Alton boys track and field team sends relay team, Samuelton to state, Granite City also has qualifiers

MOLINE - Alton's 4 x 800 relay team of Kelvin Cummings, Evan Rathgeb, Cassius Havis and Arie Macias finished second in the Moline Track and Field Sectional to advance to state in a time of 8:04.77, behind East Side's 7:58.73. The Redbirds' Kalen Samuelton advanced to state in the shot put with a toss of 52-11.

Alton scored 26 points in the Moline Sectional.

Alton Coach White said recently after a meet that Samuelton is really motivated to do well in the shot put.

"He is comfortable with his technique and building up confidence every meet," the coach said.

The Alton boys ran an 8:02.77 time in the Collinsville Invitational in perhaps the Redbirds best performance overall of the season. The 4 x 800 relay team at Collinsville consisted of Cummings, Rathgeb, Havis and Macias.

Granite City scored 32 points overall in the sectional meet. Granite City's Torrey Deal advanced in the high jump, winning the event with a jump of 6-8 and also qualified in the triple jump, finishing third with a leap of 41-1.25; the Warriors' Will O'Keefe reached the state meet in the 800 meters with a time of 1:56.28, good for third in the event, while brother Andrew made it in the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:24.39 to win the event.

Coach White said Cassius Havis couldn't have had a better season this year and the hopes for him are high for the future.

"He stepped up for being such a young guy and learned how to race with the big boys," White said. "He kept us in the race with his 2:02 split at Collinsville."

The group of young Redbirds, including the sprinters, pushed the envelope this season trying to recapture some of the glory of the past. There is no question after this season if the returnees stay healthy, Alton will have one of the strongest boys track and field teams in the area next season.

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