MRH Track Team Weathers Rain to Capture Sectional Title

(MRH) athletes persevered through constant chill and rain Saturday at the Class 1 and 2 sectional track meet at Principia High School. MRH and another local team held their positions from the previous district meet and are headed to state.

The MRH boys won the sectional meet with 146 points, and the next closest team was Herculaneum with 86. The Principia boys garnered 77 for fourth place. Principia coach Jamie Bolinger said nearly everyone on the boys team who qualified for sectionals at the district meet advanced to state.

MRH will six girls and 10 boys to the state meet from Saturday's sectionals. Sending boys is nothing new for MRH, but six girls going is big. Coach Brandon Gregory said that in the last two years, only Brandi Allen has attended, to compete in the shot put. This year, four girls qualified in the 4 x 100-meter relay and the 4 x 200-meter relay, and freshman Essence Brewer is going in the open 100- and 200-meter dashes.

Weather was more of a factor in the jumping and throwing events than in the running events, Gregory said. MRH thrower Marcus Daily qualified for state in discus, winning the event. He was impressed with his 4 x 800-meter relay team, which didn't qualify for state but improved its time by 11 seconds in the meet.

Principia is sending a 4 x 100-meter relay team, something Bolinger hasn't seen in his nine-year tenure. The two teams have been going at it for the past few years.

"Their kids know our kids, our kids know their kids, so it makes it very competitive," Gregory said of Principia. "Their coach does a great job putting their kids in the best position possible for them to come up and be successful." He said he likes to see kids shaking hands after a tough race.

Austin Holmsley, a senior runner for Principia, said his team looks forward to competing with the MRH team because it always pushes the Principia runners. Holmsley beat out MRH senior runner Eric Liska in the open 800, pushing Liska to a new school record. Liska had a 2:00.8 and Holmsley won in 1:58.8.

Brentwood junior Taylor Harrell took third in the girls 400-meter run and will go to state. 

Top boys teams, including local teams (24 total)

1. Maplewood Richmond Heights, 146
2. Scott City, 89
3. Herculaneum,  81
4. Principia, 77
5. Metro, 38
6. Lutheran (St. Peters), 36

Top girls teams, including local teams, 26 total

1. Lutheran (St. Peters), 94 
2. Herculaneum, 73
3. Mark Twain, 49
4. Hermann, 44
5. Louisana, 44 (tie)
6. Maplewood Richmond Heights, 42

11.  Principia, 28

24.  Brentwood, 6