Winning an Illinois Elementary School Association Class 2A state team track title as seventh graders, the South Fulton boys squad was determined to repeat as state champions, this time as eighth graders.
The Rebels were able to achieve their goal, but it was not easy.
In the Class 2A state finals held May 16-17 at Eastside Centre in East Peoria, South Fulton finished with 51 points in taking the title.
Arthur was a distant second with 34.5 points, followed by Mt. Carroll West Carroll with 31 points.
South Fulton recorded top seven finishes in seven events, led by the 1-2 finish in the pole vault by Morgan Foglesong and Kalvin Gorsuch.
Foglesong cleared 3.53meters (11-feet, 7-inches) in taking top honors, while Gorsuch was second at 3.16m (10-4.25).
Karter Chenoweth placed second in the 800-meters with a time of two minutes, 5.43 seconds.
Foglesong, Gorsuch, Chenoweth and Jonah Miller combined to finish second in the 4x100 relay with a time of 48.60.
Chenoweth also finished third in the 1600m (4:53.37), while Miller placed third in the 100 (12.33) and fifth in the 200m (24.49).
The 4x400 relay quartet of Quenton Carithers, Gorsuch, Foglesong and Chenoweth finished seventh (3:54.74).
Gorsuch also qualified in the 110 hurdles, where finished 18th (18.47).
As seventh graders, the Rebels rolled up 66 points in winning the team title, finishing 25 points ahead of runner-up Paris Crestwood (41).
Miller and Chenoweth each won two events with Miller capturing the 100 (12.16) and 200 (25.00), while Chenoweth winning the 800 (2:12.91) and 1600 (5:03.98).
Miller also placed fifth in the long jump (5.42m, 17-9.5).
Gorsuch and Foglesong placed second and third in the pole vault (2.80m, 9-2.25) The 4x100 relay team of Foglesong, Gorsuch, Chenoweth and Miller finished second (51.07).
In other events, Gorsuch was ninth in 110 hurdles (18.23) and Foglesong was 20th in the 400 (1:02.04).
The 4x400 relay of Foglesong, sixth grader Aaron Klaska, Gorsuch and Chenoweth finished 14th (4:24.74).
The group now moves to high school, joining a program that finished second in Illinois High School Association Class 1A Sectional competition this past season at Mackinaw.
