JOHN CURTIS - Daily Union Sports Editor
The Shelbyville Ram boys track team had a group of almost a dozen standout athletes that wheeled and dealed around the track and in the field to spice things with a team effort this past season. Those dozen Rams led the team with triple digit points, with conference selections and with trips to the state meet.
“We really do not have that one outstanding sprinter who can score in three or four individual events,” said Ram coach Kevin Kramer. “But, we do have a lot of guys that have a lot of heart and determination.”
Levi Pruemer (jr.) was the team MVP with 139 points as their leading pole vaulter and a 400 meter competitor. Pruemer climbed from 11 feet to start the season to 12 feet at the conference meet, good enough for third place and an all-conference selection. He then scaled to a personal best of 13 feet in a home meet against St. Anthony.
Cory Tripp (sr.) followed with 114 points and another all-conference honor to go with his standout career at SHS, which included more than one state appearance. Tripp threw 136 feet-7 inches at the Redskin Open and 44 feet, 2 inches in the shot at the Shelby Open. His 2nd place discus throw of 130 feet, 3 inches at the OVC meet earned him another all-conference honor.
Ryan Brown (sr.), scored 111 points, was the conference champion in the 3200 run and earned all-conference in the 1600 run, as well. He also earned a sectional championship in the 2-mile and trip to State, where he finished with a personal best in the 2-mile.
Austin Smith (jr.) tallied 79 points, primarily from one event, the high jump. But, that one event was enough to get Smith a conference championship, a sectional championship and a 6th place medal at State.
Dylan Sarver (soph.), likewise, scored just 56 points, but a singular performance in the triple jump carried him to state to represent the Rams. Sarver, primarily a long jumper and triple jumper, went over 20 feet in the long jump at Stew-Stras and was bested only by a Stew-Stras school record-breaking performance by the winner.
Sarver then cleared 39 feet, 3 inches at sectional meet to claim second place and vault himself to State.
Clayton Baker scored just 37 points this season, but used his best race of the season to hitch a ride to the state meet. Baker went out like the rabbit in the mile at sectional and finished strong in second place. Then at State, Baker led the first two laps of the mile, before giving way to the field.
Brandon Skowronski (fr.) used his speed to rack up 110 points for the Rams this season. Skowronski was 1st in the 200 at the U of I Armory indoor meet and 1st at Stew-Stras in the 100.
He also was second against A&M; in the 100 and 3rd in the 200 at the Bi-County Meet. His work with the speed relays helped tally several points, and his come-from-behind burst at sectional almost earned a state qualification for the Ram relay.
Shawn Bly (soph) was also a member of the century point club this season, scoring 105 points. Bly earned most of his points, jumping, as well as doing some relay work.
Ben Sweeny (sr.) and Bo Buhrmester (jr.) were also speed demons that helped fuel the Ram relays. Sweeney was also a jumper.
The Ram hurdlers also came within a split second of making the bus for State. Sophomore Cody Langan (51 points) and senior Matt Phillips (50 points) dueled with each other and with other teams all season.
Phillips was the top contender at first, then Langan broke through at the Bi-County Meet to take 1st place with a, then, personal best time of 16.23. Langan also captured second place in the 300 hurdles at the same meet (44.93).
Langan kept his times under 17 seconds in the 110 hurdles and finished third in the sectional meet, just missing State and running a personal best time. Phillips bounced back at the end of the season to also challenge for State.
Phillips ran a second place 42.78 in the 300 hurdles at the Shelby Open and just missed a State ticket in the 110 (16.11) and in the 300 hurdles (42.0). Phillips was earned the Rams' Most Improved Award.
Ram Awards, Points List: MVP Award - Levi Pruemer; Most Improved Award - Matt Phillips
Points - 1. Levi Pruemer 139 points, 2. Cory Tripp 114 points, 3. Ryan Brown 111 points, 4. Brandon Skowronski 110 points, 5. Shawn Bly 105 points, 6. Ben Sweeney 89, 7. Bo Buhrmester 83, 8. Austin Smith 79, 9. Dylan Sarver 56 points, 10. Cody Langan 51 points, 11, 11. Matt Phillips 50 points, 12. Clayton Baker 37, 13. Matt Thompson 35, 14. Kaleb Pruemer 24, T15. Jake Duck 19, T15. Taylor Finks, T17. Jake Zerrusen 18, T17. Clint Koester 18, 19. Zach England 17, T20. Bryce Henze 13, T20. Alex Jones 13, 22. Brock Dunaway 6, 23. Kyle Brown 2, 24. Zach Voyles 2, T25. James Morgan, Matt Bagwell, Ethan Turner, Damien Coleman, Nick Ray, David Mast, John Phillips, Pete Mosley
