Red Raiders relish state girls track title
HUNTLEY — Huntley completed a successful season in girls track and field as State Class 3A Champions May 20 at O’Brien Stadium at Eastern Illinois University.
HHS featured championships by senior Ally Panzloff ‘s 48.73 meters in the discus throw; senior Alexandria Johnson in the long jump with a 5.96 meters and sister sophomore Dominique Johnson in the triple jump, 12.35 meters.
Head coach Jason Monson explained the feeling from when the title was determined to a welcome home.
“The ride home was long but it was exciting because we knew the community would show up,” Monson said. “When we pulled off I-90, a police escort picked us up and took us on a loop of the downtown before taking us to the high school, where about 100 people were waiting A lot of other girls and parents showed up to celebrate. It was incredibly emotional and exciting to share that moment with a lot of members of our team, including some alumni.”
Seeds for the championship were sewn when the Red Raiders came close to the team state crown last season.
“We spoke to the girls about winning a championship and that being the goal, something we did not do the previous year. I think that made a difference because it put the focus on May. I think we are a true definition of a championship team. We scored in throws, distance (runs) and sprint relays,” Monson said.
State Champions trio
“Having three different state champions is extremely special and a first for our program,” Monson said. “Everyone knew the Johnsons would be jumping for state titles this year because they did it last year. Panzloff was incredibly special because she put in so much work in the off-season. Panzloff was throwing at times during her volleyball season and over the summer. Her throw was an incredibly special one as well, as it was the 11th best throw in the nation at the high school level this season. It was absolutely incredible to hear the emotion when they announced the distance. Many people probably understood it would probably be difficult for anyone to challenge that distance. She made a ton of big throws, three of them were among the best throws in the entire competition.”
For Alexandria Johnson, her long jump title made it three straight state titles in that event. She is headed to Arizona State University to compete in track and field this fall.
“Alexandria completing her high school career with a third straight long jump championship is absolutely incredible. Dominique John taking down the triple jump championship is extremely exciting for her as it is her first state championship, and as a sophomore, there will be more to come.” Key relay events garnered second and third-place points.
The 4×100 of Dominique Johnson, Vicky Evitmov, K’Leigh Saenz, and Alexandria Johnson clocked a 47.97 seconds in the finals for second.
The 4×200 meter quartet of Alex Johnson, Saenz, Evitmov and Dominique Johnson concluded third place.
“Our depth is something we talk about a lot and we needed it this weekend,” Monson said. “On Friday we knew that Alexandria Johnson and Dominique Johnson needed to focus on jumps, so we had Emily Byers ready to go in the 800-meter relay, and she has been on high school runs, so we knew she could get to Saturday. In the end, Dominique Johnson said she needed to focus on jumps, so we were going to have Byers run for her.”
“On Saturday, both Alexandria Johnson and sister Dominique Johnson were able to run in the relay (4×100 for a school record) as they were done with jumps,” Monson said. “Byers was huge. Having that depth allows us to make those difficult decisions we knew would be crucial to winning the state championship.
The Red Raiders also picked up points from senior Breanna Burak, who was fifth in the 3,200 meter run. Senior Brittney Burak made the finals as well. They finished fifth, at 10:40.36 and 16th, 11:03.59, respectively, in the finals.
Sophomore Sienna Robertson, the leader next year in the field events was 11th in the discus throw, 36.61 meters.
