Boys: Amory Thompson helps lead Wyomissing to team title

Wyomissing senior Amory Thompson won the 110 hurdles, the 200 and anchored the 400 relay to lead the Wyomissing boys track and field team to a firstplace finish at Schuylkill Valley’s Panther Invitational with 140 points. The Spartans also won the combined team event with 241 points.

Thompson ran the hurdles in 16.17, the 200 in 22.52 and helped the 400 relay team of Andrew Delp, Charlie McIntyre, William Delp and Thompson finish in 44.01.

The victory comes a week after the Wyomissing boys took second at the Leonard Stephan Invitational at Wilson.

“I feel like I can be really competitive,” Thompson said. “I felt like the past few weeks I’ve been a little inconsistent so it felt really good to come out here and run, and I felt like my times were really good on the day.”

While still proud of the win, Thompson said he believes he and his teammates are staying focused on their main goal of winning at districts and states.

“We have our invitational (the Shaner) next (Friday) and Saturday and obviously we want to win that, but everybody here has their sights set on districts and states,” Thompson said. “We want the big trophy so that’s what we’re going to push for.”

Wyomissing junior Jven Williams impressed for the Spartans again, taking home gold in the shot put with a 54-8. Williams did not throw in the discus event after reaching his personal best and a fifth-place medal finish with a throw of 189-1 at the Penn Relays Friday.

“Yesterday (Friday) I had a lot of adrenaline so today I’m a little more tense; a little more drained,” Williams said. “I was able to get a good mark and get first place so that’s really the goal of every single meet.”

Like Thompson, Williams made sure to note that he has unfinished business and wants to break county records in the shot put and discus.

“There’s definitely more in the tank,” Williams said. “I just feel like I can get more power on my throws. And you know most of the throws are effortless, but I feel like if I had a big one, it’s going to be close to 200 feet.”

Williams, an offensive lineman who has committed to Penn State, has his eyes on the Berks discus record of 195-11 set by Schuylkill Valley’s Evan Arnott in 2013 and the shot put mark of 626.25 set by Schuylkill Valley’s Dane Miller in 2002.

Tulpehocken senior Camden Gehris won the pole vault event and reached his personal best, clearing 13-7.

“I just felt good,” Gehris said. “I used a bigger pole than normal and that’s what helped me get over.”

Gehris, an all-division pole vaulter last season, said he has already set higher goals for the rest of the season.

“I’d like to clear 15 (feet),” Gehris said. “It’s pretty far yet, but yeah, I like to set my goals out of proportion.”

Schuylkill Valley’s Luke Seymour had another standout performance in distance running with a first-place finish in the 400 in 50.19 and a gold in the 800 with a 1:55.39.

Seymour, who won the 800 and 1600 last week at the Stephan meet, said that he enjoyed winning in front of his home crowd Saturday.

“It feels nice being around like a big group of people I know and that are cheering me on,” Seymour said. “It just feels good.”

Exeter’s Colin Swafford won the high jump at 6-1 in a jump-off with Reading High’s Justin Walker. Walker won the triple jump at 44-6.

Other track winners from Berks include Elijah Stoudt of Wilson, who finished the 1600 in 4:32.89; and Tulpehocken’s 3200 relay team of Ethan Guss, Jayden Manbeck, Clint Haws and David Bednarczyk, which finished in 8:49.88.

Other field winners from Berks include Brady Mider of Berks Catholic, who threw a 143-8 in the discus; and Drew Forrey of Wyomissing, who threw a 161-10 in the javelin.

Athletes from Conestoga Valley won several events. Zach Stoudt won the long jump in 20-9.75, Zach Phy won the 300 hurdles in 41.16, Nick Tran won the 100 in 11.47 and the team of Car- son Miller, Joseph Castron- ova, Andrew Hoffner and Emmanuel Gitonga won the 1600 relay in 3:33.28.

Landon Boyle of Minersville won the 3200 in 9:53.88