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Ball's pole vault highlights Hoisington track
spt_hg_Josiah ball HGS_91601.jpg
Hoisington Cardinal Josiah Ball clears 15 7.5 inches in the pole vault event. - photo by Hugo Gonzalez

BY JIM MISUNAS
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

HOISINGTON – Hoisington High’s Josiah Ball would’ve made Cardinal graduate Bill Kimble proud.

Kimble is a KSHSAA Hall of Famer honoree who led Hoisington to state track championships in 1964 and 1965 while winning nine individual gold medals and three relay gold medals from 1963-1965.

Ball cleared a personal best pole vault height of 15-71/2 en route to four gold medals at Tuesday's Hoisington Bill Kimble Track Invitational. Ball also won the 110-meter hurdles (14.89), 200 meters (23.11) and joined the winning 400-meter relay (44.42) with Ian Smith, Brier Thompson and Courtney Bryant, Jr.

Ball’s personal best is a Ball family record, second in Kansas and first in 3A by 19 inches.

”It feels awesome making sure I’m the new best Ball,” he said. “Getting 16 is my goal.”

The Cardinals other winners were Thompson, 300-meter hurdles (44.89); Bryant, Jr. 100 (11.42); Kamden Tarlton, 1,600 (4:42.12); Layton Hoffman, discus (130-0) and Caiden Hoffman, shot put (49-3).

Hoisington (152) won the boys team title ahead of Cimarron (140).

Other boys first-place champions were St. John’s Quade Smith, 800 (2:08.29); Stafford’s Joel Valadez, 3,200 (10:46.39); St. John’s 1,600-meter relay (3:41.49) with Jace Reyes, Jericho Mawhirter, Braxton Alpers and Smith; and Otis-Bison’s Ian Haselhorst, high jump (6-0).

GIRLS DIVISION — Hoisington's double winner Marley Bittel swept the 100 (12.63) and 200 (26.28) and anchored the first-place 400-meter relay (51.73) with Shellamae Farmer, Mallory Mooney and Kelsi Maier. Bittel is ranked third in the 3A 100 meters and fifth in the 3A 200 meters. Hoisington’s relay ranks fourth in 3A. 

Defending 3A champion Farmer captured the pole vault (10-6). The Cardinals won the 3,200-meter relay (10:39.82) with Tristin Compton, Kinley Wilkens, Sofia Simic and Tianna Lutters.

Hoisington's girls (136) needed every point to edge Cimarron (133) for the team title.

Central Plains Oiler Lauren Oeser captured the javelin (114-4) and shot put (32-51/2). Oiler Boston Robison won the 100-meter hurdles (17.18). 

Other first-place winners were St. John's Reagan Bonner, triple jump (33-31/4) and the Tigers' 1,600-meter relay (4:22.49) featuring Heidi Fisher, Bonner, Mia Meyer and Lydia Reed; and Otis-Bison's Ava Kenyon, 400 (1:05.02) and Destiny Mitchell, high jump (5-0).

BILL KIMBLE INVITE

TEAM TOTALS—1—Hoisington 136; 2—Cimarron 133; 3—Central Plains 79; 4—Otis-Bison 73; 5—St. John 59; 6—Skyline 43; 7—Ellsworth 22; 8—Stafford 4

GIRLS RESULTS

100m—1—Bittel, H, 12.63; 2—Farmer, H, 13.3; 4—Maier, H, 13.5

100m hurdles—1—Robison, CP, 17.18; 4—Montoya, CP, 19.1; 5—Roush, S, 22.14

200m—1—Bittel, H, 26.28; 2—Bonner, SJ, 28.13; 4—Ficken, OB, 29.53; —Soeken, CP, 29.63

300m hurdles—3—Robison, CP, 52.59; 4—McMillan, OB, 54.24; 6—Montoya, CP, 55.65

400m—1—Kenyon, OB, 1:05.02; 2—Heidi Fisher, SJ, 1:06.01; 3—Soeken, CP, 1:06.8; 4—Hanzlick, H, 1:08.19

800m—2—Reed, SJ, 2:44.12; 3—Rodriguez, OB, 2:49.36; 4—Klima, CP, 2:56.26; 85—Walker, H, 2:56.27; 6—Tagen Davis, CP, 2:59.56

1,600m—2—Compton, H, 6:01.45; 3—Reed, SJ, 6:15.59; 6—Walker, H, 6:29.37; 5—Taylin Davis, CP, 6:28.04

3,200m—2—Mitchell, OB, 11:00.62; 5—Taylin Davis, CP, 13:42.21

100m hurdles—2—Simic, H, 17.3; 3—Welch, H, 18.73

300m hurdles—5—Welch, H, 54.25

400m relay—1—Hoisington, 51.73 (Farmer, Mooney, Maier, Bittel); 2—St. John, 52.59 (Fisher, Reed, Meyer, Bonner)

1,600m relay—1—St. John, 4:22.49 (Fisher, Bonner, Meyer, Reed); 3—Hoisington, 4:28.71

3,200m relay—1—Hoisington, 10:39.82 (Tristin Compton, Kinley Wilkens, Simic, Lutters); 2—Otis-Bison, 11:00.62 (Kenyon, McMillan, Mitchell, Rodriguez); 5—Central Plains, 11:51.67 (Tagen Davis, Taylin Davis, Klima, Montoya)

High jump—1—Mitchell, OB, 5-0; 2—Simic, H, 4-10; 5—Mathes, S, 4-0

Long jump—2—Mooney, H, 15-4; 5—Welch, H, 14-61/2

Triple jump—1—Bonner, SJ, 33-31/4; 2—Wilkens, H, 32-61/2; 5—Soeken, CP, 29-91/2; 6—Schwindt, OB, 27-111/2

Pole vault—1—Farmer, H, 10-6; 3—Robison, CP, 7-6; 5—Kaiser, H, 6-0

Javelin—1—Oeser, CP, 114-4; 2—McMillan, OB, 103-4; 3—Hanzlick, H, 97-7; 4—Soeken, CP, 90-6; 5—Reever, Ob, 89-3 6—Graves, H, 84-10

Shot put—1—Oeser, CP, 32-51/2; 4—Croisant, OB, 31-1; 5—Graves, H, 30-3; 6—Franson, CP, 29-51/2

Discus—2—Marissa Reever, OB, 103-4; 5—Taylin Davis, CP, 87-0

BILL KIMBLE INVITE

TEAM TOTALS—1—Hoisington 152; 2—Cimarron 140; 3—Skyline 82; 4—St. John 56; 5—Otis-Bison 48; 6—Central Plains 31; 7—Stafford 27; 8—Ellsworth 15

BOYS RESULTS

100m—1—Bryant, Jr. H, 11.42; 2—Thompson, H, 11.43; 4—Smith, H, 11.78; 6—Rogers, CP, 12.0

110m hurdles—1—Ball, H, 14.89; 5—Klima, CP, 25.43

200m—1—Ball, H, 23.11; 4—Bryant, Jr. H,  24.73; 6—Hurley, CP, 25.29

300m hurdles—1—Thompson, H, 44.89; 2—Klima, CP, 46.21; 3—Morales, H, 46.58; 4—Mawhirter, SJ, 50.48; 5—Dunn, SJ, 56.84

400m—2—Haselhorst, OB, 53.33; 5—Reyes, SJ, 57.25

800m—1—Smith, SJ, 2:08.29; 6—Heredia, CP, 2:25.32

1,600m—1—Tarlton, H, 4;42.12; 4—Smith, SJ, 5:01.6

3,200m—1—Joel Valadez, S, 10:46.39; 6—Hipp, 12:10.84

400m relay—1—Hoisington, 44.42 (Ball, Smith, Thompson, Bryant, Jr.); 4—St. John, 53.09 (Mawhirter, Newdigger, Dunn, Foote)

1,600m relay—1—St. John, 3:41.49 (Reyes, Mawhirter, Alpers, Smith); 4—Hoisington, 3:58.83 (Kraft, Lewis, Smith, Kaiser); 5—Central Plains, 4:13.87 (Rogers, Stroud, Heredia, Klima)

3,200m relay—2—St. John, 9:09.57 (Reyes, Alpers, Smith, Mawhirter); 3—Hoisington, 9:13.55 (Lewis, Hipp, Tarlton, Andereck); 4—Stafford, 9:57.01 (Joel Valadez, Josue Valades, Joseph Valadez Lins)

High jump—1—Haselhorst, OB, 6-0; 2—Lowther, S, 5-8; 3—Alloway, OB, 5-6; 4—Hekele, H, 5-4; 6—Lins, S, 5-0

Long jump—4—Hurley, 16-111/2; 5—Lowther, S, 16-73/4; 6—Bryant, Jr. H, 16-63/4

Triple jump—2—Haselhorst, OB, 39-21/4; 4—Alloway, OB, 38-4

Discus—1—Layton Hoffman, H, 130-0; 3—Hurley, 121-5; Cortez, OB, 121-5; 5—Stroede, CP, 114-4; 6—Hoopingarner, OB, 105-6

Shot put—1—Caiden Hoffman, H, 49-3; 3—Cortez, OB, 31-31/2; 4—Stroede, CP, 40-9; 5—Layton Hoffman, H, 40-0; 6—Daniels, CP, 39-9

Pole vault—1—Ball, H, 15-71/2; 2—Morales, H, 11-6; 3—Turner, H, 10-0; 5—Sneath, H, 9-6; 6—Hekele, H, 8-6

Javelin—4—Smith, H, 127-11; 5—Kerschenske, S, 126-7; 6—Mater, H, 123-5