were probably sitting in fifth, and I passed a couple kids on the last little bit. As Coach Marsh says, ‘run to the line.’ It is phenomenal. It is the best feeling, and you’re never going to get anything like it.”
Gaining a spot to race at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium for the relay team didn’t come easy for this group as they’ve battled injuries at different times this season, but at the regionals held last weekend, everything finally went the way they’ve wanted it to, racing to a third-place finish, and with that, gaining a trip to the final event of the season.
The Indians’ 4x200m relay team consists of three seniors in Mackenzie Conlon, Anthony Anderson and Braden Wildey, along with junior Luke Gallimore, giving the Indians a very fast team to watch and their opponents this season a tough pace to keep up with as this group has been highly successful, proof being their regional relay time of 1:31.39.
“State was always something that was a goal when your first start running track, and then you never really think you will actually get to you, kind of like it is a fantasy, but actually achieving it and making it is special,” Gallimore told The Highland County Press. “For the 4x200 team, getting here was kind of hard because at the beginning of the season we ran a really good time, so you are working on the small things and fine-tuning.
“As the season went on, we had some injuries making things a little harder, but we just kept practicing and working on fine-tuning those small things because we knew we already had the speed.”
At districts last month, the Indians were third with a time of 1:33.13, and they were also South Central Ohio League champions at the meet held at Chillicothe, finishing with a time of 1:31.57.
“They started the season with a 1:33.00, and that’s the fastest 4x2 team we’ve had since I’ve been here for around 30 years,” HHS boys track and field head coach Bud Marsh said. “They have good speed in all competitions. They were focused.
“It is just one of those things where over the years we’ve had good sprinters, good 400 runners, but this is the first time we’ve had four kids like that at once. It comes down to having four kids at the same time who can all sprint. In the past, we had good 4x8 teams because we had four good distance runners. Getting four good sprinters, and though they’ve trained for the 400, they are competitive and worked hard at getting here. This year, they became more focused as a group, and having three seniors on the team has a lot to do with it. They all rely on each other, and that helps as well.”
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This group, when all healthy and running as a unit, has been capable of great things, and now their reward is to run in front of thousands of spectators this Friday in the prelims of the state meet, as they are the first HHS runners to reach the state level since 2013.
“The process (of making state) in general has been surreal in a way – magical, honestly,” Anderson said. “When we were running indoor, we all said we wanted to have the same feat outdoor. We all work at it, and now we are here in the first week of June and we are still running.
“Just the fact we came together to do this is amazing. Like Luke said, we had some injuries during the season. I was out for a couple weeks, then he got hurt and everyone has been hurt on and off, and the fact now we are all healthy and able to do this is gratifying. We are looking forward to running at the top level and seeing what we can do against the good teams we’ll be facing.”
Conlon equaled the sentiments of Anderson in speaking of making it to the state meet with his relay team. Conlon also qualified for two individual events this weekend in the 110m and 300m hurdles events.
“This being our last high school relay race, I’m glad to have these guys running with me,” Conlon said. “We’ve all run together since Luke’s freshman year.”
“Excitement” was the first word said by Wildey, who is also one of the three seniors racing his final weekend with the Indians.
“I’m pretty excited about it (racing at state),” Wildey said. “We are thrilled and want to do what we’ve done all year, and that is compete.”
The order of the running for the Indians’ relay team will be Gallimore, Anderson, Conlon and the speed at the end will be Wildey.
“Everyone is fast, so you don’t have a split second to get behind. You have to come out dry from the start, and with the staggers and the lanes, you don’t really have an idea where you are at,” Gallimore said of being the first runner of the event. “You want to get your team in good placement and go all out. There is no pace to it, you just have to kill it for 200.”
But what about the part after the running, the ever-important handoff of the baton, which Gallimore hands to Conlon?
“Mackenzie and myself have been smooth all year long, but days before the meet, you are practicing and getting your spots, and really it is just a connection and trust your teammate,” Gallimore said.
Anderson also spoke about the passing of the baton with Conlon when the team goes from their second runner to third runner in the relay.
“We work on it a lot, and sometimes he’ll get mad when I take him away from his hurdles work,” Anderson said while laughing when talking about working with Conlon. “It has paid off.”
“It has improved a lot,” Conlon said. “At the beginning of the season, we has a few mishaps and it wasn’t very fun, but now we have it pretty good.”
When in the race as the third runner, Anderson said there are two things going on in his mind.
“If I’m behind, catch who is ever in front of me, and if I’m in front, don’t let anyone pass me,” Anderson said.
The anchor of the team, Wildey spoke about being the final runner of the event.
“If we are behind, you have to compete and find a way to win,” Wildey said. “That is the best thing, when you are behind and chase them down and pass them. You know you are running a lot faster than them, and it is a good feeling.
“That happened at the regional finals. We were probably sitting in fifth, and I passed a couple kids on the last little bit. As Coach Marsh says, ‘run to the line.’ It is phenomenal. It is the best feeling, and you’re never going to get anything like it.”