By Fred Kroner
The Blue Devils placed second on Friday (May 14) in the nine-school Tuscola boys’ track and field invitational.
Tuscola was the meet champion with 170 points. VG/Heritage was next with 114 points and Arcola (93 points) placed third.
VG/Heritage had six individuals – all underclassmen – place second in their events. Three of the team’s relays also copped runner-up finishes.
Freshman Gunner Cline was second in the 100 meters (12.24 seconds). Freshman Zach Ruwe was second in the 1,600 meters (4:58.39). Freshman Braydon Dowler was second in the 100-meter high hurdles (20.51 seconds). Sophomore Rowan Denmark-Collins was second in the 800-meter dash (2:18.01). Junior Daelin Price was second in the shot put (41 feet) and junior Ashton Harrison was second in the triple jump (18 feet, 7 ½ inches).
Freshman Layne Rund added two third-place finishes (400 meters, 56.50 seconds and high jump, 5 feet, 6 inches). Price took third in the discus (110 feet, 3 inches).
Other VG/Heritage athletes with top 10 performances were: Elijah Kiesel (third in triple jump, 36 feet, 6 inches); Robert Morgan (fifth in 200 meters, 25.90); Lukas Carey (fifth in 1,600 meters, 5:40.56); Austin Zoch (seventh in 800 meters, 3:01.53); Connor Black (eighth in the shot put, 32 feet, 3 inches) and Dalton Logan (10th in the discus, 58 feet, 10 inches).
The Blue Devils also excelled with their relays, three of which finished second.
The 400-meter foursome of Cline, Mason Carter, Rund and Dowler were second in 47.67 seconds.
The 800-meter grouping of Liam Barr, Dowler, Morgan and Konner Pearman was also second in 1:40.63.
The 1,600-meter unit of Rund, Pearman, Ruwe and Denmark-Collins was the runner-up. Their collective time was 3:52.64.
Placing third was the 3,200-meter relay, which consisted of Ruwe, Carey, Zoch and Denmark-Collin. Their total time was 10:04.42.
