Stellar field-event performers Sam Cheadle and Gabe Spittle both placed in Section 3A high school track and field competition at Luverne last Thursday, May 30.
Cheadle scored 5.5 points in the high-powered meet by placing in a fifth-place tie (3.5 points) in the high jump (five feet, 11 inches) and placing seventh (two points) in the triple jump with a leap of 40 feet, four inches.
Spittle soared over the bar at 10 feet, nine inches with fewer misses than Luverne’s Eli Radtke and earned an eighth-place point in the pole vault.
Both Cheadle and Spittle are Fulda High School seniors, who were representing the paired Heron Lake-Okabena / Fulda boys’ track and field squad at the sectional meet after advancing by performing well at the East Sub-Section Meet at Redwood Falls on May 23.
“Sam and Gabe both had exceptional all-around track and field careers,” summed up Coach Brad Holinka, who coached them as HLOF Coyotes for two seasons and as Fulda Raiders before that. “Placing in the section meet is an accomplishment. It was a fine way for each of them to cap their senior seasons and finish off their high school careers by performing well in the events they love against plenty of quality competition.”
Cheadle had cleared 6-1 in several recent meets and sprung himself over a new personal record (PR) height of 6-3 while winning the sub-section meet — which is the state-meet qualifying standard. At Luverne, however, he was not able to make 6-1 — as four others did — and had to settle for a fifth-place tie with Southwest Christian / Edgerton’s Joshua Raak.
