BLOOMINGTON –Isaac Guerendo was looking to make Indiana track and field history Saturday. He could have been the first in 105 years to win both sprints and long jump at the state meet, and first to be a quadruple champion.
Win all those, score 40 points, and Avon High School would have been on its way to a first-ever state championship in this sport. He contributed to 36 points, or 90 percent. You hit 90 percent in any sport, you win.
“That was my only goal today, to hopefully come out there and win the state championship,” Guerendo said.
Done.
Avon took what figured to bea close meet and turned it into a runout. The Orioles scored 66 points to 47 for runner-up North Central. Hamilton Southeastern was third with 44. Pike had its highest finish ever by tying Fort Wayne Northrop for fourth at 36.
Stars are needed — ask the Golden State Warriors — but the Orioles had more than Guerendo. Indeed, they delivered a Warriors-like scoring burst.
Keith Abramson did not qualify for the fast section of the 800 meters, and pole vaulter Dillon Richard finished fourth in a regional. They easily could have come away with zero points at state. Instead: 17.
“To do what they did was awesome,” Avon coach Zach Toothman said. “It’s good because everyone was part of it. I don’t want to be that team where two guys do it.”
Abramson won his section in 1:54.62. North Central’s Jacob Lough won the so-called championship section in 1:54.91, and Abramson came away as state champion. Richard broke his school record by six inches to finish third at 15 feet, 6 inches.
Guerendo, a Wisconsin football signee, was first in the 100 meters and 400-meter relay, second in the long jump and 200. It took 23-5 ½ on the last jump of the competition for Crown Point’s Nick Ryan to overtake Guerendo, the defending champion. Guerendo jumped 23-3 ½ for second, Brownsburg freshman Pierce Thomas 23-2 ¼ for third.
“He earned it,” Guerendo said. “So that was fine with me.”
He overtook Fort Wayne Carroll’s Justin Becker to win the 100 in a personal best of 10.51, and he was second to Becker in the 200. Avon won the relay in 41.28, fastest in the nation outside Sun Belt.
Toothman scored the meet off regional bests and had Avon ahead by two points. So he told the Orioles to do “what you’ve already done,” and they would be in good shape. They scored in eight of 16 points, including 13 points from throwers Brock King and Nathaniel James.
“Very rarely does a meet go that well across the board,” Toothman said.
North Central started and finished strong, opening with victory in the 3,200 relay (7:44.07) and closing with second in the 1,600 relay (3:16.43). Panthers junior Ethan Alyea was second in the discus at 176-9, or six inches behind the winner.
HSE hurdler Madison Norris finished his track career with a flourish.
“I’m done,” he said.
Not before he became the third in his family to become state champion. He dominated to win in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.02, concentrating so fiercely that had crossed the line without reaction.
“I always believed that I was going to take the first. I just didn’t have any emotion to it,” Norrissaid.
There will be celebrating at home because his father, Chris, won the low hurdles for Franklin Central in 1986. Norris’ uncle, Rory, won the 110 hurdles in 1989 for Franklin Central and swept both hurdles in 1991 for Lawrence North.
Next for Madison is Indiana University football camp, leaving the track behind. Same goes for Guerendo, who is concentrating on football in his freshman year at Wisconsin.
Email IndyStar reporter David Woods at david.woods@indystar.com or call (317) 444-6195. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
IHSAA BOYS TRACK AND FIELD EVENT WINNERS
Team scores: 1. Avon 66, 2. North Central 47, 3. Hamilton Southeastern 44, 4. FW Northrop 36, 4. Pike 36, 6. Zionsivlle 31, 6. Carroll 31, 8. Carmel 26, 9. Evansville Memorial 18, 10. Fishers 16.
Long jump: Nick Ryan (Crown Point),23-5.5
Pole vault: Colton Crum (Frankfort),17-06.25*
Discus: Tyler Gilbert (Western),177-3
Shot put: George Karlaftis (West Lafayette),60-00.5
High jump: Nate Patterson (Plymouth),7-04.00*
4x800 relay: North Central,7:44.07
110hurdles: Madison Norris (Hamilton Southeastern),14.02
100dash:Issac Guerendo (Avon),10.51
1600run: Matthew Schadler (Evansville Memorial),4:07.83
4x100 relay: Avon,41.28
400 dash: Braden Corzan (Chesterton),47.41
300 hurdles: Shaton Vaughn (Fort Wayne Northrop),37.52
800run:Keith Abramson (Avon),1:54.62 (1)
200 dash:Justin Becker (Fort Wayne Carroll),21.50
3200 run: Skylar Stidam (Christian Academy),9:13.34
4x400 relay: Fishers,3:15.80
*new state record
