COLLINSVILLE – Jersey standout distance runner Ben Flowers appears to be prepared to make a run at a top state finish in the 1,600 meters.
Flowers, a junior who can run any of the distance races, will concentrate on the 1,600 next week at the sectional. On Friday, Flowers clipped a top field, with a time of 4:21.92. Will O’Keefe of Granite City trailed Flowers with a time of 4:26.11; teammate Nick Reynolds recorded a time of 4:43.22. Granite City’s Andrew O’Keefe was clocked in 4:29.76 on Friday.
“Basically we had one plan going into to the race and that was to hit 1:04 for the first lap and he nailed it with a 1:04,” Jersey coach Harold Landon said. “He was leading after the first lap and Will O’Keefe took the lead and went out strong in the second lap with a 1:03. After the 800 Ben took the lead for good. Ben did a 1:05 on his third lap.”
East St. Louis, once a perennial power, continues to shine, posting 92 points for the team championship, closely followed by Edwardsville with 88.5 points, then Cahokia with 88 points. LaGrange Lyons was next with 65 points, then Belleville West with 54 points and O’Fallon with 38 points. Collinsville followed with 33 points, then Alton (25); and Vandalia (22). Jersey posted 10 points with Ben Flowers capturing first in the 1,600 meters.
Alton was led by Zack Llewellyn with a throw of 53-7.50 for third place. Alton’s 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 relays were both fifth in a times of 42.88 and 1:30.06 respectively. Tony Dobbins of Alton was eighth in the 100 meters (11.30); Evan Rathgeb was eighth in the 3,200 (10:47.38); and Arie Macias was 10th in the 800 meters (2:01.09).
