Support system: QHS runners put chemistry, camaraderie on display during Quincy Invitational

April 28, 2022 | By Matt Schuckman, Sports Editor

Quincy High School's Sadiya Hodges, right, and Unity's Delanee Schulte, left, race in the 100-meter dash during the 71st Quincy Invitational at Flinn Stadium on Wednesday. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — With each pass of the baton, a sprint ensued.

The final two events of the 71st Quincy Invitational, held Wednesday at Flinn Stadium, were the boys and girls 4×400-meter relays, and collectively, the Quincy High School track and field athletes wanted to lend support and encouragement to their teammates.

So on each of the four laps, the Blue Devils not participating in either race sprinted across the infield from the northwest corner of the track to the southeast corner and back again.

“Even if I’m not in the event they’re cheering for, it’s just fun to see,” said the Blue Devils’ Reid Savage, who won both hurdle events. “We have a lot of young guys and gals this year, and walking in I wasn’t sure how the team chemistry was going to be. It has impressed me beyond what I could have thought.

“It’s great to watch it unfold. We run across the field during the 4×400 to cheer each other on. I just love watching that. I love this team.”

**Quincy High School’s Reid Savage clears a hurdle in the 110-meter hurdles race during the 71st Quincy Invitational, held Wednesday at Flinn Stadium.** | Matt Schuckman photo

The chemistry and camaraderie — as well as quite a bit of talent — is making this a memorable spring.

The Blue Devils won both team titles with the boys piling up 172 points to outdistance Macomb by 55 points. The QHS girls churned out 166 points to beat Macomb by 32 points.

“Pushing each other and watching each other succeed not only drives ourselves but it drives the team forward, which makes everyone run faster and work harder,” said senior Jettason Rose, who won both the 100 and 200 dashes and anchored the winning 4×100 relay team.

It’s not just motivation to run fast. It forces the Blue Devils to be committed to giving their best effort.

“It holds me accountable as a runner,” Savage said. “I want to perform for my teammates and I want us to win as a whole. It’s not just about me. It’s never just about one person. We’re all trying to score for one big goal. That’s how I look at it. I’m trying to do this for my friends, my teammates, my coaches.”

Up and down the line, that happened.

Savage won the 110 hurdles in 16.46 seconds, nearly a second and a half faster than the field. In the 300 hurdles, Savage won in 43.02 seconds, nearly four seconds better than the field.

Rose won the 100 dash in 11.19 seconds with Liberty’s Keegan Sunde and Alex Girardin finishing second and third in 11.39 and 11.40 respectively. Rose beat Girardin again in the 200, finishing in 22.50. Girardin ran a 23.07, setting outdoor personal bests in both sprints.

**Quincy High School’s Jett Rose, left, and Liberty’s Keegan Sunde, right, come out of the blocks at the start of the 100-meter dash Wednesday during the 71st Quincy Invitational.** | Matt Schuckman photo

Rose said he was unhappy with the first half of his races, but was pleased with how he finished. The challenge will be to make the start as efficient as the finish when he heads to the Western Big 6 Conference meet May 13 and Class 3A sectionals the following week.

“I’m working and training on my speed,” Rose said. “Having conference and state meets right around the corner has helped me to run faster, try harder and increase my intensity.

“The biggest thing I need to work on are my starts. They are probably the weakest part of my races right now, especially in the 100. I also have to work on my sprint stamina.”

The Blue Devils’ Fiker Rosen won the 1,600 run (4:31.04) and William Venvertloh won the 3,200 run (11:10.79). QHS’s LaMarrio Rodgers won the discus with a toss of 46.44 meters, while the Blue Devils also won the 4×100 and 4×800 relays.

On the girls side, the Blue Devils won all four relays — the 4×100 (53.23), the 4×200 (1:56.26), the 4×400 (4:28.40) and the 4×800 (11:32.20). QHS senior Anna Schuering won the 800 in 2:20.09 and the 1,600 in 5:15.48, while Sadiya Hodges set a PR while winning the 100 dash in 13.92.

The success across the board sets the stage for a push toward the postseason, which looms just two weeks away for the girls and three weeks for the boys.

“This season has gone by incredibly quickly,” Rose said. “It’s almost like a shock, even though we’ve had a longer season than last year. It feels like it has gone by like the wind.”

Even so, the Blue Devils were treated to competing in front of the home crowd on their home turf on one of the best weather days Mother Nature has provided this spring.

“In this stadium, it’s always different for me,” Savage said. “The energy is great. Flinn Stadium has never gotten old for me. I love Flinn Stadium. The turnout from the crowd was great. … There were a lot of people coming to watch, which was good to see.”