Caleb Blonde's 3,600-meter total at regionals sets stage for upcoming state finals run
HILLSDALE COUNTY — Let's flash back to last year's Division 3 state finals — a rain drenched Saturday afternoon, where the conditions could not be more tough on runners. Then-freshman Caleb Blonde helped the Jonesville boys track team earn all-state top five finishes in the 4x800 and the 3,200-meter races. At regionals, he clocked in over 5,600 meters of running distance.
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Heading into his sophomore spring track season, the expectations for Blonde couldn't be higher after taking all-state fifth place honors at the D3 cross country finals and being named the Hillsdale Daily News Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. The sophomore has the experience of running down long distances at his events, and that helped set the stage for him to help the Jonesville varsity boys track team earn a team regional title at this year's Region 25 finals.
Jonesville sophomore Caleb Blonde runs down an all-state fifth place finish at the D3 state finals.
The team came up short of beating their rivals in Hillsdale last year, and Blonde says the team had set the goal this year to get revenge against their in-county rivals.
"We had a goal, and we came in here and took that goal," Blonde said. "We had to rely on everybody. The sprints, the relays, the distance (events), it all counts. And it all added up at the end."
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More: Jonesville boys track celebrates regional title; athletes compete for state qualification
Blonde didn't match his regional distance set last year, but his 3,600-plus meters logged at this year's regionals helped the team win two individual regional titles and qualify both of their long-distance relay teams for the state finals.
Jonesville sophomore Caleb Blonde ran down individual regional titles in both the boys 1,600-meter run and 800-meter run.
"I was prepared mentally and physically," Blonde said. "We've had workouts all year long that pushed us to be our best, and that's what we showed on the track."
Although it wasn't a race he ran at last year's regional event, he won this year's 800-meter regional title with a PR of 1:57.38. He has won all three of his 800-meter runs this year.
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More: Jonesville boys track wins regional championship, its first title since 2007
Last season, he won five 1,600-meter runs, and this year his regional title win — with a time of 4:32.03 — was his sixth of the year. He hasn't lost a single event in that race so far.
As a part of the 4x400 relay team with Logan Stanton, Mason Jordan and John Milks, he anchored the final leg of the race to a fifth-place finish and a time of 3:32.25. The team qualified for the D3 state finals based on time.
Jonesville sophomore Caleb Blonde chases down the competition in the final leg of the boys 4x400-meter raly
In the 4x800-meter relay with teammates Ashton Potwin, Zachery Childress and Collin Fucile, they took fourth place with a time of 8:20.84, qualifying on time for the state finals.
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"We didn't have the best race last week, but we came back today and almost ran a PR. Our 4x400 guys, we've worked hard all year to get to where we are at, and we ran another PR."
Jonesville sophomore Caleb Blonde gets a fast start in the 800-meter dash on his way to a regional title.
State Finals Preview
Blonde's regional finals success with his teammates sets up a potentially big day for the sophomore at this year's Division 3 state finals held in Kent City.
"We got a lot of hard work these next two weeks," Blonde said. "We got the area best meet coming up, and then we got states the following week. So, it's going to be a real big deal. (I want to thank) my parents, my coaches and everyone that helps us. It's a blessing."
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In his two individual state qualifying events, Blonde ranks first out of all recorded 800-meter division 3 running results this season. Just behind him is Clay Powell, senior from Ovid Elsie. Blonde's best time this season was 1:57.38. Powell's time is 1:57.56. While it's early to say which events Blonde will run in at this year's finals, he is projected to have a shot at bringing home a state title for the Comets in the 800-meter run.
In the 1,600-meter run standings, Blonde is 10th overall and within the range of earning all-state honors.
The 4x400 relay team sits at 19th overall in the standings. Their rivals in Hillsdale rank 10th, who also qualified for the state finals. They will look to battle once-again at the finals.
The 4x800 relay team sits at 12th overall, looking to be within a few seconds of every team within spots 5-10 in the standings. The team, which is led by one senior in Zachery Childress, sits about seven seconds shy of last year's all-state team, but Childress and Blonde return from that group to help lead freshman Ashton Potwin and fellow sophomore Colin Fucile to a potential season-best time.
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There will be plenty of other state qualifiers from both the Hillsdale and Jonesville boys and girls track teams that will be attending this year's state finals. The finals will be held at Kent City High School on Saturday, May 31. Tickets are $11 and must be purchased at GoFan. Parking is $5 per vehicle. Parking passes can also be purchased at GoFan. More information about finals day can be found at mhsaa.com.
Area Best Meet
That Hillsdale Area Best Meet will be hosted by Hillsdale Academy on Tuesday, May 27 at Hayden Park. The meet will feature the top athletes and relay teams (usually top nine) in each event from boys and girls Hillsdale County track results from this season.
Blonde has also won three 3,200-meter events this season, including a Cascades Conference title, but the sophomore did not partake in that event, which would have pushed his running total for the day to nearly 7,000 meters.
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They will compete for top three medals and Athlete of the Meet honors. Events start at 4 p.m. with field. The 4x800 relay will run at 5:30 p.m., and it will be followed by the National Anthem and the start of running events at 6 p.m.
Blonde currently leads the boys 800-meter run. He ranks second in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs.
The Ralph Crume Athletes of the Meet will be awarded following the conclusion of the running events.
Admission for entry is $5.
The current rankings can be found at athletic.net. An official entry list will be published ahead of the meet.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Caleb Blonde's 3,600-meter day at regionals sets stage for state finals run for Jonesville track
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