BELLEVILLE – Alton High junior Cassius Havis, who is a middle distance runner on the boys’ track team, had a good showing at the Norm Armstrong Invitational meet at Bob Goalby Field at Belleville West High on Saturday afternoon.
Havis, a junior on the team, finished third in the 800 meters with a time of 1:59.11, and also was a part of the Redbirds’ 4×400 meter relay team in the meet.
“I think I ran well,” Havis said in an interview shortly his heat in the 800 meters. “I would have liked to get out a little better; in like the first 200 (meters), I got boxed in a little bit, but other than that, I think I raced pretty well. And I wish I would have kind of went a little harder in the last 200, but other than that, yeah, I’m pretty happy about it.”
Havis feels that he’s run very solidly in the first month of the season, with his times being very consistent across the board.
“Solid,” Havis said. “I think my times have been pretty consistent, it’s been like 1:59 most of the year, and I’m just looking to get under 1:59 again the next couple of weeks, and bust it open a lot more, But yeah, I think I’ve been running pretty well.”
Havis enjoys running in the Armstrong Meet and feels that the competition brings out the best in everyone.
“I love this meet,” Havis said. “It’s great competition, it brings out the best in everybody. I’m just looking forward to the rest of the season.”
And as the season concludes its opening month, Havis has some high goals that he’s set for himself and for the Redbirds, which includes the IHSA state meet In Charleston this coming May.
“I want to go 1:55 or better in the 800,” Havis said, “hopefully make it to state in that. In the 1,600, get under 4:25, and I think we have a good four-by-four, and I’m a part of that, and I think we can get that to state as well.”
And when the state meet comes around, the sky’s the limit for Havis and the Redbirds.
“Yeah, we’ll see, we’ll see,” Havis said with a smile. “I think I can be a state finalist in the 800, so we’ll see what happens.”
