Double Triumph: Lucas Waters and Airin Rash Propel Prairieview Ogden to State with Individual and Relay Wins

By Fred Kroner

Prairieview Ogden eighth-graders Lucas Waters and Airin Rash qualified for the IESA Class 1A boys’ track and field state meet in one individual event each and as part of a relay.

Waters won the discus at the Rantoul Sectional on Saturday (May 4) with a personal-best top toss of 116 feet, 1 inch.

Rash was the high jump champion. He cleared 5 feet, 5 inches.

Waters and Rush were two of the four runners on the advancing 400-meter relay. They were joined by Dorian Davenport and Royce Loschen. Their combined time was 51.59 seconds.

Rash, Loschen and Waters also secured top-six finishes in events where they did not advance to state.

Rash was fourth in the 100 meters (13.46 seconds) and fifth in the 200 meters (personal-best 27.19 seconds).

Loschen was fourth in the 400 meters (personal-best 1:02.61) and Waters took third in the 100 meters (13.25 seconds). Waters also placed sixth in the shot put (35 feet, 7 inches).

Another top relay for PVO was the fifth-place 800-meter unit of Blake Lackey, Ben Loschen, Devin Loschen and Ben Waters. Their final time was 2:22.82.

Tri-Point won the team title with 97 ½ points. In second place was Rantoul St. Malachy with 46 points, followed closely by third-place PVO with 45 ½ points.

There were 16 teams with sectional entries.

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Seventh-grader Dorian Davenport qualified for state in one individual race and as part of a relay based on his performances on Saturday (May 4) at the IESA Rantoul Class 1A Junior High boys’ track and field sectional meet.

Davenport was second in the 400 meters with a personal-best 1:00.60 clocking.

He teamed up with Kaden Flessner, Kavin Vanetta and Waylon Vaughn for a second-place time of 4:27.38 in the 1,600-meter relay, which also landed a state berth.

Four other PVO athletes were among the top six in an individual event, but did not move on to state.

Davenport was fourth in the long jump (14 feet, 1 inch). Flessner tied for fourth in the 110-meter hurdles (21.38 seconds).

Other team leaders were Cale Ackerman (third in the discus at 83 feet, 4 inches) and Lane Hanson (fifth in the discus with a personal-best 79 feet, 6 inches).

Additionally, the PVO 800-meter relay finished fifth. Sharing the baton were Ackerman, James Ketchum, Easton Ray and Ryan Schmitz. Their total time was 2:18.30.

Schlarman Academy earned the team crown with 81 points. PVO was sixth in the 16-school field with 33 points.

The state meet is Friday (May 10) and Saturday (May 11) at the Eastside Centre, in East Peoria.