Another successful season has wrapped for the Lisbon Lions varsity track and field teams, with the boys finishing third in the state, and the girls placing ninth.
Head coach Casey Baxa says he’s “feeling great.”
“Anytime you can bring a trophy home, and be in the top 10 any season is tremendous, and for these athletes to do that two seasons in a row is absolutely amazing, in my opinion,” Baxa said.
The coach, who just finished his 11th year with the team, noted that the success came with some sacrifice.
Senior Will Bennett pulled himself out of the 4×200 final and the 4×100 due to an injury, and, Baxa said, “the betterment of the team.”
“It was an amazing act of selflessness, and it was heartbreaking and truly amazing at the same time,” he said.
From a coach’s perspective, “it was one of the hardest moves I’ve ever had to make, because this is his last state meet, and his last events to run and he pulled himself out to help the team,” recounted Baxa. However, freshman Tiernan Boots “stepped right in and did an excellent job,” he said.
Kole Becker was the Class 1A champion in the Boys 110 hurdles, setting a personal record of 14.45 in the event.
Becker also leaped to a Class 1A champion title in the long jump with 23 feet and 2.25 inches. Becker also set a personal record in the Boys 400 dash.
Caden Siebrecht had a personal record of 2:02.96 in his Boys 800 run.
Luke Czarnecki’s second place jump in the high jump set his personal record of 6 foot 6 inches.
The Tiernan Boots, Kaden Harrer, Jamien Moore and Baylor Speidel run set a season best time of 43.47 in the preliminary races. The squad shaved off a few additional tenths of a second to finish second at state.

Gallery • 3 Photos

--Courtesy photo Jennifer Tischer

Cohen Kamaus clears a shuttle in the shuttle hurdle relay at state.