Hillsboro jumper
looking for record at state
Staff writer
The class 2A track regionals in Marion on Friday were an opportunity for Hillsboro’s Josiah Driggers to take center stage, and he delivered.
Driggers’ mark of 43 feet, 10½ inches in the boys triple jump was almost two feet beyond teammate Carl Linnens, who took second by a foot.
Driggers said he will try to break Hillsboro’s record of 44 feet, 6 inches at state Friday.
“I’m excited, but I’m also really nervous,” he said. “Hopefully it goes well.”
As well as he jumped, there were places Driggers said he could improve.
“My second phase is a little short,” he said. “If I can improve that, hopefully it will boost me to the record.”
Aided by 10 other top three finishes, Hillsboro boys finished first overall with 116 pts, while the girls were fifth with 57.
In the case of Marion pole vaulter Anne Baliel, Friday wasn’t just about breaking the school’s record — it was also about family.
“With my dad doing it, I always wanted to do it too,” she said. “I knew about it because he did it. Tying his record in middle school was cool.”
The Marion sophomore won Friday, but she was just shy of breaking the record of 10 feet, 6 inches, which she matched earlier in the season.
The support of her parents boosted her commitment to the sport, Baliel said.
“My parents help me with everything,” she said. “They take me to camps in the offseason and all Christmas break.”
Her father Dave said he’s glad that he and Anne share the love of a sport.
“She’s always been a bit of a daredevil and very coordinated,” he said.
He suggested she try it in middle school, and there has been little need for encouragement since then, Dave said.
“She was all in for it and it just seemed like a natural thing for her,” he said.
Anne was a key athlete to the Warriors, helping the girls finish third as a team with 60 points. Marion boys finished 10 overall with 29 points.
Hillsboro boys top finishers: 4x100, third place, 46.01 seconds; 4x800, third place, 9:08.77; pole vault, Nate Hein first place, 13’ 6”, Charlie Major T-second place, 10’ 6”; long jump, Driggers first place, 21’ 11¾”, Jamari Harris sixth place, 18’ 8½”; triple jump, Driggers first place, 43’ 10 ½”, Linnens second place, 42’ ½”; shot put, Wes Shaw first place, 62’ 4”, Jared Janzen second place, 42’ 5”; discus, Shaw first place, 149’ 5”; Janzen second place, 143’ 6”; javelin, Austin Rempel third place, 145’ 9”, Cole Kaufman fourth place, 139’ 6”; 100 meters, Hein fourth place, 12.19 seconds; 200 meters, Demarius Cox fifth place, 26.30 seconds; 800 meters, Caleb Diener fifth place, 2:15.30; 3200 meters, Tristan Reed fourth place, 10:45.64.
Hillsboro girls top finishers: high jump, Iris Klien second place, 4’ 8”; long jump, Kinsey Kleiner fifth place, 16’; discus, Jessica Saunders second place, 121’ 7”; javelin, Addie Berens first place, 114’ 2”, J. Saunders third place, 108’ 5”; 100 meters, Kleiner fifth place, 14.03 seconds, Klien sixth place, 14.49; 400 meters, Eva Franz third place, 1:05.25.