Dobbins with record-setting day as Wildcats win at Wellsville

By Andy Brown
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Updated: May 10, 2023

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg senior Mason Dobbins tied the school record in the high jump Friday at Wellsville as he cleared 6-6 to win the event. The Wildcats won the Red Bud Classic, which was their fourth consecutive victory.

WELLSVILLE — Winning hasn’t been a problem for the Louisburg boys track and field team as of late, and it certainly wasn’t on Friday in Wellsville.

At the Red Bud Classic, the Wildcats won their fourth straight meet with 133.5 points and Eudora was second at the 15-team meet with 116. Louisburg scored points in all but two events as it cruised to the title.

“This group keeps improving every week,” Louisburg boys coach Andy Wright said. “There was a lot of good competition in multiple events, and the team as a whole stepped up. We just have to keep working to get better each week.”

Senior Mason Dobbins put together his best meet of the season and he has two school records to show for it.

Dobbins tied the high jump record after he cleared 6 feet, 6 inches to win the event. He equaled the mark set by Jason Burk (1998) and Dennis Seck (1991).

Dobbins also joined Caden Caplinger, Colyer Wingfield and Ashton Moore as they won the 4×100-meter relay in a school record time of 43.14 seconds.

The Louisburg senior also went on to win the 110-meter hurdles in 14.80 seconds and the 200 dash in 22.70 seconds.

***(From left) Ashton Moore, Colyer Wingfield, Mason Dobbins and Caden Caplinger broke the school record in the 4×100 relay Friday at Wellsville.***

“Mason had an absolutely amazing meet,” Wright said. “Mason has been clearing 6-2 for the last few meets and he was due for a big jump. I am super proud of how hard he has been working, and he is not done.”

The relay broke last season’s school record of mark of 43.33 seconds that was set by Dobbins, Caplinger, Tom Koontz and Ethan Ptacek.

“We have been running mid 43’s for the last three meets,” Wright said. “We were just waiting for the ideal weather to run in the lower 43’s. Not surprised at their time because this has been the same group all season and they have built up a good chemistry running together.”

The Wildcats almost saw a third record fall, this time in the pole vault.

Caplinger, who had already cleared a personal best of 15-3, tried to surpass the school record of 15-6. His try at 15-7 came up just short, but finished first in the event.

Senior Nathan Apple also captured gold. Apple won the 300-meter hurdles and did it in a personal best time of 40.76 seconds.

Apple also medaled third in the 110 hurdles in 15.22 seconds. In the preliminaries, Apple also set a personal best time of 15.05.

Another senior, Nathan Vincent, scored points in all three throwing events and recorded a season-best mark in the javelin. Vincent had a throw of 180-6 to take third in the event.

**Louisburg senior J.R. Rooney finished seventh in the shot put Friday at Wellsville.**

Vincent also finished third in the shot put with a toss of 49-1 and was seventh in the discus at 143-1. Senior J.R. Rooney was seventh in the shot put at 47-4.75.

Also in the field events, senior Isaiah Whitley recorded a season-best mark in the high jump. Whitley cleared 6-0 and took third overall.

Back on the track, the Wildcats also scored several points in the sprints.

Senior Ethan Ptacek was third in the 400-meter dash in 51.80 seconds and teammate Hunter Heinrich was sixth at 53.16. Ptacek was also fifth in the 100 dash at 11.49.

Ashton Moore took sixth in the 200 dash in 23.36 and was eighth in the 100 dash in 11.74.

***Louisburg senior Ethan Ptacek took third Friday in the 400 meter dash at Wellsville.***

In the distance races, sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty ran a season-best time in the 1,600-meter run in 4:34 to take third. Brings Plenty also finished fourth in the 3,200 in 10:12.

Freshman Blaise Vohs took fifth in the 800-meter run in 2:06.

Louisburg also scored points in the other two relays.

The 4×400 team of Heinrich, Wingfield, Ptacek and Vohs was second in a time of 3:30, while the 4×800 of Heinrich, Brings Plenty, Vohs and Colton Blue was third in 8:36.

Louisburg is back in action Thursday when the Wildcats travel to the Frontier League Invitational at Baker University in Baldwin City. Events begin at 2 p.m.

Other results are:

100 dash: Caleb Feldkamp, 15th, 11.89

200 dash: Feldkamp, 17th, 24.80

400 dash: Colton Blue, 12th, 55.61

800 run: Myles Vohs, 12th, 2:11

1,600 run: Noah Cotter, 12th, 4:55; Leo Martin, 18th, 5:08

3,200 run: Cotter, 9th, 10:51

110 hurdles: Kyler Biermann, 12th, 19.61

300 hurdles: Biermann, 15th, 49.19

High Jump: Evan McKitrick, 12th, 5-6

Long Jump: Isaiah Whitley, 11th, 19-5; Colyer Wingfield, 17th, 18-8.5; Vohs, 19th, 18-6

Triple Jump: McKitrick, 14th, 36-11; Trey Myers, 15th, 36-9