Here are this week’s candidates for Prime Time Performer.
You can vote once every 12 hours until the polls close on Friday at 5 p.m.
The winner will receive a $20 gift card to Mariah’s Restaurant.
Lutheran High’s 4×800 Relay – The Crusaders second place state finishers including Jackie Eck, Maddy Eck, Bernadette Tournoux and Brigid Tournoux return to the west side of Springfield with another incredible state finish. Lutheran’s High 4×800 relay team started the day at girls state with a new school record with a time of 9:46.54, just six seconds behind the 2017 state champs from Deer Creek Mackinaw. The sister combination of Ecks and Tournoux’s finish second in 1A for the second year in a row!
Southeast’s 4×100 Relay – Helping Southeast to a third place overall team finish, the best relay finish of the day from the East Side was the combination of Dontavia Howard, Serena Bolden, Kaylynn Florence and Raven Moore. All four Spartans made other contributions on the day, but the relay team had the best finish, coming in second with a time of 48.26, only behind Dunlap, who won all four relays on their way to the 2A title.
Alison Woerner (Glenwood Track) In her final high school track meet, Glenwood’s Alison Woerner jumped a PR in the long jump and finished third on the podium in 3A. Woerner’s jump of 19’3.5” was only seven inches behind the 3A state champion. While she had to battle the conditions of jumping indoors for the outdoor meet, Woernern made the best of her last attempt as a Titan and improved on her fourth place finish at state last year.
Annamarie McKenzie (Rochester Soccer) Her teammate Brooke Steil certainly could be up for the Prime Time Performer nomination from Rochester soccer this week after scoring two goals in the regional championship, but McKenzie gets the spot thanks to her persistence. If she wins the gift card, maybe she’ll take Steil with her to Mariah’s! Annamarie McKenzie refused to give up on the play in the box and ended up finding the back of the net for the game winning goal against Marquette to seal the regional crown for the defending state champs.
Claire Torry (Glenwood Soccer) The Titans got goals from three different girls in their relatively easy regional championship win over Highland in the 2A Bethalto regional. They scored two goals in the first eight minutes and then relied on their defense to keep the Bulldogs off the board. The real dagger came with about 19 minutes to play in the contest when the sophomore midfielder Claire Torry tracked down a 50/50 ball and created a golden opportunity for the Titans which Taylor Parriott finished for the dagger. Torry doesn’t exactly get the glory she deserves in the middle, but she’s been a solid piece for this Glenwood team all season long.
Dearis Herron (Lanphier Track) The Lions won their third straight sectional title on Thursday, a big reason why was senior Dearis Herron, who is headed to state in four different events on Saturday. Herron won the long jump (21’11”) and the triple jump (42’8.25”) and helped two relays qualify as well. Herron was part of the first place 4×100 team (43.26) and the second place 4×200 team (1:32.68). Herron will be a busy man in Charleston this weekend!
Chase Kuntzman (Rochester Baseball) The Rockets had multiple guys step up to help sweep the Cyclones and earn a share of the CS8 crown last week. Kuntzman played a big part in the win in both contests. Koondog hit a solo home run to get Rochester started on Tuesday in their 4-1 win and then on Wednesday, he hit a RBI double that added a very important insurance run in Rochester’s 4-2 win over SHG. Kuntzman also made an incredible catch in right field on Wednesday to save a run against the Cyclones.
Wyatt McIntyre (Athens Track) There are multiple guys from our coverage area that have a very good shot at standing on top of the podium on Saturday at O’Brien Field. One of them comes from Athens and will be a favorite in a couple races. Wyatt McIntyre won sectional titles in both the 1600 & 3200 meter races at the El Paso Gridley sectional last week.
Tristen Tewes (Plains Track) Not only is Pleasant Plains sophomore Tristen Tewes headed to state this weekend in the high jump for winning a sectional title at El Paso last week, but he’s also ranked second in the nation currently after setting a school record with a jump of 6’8.25”. Tewes will head to Charleston this week tied for the best mark in the 1A field, so be sure to see what he does at state on Saturday!
Renee Abernathy (SHG Softball) The Cyclones were on the verge of watching the conference title slip out of their hands as the Rockets won the first game and then took an early lead on Wednesday. Abernathy made sure the Rockets didn’t head home without a split. She made a catch in left center field that saved at least a run late in the game and then she hit a walk off, two run home run in the eighth inning to give the Cyclones a split with the Rockets and a split of the CS8 softball crown.
Trevor Minder (Springfield Baseball) He filled up the “Lite of the Nite” last week and this week he gets the nod for Prime Time Performer. Springfield High’s shortstop Trevor Minder has been one of the best up the middle in the CS8 for a few years now and he made a few great plays against Glenwood last week to help the Senators earn the split. Minder also came in to pitch in relief on Tuesday when the Solons handed Reid Detmers his first loss of the season.
Logan Cody (Glenwood Baseball) The Titans best hitter all season has been Logan Cody who comes through when the Titans need him the most. On Wednesday, Glenwood needed to get their offense going against the Senators to pick up the split and make sure they still got a share of the CS8 crown. Cody went 3 for 4 against Springfield High in game two and drove in six runs as Glenwood pounded the Senators 10-0. Cody has to stay hot in the next few weeks to keep the Titans alive in the 3A playoffs, even though they have been powered by their pitching.
