Oilers collect wins, PRs at Red Bud despite short-handed lineup
East Alton-Wood River turned in a productive day Tuesday at the seven-school meet in Red Bud, using a reshuffled lineup to deliver event wins, relay victories and several personal records in difficult conditions. With the Oilers short on athletes after a busy stretch of competition, coaches moved competitors into different spots, and the group still produced standout results against a windy field.
The girls were led by Brooklyn Rexford, who won the long jump with a personal-record mark of 15 feet, 5 1/2 inches. Coach Russ Colona also recalled personal records from Addison Roethe in the discus, Kylah Wreath in the discus, Emalyn Murphy, Mackenzie Minner in the 400 meters with a lifetime-best 67.5, Braelyn Hartkopf in the 800 meters and Dyari McGee in the 200 meters. Even without complete official results available, the day offered clear evidence of progress for a girls group that kept producing in less-than-ideal weather.
The boys posted some of the Oilers' biggest wins of the meet. Jasiah Brown captured first place in the triple jump, while LeBron Reed won the 800 meters. EAWR also got a first-place finish from its 4x800 relay team of Taven Wardein, Noah Willeford, Peyton Shaw and Reed, a group that gave the Oilers valuable points in one of the meet's longer relay events.
Another highlight came in the 4x200 relay, where Bennett McCormick, Brown, Shaw and Deontre Breaziel finished first. The quartet had to fight through the same strong wind that affected the rest of the meet, then closed well enough to hang on for the victory. That relay win added to a day in which EAWR continued to find points despite not having its full roster available.
According to the author-supplied meet summary, the Oilers entered the meet dealing with athlete shortages caused by a fiery trip and lingering sunburn from Saturday's meet. That forced adjustments across the lineup, but the team responded with flexibility and solid performances. Wind played a major role throughout the afternoon, yet the Oilers still came away with multiple event wins and a string of personal bests.
Official team scores were not available because the results system was not working, leaving some of the final placements unsettled. Even so, the meet gave East Alton-Wood River plenty to build on, especially with first-place finishes from Rexford, Brown, Reed, the 4x800 relay and the 4x200 relay, along with a strong list of PRs spread across both squads.
