HANCOCK COUNTY — The location is different this year, but the goal remains the same as student-athletes from across Indiana converge on Indianapolis’ west side on Friday for the 2021 IHSAA boys track and field state finals.
The annual meet, which is typically held on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, will be conducted at Ben Davis High School this year for the boys on Friday and the girls on Saturday.
This Friday, the Mt. Vernon Marauders, New Palestine Dragons and Greenfield-Central Cougars will be represented at the state meet, which opens at 3 p.m. with the pole vault, long jump and discus throw competitions.
The meet’s running events begin at 4:15 p.m. with the 4×800-meter relay and end with the final race of the evening set for 8:30 p.m. when the 4×400 relay is set to start.
Admission for the state finals is $12 per person with children at 2 years old and younger admitted for free. All tickets are digital.
Looking ahead to the state meet, here are this year’s boys track and field state finalists, led by the Hancock County, Hoosier Heritage Conference and sectional champion Mt. Vernon Marauders.
Mt. Vernon 4×800-Meter Relay
Part of the reason Mt. Vernon won the 2021 sectional team title and finished third at the Lawrence Central Regional was behind the strength of its relays.
The Marauders’ 4×800 quartet was no exception, obviously, as senior Colin Brown, sophomore Daylon King, senior Evan Rappe and junior Joseph Blagrave kicked off last week’s regional meet with a third-place finish at Lawrence Central in 8:16.13.
At the Mt. Vernon Sectional, the foursome finished second behind Lawrence North with a time of 8:24.30. LN won with an 8:18.65.
The team won the Hancock County relay championship in early May with a time of 8:54.85, and they cruised to a first-place run a week later at the Hoosier Heritage Conference meet with an 8:28.38.
At state, they are seeded last at 27th overall, but they continue to cut time as the postseason pushes on, which bodes well for the team.
Derrick Marble, Mt. Vernon
The Mt. Vernon sophomore continues to find his stride since the Hancock County Track and Field Championships in early May.
A state qualifier in the 100-meter dash, Derrick “D.J.” Marble finished third at county on May 6 with a time of 11.42.
He shaved nearly two-tenths of a second a week later in the event during the Hoosier Heritage Conference Championships to take first overall in 11.24, and he’s continued to post top-three placements the rest of the way in his first varsity season.
During the Mt. Vernon Sectional on May 20, Marble utilized his home track similar to county and conference where both meets took place.
He was first at sectional with a finals time of 11.37 after coasting to a runner-up placement in 11.56 during the preliminaries.
At the Lawrence Central Regional, Marble ran his fastest “championship meet” time of 11.15 for second place behind Park Tudor’s Jasiah Rogers (10.84).
Marble enters the state meet seeded 21st overall with Lake Central sophomore Kameron Gethers first at 10.77.
Joseph Bowsher, Mt. Vernon
The Mt. Vernon senior was slightly overshadowed last month by teammate, and a talented hurdler in his own right, sophomore George Burhenn, but he was right in the mix.
A state qualifier in the 300-meter high hurdles, Bowsher kept pace while Burhenn doubled up as the Hancock County and Hoosier Heritage Conference champion in both the 110 and 300 hurdles.
At county, Bowsher didn’t compete, but he emerged at the HHC meet.
During the conference meet, the elder Marauder tied Burhenn in the 300 with a time of 40.99, but he settled for second place via tiebreaker criteria.
At the Mt. Vernon Sectional, the tide turned as Bowsher improved with a time of 40.78 for first place on May 20. Burhenn was second at 41.34.
Bowsher punched his individual ticket to the state meet with a second-place run at the Lawrence Central Regional with a time of 40.45 in the 300 hurdles.
For the state meet, he is seeded 19th overall while Lawrence Central senior Paul Goins, who was first at regional, is seeded ninth at 39.80.
Mt. Vernon 4×400-Meter Relay
Similar to the Marauders’ 4×800 relay team, the 4×400 has proven a hotspot for team points this past month.
The foursome of freshman Andres Langston, sophomore Cameron Parsley, freshman Welbert Jones and sophomore George Burhenn won the Hancock County Championship title in 3:31.80 en route to the Marauders’ team title.
The Marauders’ 4×400 relay team repeated the feat at the HHC meet to help secure Mt. Vernon’s eventual team championship with a winning run in 3:31.70.
At sectional, the team was shuffled around with Jones, Langston, senior Andrew Jones and senior Joseph Bowsher sent out to the starting blocks, which led to another first-place finish in 3:28.70.
During the Lawrence Central Regional, the revamped team rose to the challenge and posted a 3:25.51 to win the event in a photo finish over the host Bears by three-hundredths of a second (3:25.54).
At state, the new group is seeded fifth just behind Chesterton (3:25.27), Lake Central (3:23.59), Bloomington North (3:21.95) and Carmel (3:21.79).
Kirk Knecht, Greenfield-Central
A multi-sport athlete this spring, splitting time between baseball and track, Greenfield-Central freshman Kirk Knecht has made a name for himself in the latter rather quickly.
Knecht placed third in the long jump at 21 feet, 9.50 inches to secure a state berth during the Warren Central Regional last week.
Knecht has recorded top-three finishes in the long jump at each postseason stop, including at sectional where the newcomer was second at 21-10.50.
During the Hoosier Heritage Conference meet, he was second with a flight of 20-08.50. At the Hancock County Championships, Knecht won the event with a distance of 20-08.50.
Knecht posted an individual trifecta at county this season by winning the long jump, the 100-meter dash (11.30) and the 200 in 22.76.
Knecht was named the Hancock County Championships Athlete of the Meet. He was also the sectional champ in the 200 at Warren Central in 22.72 before finishing fifth at the Warren Central Regional in 22.81.
For state, Knecht is seeded 18th and is only one of two freshmen in the top 20 with Pike’s Christian Peterson at fifth (22-08.25).
Richard Clevenger, New Palestine
One of the most competitive events this past month with the likes of Pendleton Heights senior Andrew Harvey and others posting distances that would have challenged for the 2019 state title in the discus throw, New Palestine senior Richard Clevenger hasn’t been too far off the pace.
Advancing to state via a callback, the multi-sport athlete placed fifth at the Warren Central Regional with a distance of 153-01.00.
Warren Central senior Keon Perkin-Sullivan won the regional event with a throw of 180-06. East Central junior Leo Maxwell was second at 173-10, Columbus North junior Tucker Smith took third at 165-10 and Franklin Central junior Alex Evans was fourth at 163-01.
At the Warren Central Sectional, Clevenger placed fourth at 153-06.00 and advanced with a callback.
He was the Hancock County champion at Mt. Vernon High School on May 6 with a distance of 143-07.
During the Hoosier Heritage Conference meet, also at Mt. Vernon, Clevenger was fourth at 146-05.00. Harvey won the event with a 182-09, followed by Yorktown’s Walker Moore (156-10) and Delta’s Evan Conley (153-00).
Clevenger, also a wrestling state qualifier in his career, is currently seeded 20th overall for the upcoming state meet.
He was named the New Palestine Male Athlete of the Year for 2021 as a football player, wrestler and thrower.
His throw at sectional this season ranks him fourth on the school’s all-time discus leaderboard.
Cody Hargett, Greenfield-Central
Perseverance and patience defines Greenfield-Central senior Cody Hargett, who has waited and worked his way to a first-career, state finals berth since falling short in the pole vault competition at regional in 2019.
A sectional champion as a sophomore in 2019, Hargett was favored to contend at the Warren Central Regional, but he no heighted and later lost an opportunity in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the 2021 Warren Central Regional, the Cougars’ two-time sectional champion finally broke through.
Hargett, who remains unbeaten on the season, cleared 14 feet, 6 inches to clinch his first-career regional title and a trip to the state finals.
At the Warren Central Sectional the week prior, Hargett finished first with a height of 14-04. He was runner-up as a freshman at 12-06 during sectional in 2018.
Hargett is the school’s pole vault record-holder at 14-08 (set earlier this season).
Currently, he is seeded fifth in the event for state as one of four seniors in the top five.
Hargett won the Hancock County title at 14-03 and clinched the HHC championship at 14-00.
Keagan La Belle, Mt. Vernon
Known for his bruising strength on the football field for the Mt. Vernon Marauders, junior Keagan La Belle is equally as graceful as he is athletic in the pole vault competition.
A runner-up to Greenfield-Central’s Cody Hargett during the Hoosier Heritage Conference meet this season at 12-06, La Belle also took runner-up honors at the Hancock County Championships with a height of 13-00.
At sectional, La Belle clinched the pole vault title at 11-06 and carried a seed height of 13-06.
During the Lawrence Central Regional, he bested his initial seed height with a winning vault of 13-08 to topple Lawrence Central senior Tivon Wiley at 13-04.
La Belle is seeded 15th overall for the state meet as one of four juniors in the top 15 and one of four competitors at 13-08.
