Pottstown Reigns Supreme with 2nd Straight Track & Field Championship
PERKIOMEN VALLEY, PA – The Pottstown Trojans left no doubt about their dominance, amassing 135 points to claim the championship title in a meet filled with record-breaking performances and fierce battles for gold. Great Valley fought valiantly, finishing second with 117 points, while Phoenixville rounded out the top three with 93.
Leading the charge on the track was Mike Calhoun (Great Valley), who shattered the meet record in the 400m (49.1) before blazing to victory in the 200m (22.3) and contributing to a first-place 1600m relay team (3:27.3). Meanwhile, Joe Thorpe (Pottstown) was untouchable in the hurdles, winning both the 110m (15.0) and 300m hurdles (meet record – 38.7) while anchoring the 400m relay squad to gold (meet record – 43.3). Thorpe successfully defended his league titles, earning him meet MVP.
Pottstown received major points in a thrilling, nail-biter 110H race. All six competitors crossed the line in blistering one-second span, with Thorpe holding off his Pottstown teammates Jason Cole and Andre Dunkley, with Pottstown sweeping the podium.
In the field events, Pottsgrove’s Brian Bucholtz soared 22’4″ to win the long jump, breaking his own meet record, while his teammate Kyle McKearns dominated the throws, setting a meet record in the discus (154’6″) and adding a shot put victory with a 47’8″ mark.
One of the most thrilling contests of the meet came in the high jump, where Pottstown’s Jason Cole and Langston Watson dueled with OJR’s Ryan Costello putting on a jumping clinic. All athletes cleared 6’6″, tying the meet record and matched each other height for height as the bar kept rising. With the crowd rallying behind them, each competitor attempted 6’7″, but neither could quite clear the mark, resulting in another dramatic finish for Cole as he was awarded gold due to less misses.
With multiple meet records, dominant relay performances, and unforgettable head-to-head battles, this championship meet was one for the books.
MEET MVP
Joe Thorpe
110H – CHAMP
300H* – CHAMP
4x100M* – CHAMP
*Meet Record.
Joe Thorpe
Pottstown Trojans
TRACK MVP
Mike Calhoun
200M – CHAMP
400M* – CHAMP
4x400M – CHAMP
100M – 2ND PLACE
*Meet Record.
Mike Calhoun
Great Valley Patriots
FIELD MVP
Brian Bucholtz
LONG JUMP* – CHAMP
TRIPLE JUMP – 2ND PLACE
*Meet Record.
Brian Bucholtz
Pottsgrove Falcons
100M
TIES MEET RECORD
1ST
Carlos Garcia
Phoenixville
10.8
2ND
Mike Calhoun
Great Valley
11.2
3RD
Avery Wesley
Phoenixville
11.2
4TH
Mark Sterious
Owen J. Roberts
11.3
5TH
Kevin Jones
Owen J. Roberts
11.4
6TH
Shannon Pope
Pottstown
12.0
200M
1ST
Mike Calhoun
Great Valley
22.3
2ND
Carlos Garcia
Phoenixville
22.6
3RD
Avery Wesley
Phoenixville
22.7
4TH
Nick Reynolds
Great Valley
23.2
5TH
Kevin Jones
Owen J. Roberts
23.3
6TH
Malcolm McLeod
Spring-Ford
23.7
400M
MEET RECORD
1ST
Mike Calhoun
Great Valley
49.1
2ND
Kron White
Pottstown
49.7
3RD
Mark Finlan
Great Valley
49.8
4TH
Malcolm McLeod
Spring-Ford
51.1
5TH
Kris Henry
Upper Perkiomen
51.3
6TH
Karlos Frank
Phoenixville
51.4
800M
1ST
Jeff Powers
Phoenixville
2:00.5
2ND
Dan Buckholder
Lansdale Catholic
2:03.1
3RD
Todd Roeder
Upper Perkiomen
2:03.2
4TH
Buzz Hadzor
Great Valley
2:04.5
5TH
Brad Vogt
Pottsgrove
2:04.6
6TH
Jesse McMullen
St. Pius X
2:05.1
1600M
1ST
Dan Buckholder
Lansdale Catholic
4:30.9
2ND
Jeff Powers
Phoenixville
4:36.4
3RD
Justin Christopher
Lansdale Catholic
4:36.9
4TH
Mark Ricciardi
Great Valley
4:38.5
5TH
John Algeo
Lansdale Catholic
4:40.3
6TH
Duffy Swantek
Lansdale Catholic
4:40.9
3200M
1ST
Paul Jones
Spring-Ford
9:59.2
2ND
Duffy Swantek
Lansdale Catholic
9:59.7
3RD
Justin Christopher
Lansdale Catholic
10:02.2
4TH
Tim Assai
Lansdale Catholic
10:12.9
5TH
Aaron Meacham
Great Valley
10:21.0
6TH
Steve Marquardt
Pottsgrove
10:21.8
110H
1ST
Joe Thorpe
Pottstown
15.0
2ND
Andre Dunkley
Pottstown
15.1
3RD
Jason Cole
Pottstown
15.4
4TH
Basil Gordon
Phoenixville
15.6
5TH
Ben Gilardi
Great Valley
15.7
6TH
Horace Flamer
Pottstown
15.9
300H
MEET RECORD
1ST
Joe Thorpe
Pottstown
38.7
2ND
Andre Dunkley
Pottstown
39.6
3RD
Karlos Frank
Phoenixville
39.9
4TH
Ben Gilardi
Great Valley
40.4
5TH
Jason Cole
Pottstown
41.0
6TH
James Ottaviano
Spring-Ford
41.0
4x100M
MEET RECORD
1ST
Pottstown
Warren Ford, Andre Dunkley, Kron White, Joe Thorpe
43.3
2ND
Phoenixville
44.2
3RD
Owen J. Roberts
44.4
4TH
Great Valley
45.3
5TH
Upper Perkiomen
45.6
6TH
St. Pius X
46.0
4x400M
1ST
Great Valley
Mark Finlan, Nick Reynolds, Matt Riccardi, Mike Calhoun
3:27.3
2ND
Pottstown
3:32.4
3RD
Upper Perkiomen
3:33.7
4TH
Phoenixville
3:37.9
5TH
Pottsgrove
3:40.9
6TH
Lansdale Catholic
3:42.2
4x800M
1ST
Great Valley
Buzz Hadzor, Jon Stoltz, Aaron Meacham, Mark Finlan