By FRED KRONER
Sometimes, the only reaction is “what if?”
That phrase is often muttered when a particular player or a certain team didn’t live up to expectations or the preseason hype.
I remember one year a school was booted out of an IHSA girls’ basketball regional – thus ending its season – because bad weather conditions caused the school to close, and they had a policy in place they could not compete in an athletic event if school was not in session n. However, the regional site was in session and did not postpone its tournament games.
The IHSA decided it was up to the teams to get there, or to forfeit. What if … the weather had not been bad that day?
There is also another set of circumstances that are appropriate for “what if?” That is also when other conditions beyond a person’s control, or a school’s control, don’t allow the games to go on.
This point was touched on in the softball section, but we will elaborate now for boys’ track and field.
How much more accomplished would Hunter Hendershot have been had he had all four years to compete instead of having COVID-19 cancel his entire senior season outdoors and a majority of the 2020 indoor season?
Athletes typically show improvement from year to year as they grow stronger, mature and become more skilled in their endeavors.
Hendershot, a 2020 M-S graduate, was a master at the shot put and discus.
He established school records in each of his specialties as a junior, and won back-to-back state championships in the shot put as a sophomore and as a junior.
He was a state-medalist in both weight events all three years and was a double winner as a junior, also prevailing in Class 2A in the discus.
It’s not conjecture to say that his legacy could have been much greater.
Mahomet-Seymour’s boys’ track program has never had an individual earn All-State status in an event four years in a row in one event. Hendershot was on his way to that achievement in two events.
M-S had never had a boy win state in the same event two years in a row. Hendershot was on track to three straight titles in the shot put.
Only one previous Bulldog boy had won two individual events in a single season until Hendershot matched that feat as a junior. He was on his way to that accomplishment two years in a row.
What if … he had enjoyed a senior season? How much distance would he have added to his school records in the shot put (62-1 ¼) and the discus (182-4)?
We can speculate, based on his high school improvement.
In the discus, he improved by more than 10 feet from freshman to sophomore seasons, and by more than 12 feet from sophomore to junior seasons.
Another 12-foot improvement as a senior could have landed him around the 194-foot mark and a top-eight performance all-time among IHSA athletes.
What if? Perhaps he could have even challenged to be the third high schooler in state history to eclipse the magical 200-foot mark.
In the shot put, Hendershot improved by nearly 7 ½ feet from freshman to sophomore seasons and by another 22 inches from sophomore to junior seasons.
At that, he was less than nine inches away from a top-20 all-time spot on the IHSA records list even without his senior year.
Another improvement in the two-foot range as a senior would have placed him in the 64-foot range and – again – a top-10 all-time IHSA listing.
As we look back and reflect, a natural question comes to mind: What if?
Without further ado, the Mahomet-Seymour Quarter-Century team in boys’ track and field.
AUSTIN ARMETTA, Class of 2012, POLE VAULT. All-Stater (seventh) as a senior in pole vault. Ranks sixth on school charts (14-9) in the pole vault as a senior.
JARED BOSCH, 2006, HIGH JUMP/TRIPLE JUMP. Two-time All-Stater (fourth twice) in the high jump as a junior and as a senior. Ranks second (44-6 ½) on the school list of career leaders in the triple jump from his sophomore year. Ranks second (6-7) on the all-time M-S list in the high jump, a mark he achieved as both a junior and as a senior.
BRANDON BRETZ, 2018, SPRINTS. News-Gazette All-Area first-teamer as a senior and as a junior. Two-time All-Stater (third place and sixth place) in the 400 meters as a junior and senior, respectively. Ranks third (49.62) on the school’s career charts in the 400 meters as a junior. Ranks seventh (22.51) on the all-time leaders list in the 200 meters from his junior year.
ANDREW BREWER, 2009, HURDLES. All-Stater as a senior with the 1,600-meter relay. Ranks fifth (39.90) on the school’s all-time records charts for the 300-meter hurdles as a senior, when he finished 11th at state.
GRANT BREWER, 2005, HURDLES. Ranks fourth (39.00) on the school’s all-time records’ list for the 300-meter hurdles. Ranks seventh (15.15) on the school’s career charts in the 110-meter hurdles as a senior.
DEREK BUNCH, 2012, WEIGHTS. Two-time All-Stater (fifth place and sixth place) in the shot put as a junior and as a senior, respectively. Ranks fourth (57-11) on the school’s all-time charts for the shot put as a senior.
BRIAN BUTCHER, 2017, DISTANCE. All-Area second-teamer as a senior. Ranks third (9:22.94) on the school’s list of career leaders in the 3,200 meters from his senior year.
ROBERT BYRON, 2023, WEIGHTS. All-Area second-teamer as a senior. All-Stater (fifth place) in the discus as a junior. Ranks seventh (166-5) on the school’s career records list for the discus from his junior year.
TY CLARK, 2025, POLE VAULT. All-Area second-teamer as a junior and as a senior. Three-time All-Stater (ninth place, eighth place and seventh place) in the pole vault as a sophomore, junior and senior, respectively. Ranks third on school charts for pole vault (15-4 ¼) as a senior.
BLAKE DILLMAN, 2025, MID-DISTANCE. All-Stater as a freshman with the 3,200-meter relay. Ranks fifth (50.40) on the school’s career charts for the 400 meters as a senior.
ANDY ELLIS, 2000, MID-DISTANCE. Area’s top 800-meter runner (1:56.90) as a senior, with a time which ranks fourth on the school’s list of all-time career leaders.
COLTON FENDER, 2011, HURDLES/SPRINTS. All-Stater as a senior (fifth place) in the 300-meter hurdles and (eighth place) in the 110-meter hurdles as well as with the 1,600-meter relay as a sophomore. Ranks third on the school charts (14.77) for the 110-meter hurdles as a senior. Also ranks third (38.93) on the all-time leaders’ list in the 300-meter hurdles as a senior.
RILEY FORTUNE, 2018, DISTANCE. Two-time All-Area first-teamer. All-Stater as a senior (ninth place) in the 800 meters as well as in relays (seventh place and fourth place) as a sophomore and junior, respectively. Ranks fifth (1:56.91) all-time at M-S in the 800 meters from his junior year.
AUGGIE GAUDIO, 2026, MID-DISTANCE. All-Stater as a junior (seventh place) in the 800 meters as well as with the state-runner-up 3,200-meter relay. School record-holder (1:55.07) in the 800 meters as a junior. Ranks sixth (4:22.69) all-time at M-S in the 1,600 meters from his junior year. All-Area second-teamer as a junior.
MARSHALL GRAHAM, 2012, SPRINTS. Ranks third (22.24) on the school’s list of career leaders in the 200 meters from his junior year. Ranks fifth (11.04) all-time at M-S in the 100 meters as a senior.
HUNTER HENDERSHOT, 2020, WEIGHTS. Three-time All-Area first-teamer and Area Athlete of the Year as a junior. Six-time All-Stater, winning the shot put as both a sophomore and junior after placing seventh as a freshman. In the discus, was the state champion as a junior after finishing third as a sophomore and sixth as a freshman. School record-holder in the shot put (62-1 ¼) and also in the discus (182-4), both as a junior.
RYAN HODGE, 2018, DISTANCE. All-Area second-teamer as a junior. All-Stater twice with 3,200-meter relays, placing seventh as a sophomore and fourth as a junior. Ranks eighth (4:23.37) all-time at M-S in the 1,600 meters from his junior year. Also ranks eighth (9:34.21) on the school’s list of career leaders in the 3,200 meters from his senior year.
TRAVIS HOFFMAN, 2025, HURDLES/SPRINTS. All-Area first-teamer as a senior. All-Stater as a junior (fifth place) in the 300-meter hurdles. School record-holder (37.93) in the 300-meter hurdles as a senior. Ranks fourth on the school’s career charts (14.93) in the 110-meter hurdles as a senior. Ranks sixth (22.45) on the M-S all-time leaders list in the 200 meters from his senior year.
DeANGELO HUGHEY, 2023, SPRINTS. All-Area first-teamer as a senior. All-Stater as a senior (second place) in the 400 meters and (sixth place) in the 200 meters. School record-holder (48.04) in the 400 meters as a senior. School record-holder (21.47) in the 200 meters from his senior year. Ranks fourth all-time (10.98) at M-S for the 100 meters as a senior.
JAYVON IRWIN, 2024, SPRINTS. All-Area second-teamer as a senior. Ranks third (10.96) on the all-time school-record list for the 100 meters as a senior. Ranks fourth (22.28) on the career list of all-time leaders at M-S in the 200 meters from his senior year.
ANDREW JACOB, 2011, SPRINTS. Ranks second (22.14) all-time at M-S in the 200 meters from his senior year.
NICK JARVIS, 2009, WEIGHTS. All-Stater as a senior (ninth) in the shot put. Ranks eighth (54-5) on the school’s all-time records list in the shot put as a senior.
ALEX KEEBLE, 2016, DISTANCE. All-Area first-teamer as a senior and All-Area second-teamer as a junior. Three-time All-Stater in the 3,200 meters (fifth place, second place and fifth place) as a sophomore, junior and senior, respectively. Ranks second (9:16.42) all-time at M-S for the 3,200 meters from his senior year. Ranks fourth (4:21.30) for the 1,600 meters as a senior.
ADAM KESLER, 2005, SPRINTS. Tied for first place (10.6) on the career M-S all-time leaders list in the 100 meters as a senior. Ranks in a tie for ninth place (22.3) on the school’s list of all-time leaders in the 200 meters from his senior year.
ETHAN KING, 2009, WEIGHTS. All-Stater as a senior (seventh place) in the shot put. Ranks ninth (53-7) on the school’s all-time records list for the shot put as a senior.
TRAVIS LEONARD, 2004, WEIGHTS. Ranks fourth (177-7) on the school’s all-time record lists for the discus as a senior.
JAKE MAHAFFEY, 2009, DISTANCE. All-Stater as a senior (seventh place) in the 3,200 meters.
COLE MARSHALL, 2023, TRIPLE JUMP/SPRINTS. All-Area second-teamer as a senior. All-Stater as a senior (fifth place) in the triple jump. Ranks fifth (22.35) all-time at M-S in the 200 meters from his senior year. Ranks sixth (42-11 ¼) on the career M-S leaders list in the triple jump from his senior year.
ZACH McCLUGHEN, 2011, LONG JUMP/TRIPLE JUMP. All-Stater as a senior (fifth place) in the triple jump. School record-holder (45-7 ¾ ) in the triple jump from his senior year. Ranks seventh (21-2) on the all-time school’s leaders list in the long jump from his senior year.
CALE McCORMICK, 2012, MID-DISTANCE. All-Stater as a junior and as a senior with the 3,200-meter relay, finishing ninth and eighth, respectively. Ranks second (1:55.20) on the career M-S leaders list for the 800 meters as a senior.
HENRY McMURRY, 2026, DISTANCE. All-Area first-teamer as a junior as well as an All-Stater (sixth place) in the 1,600 meters as well as with the state runner-up 3,200-meter relay. Ranks seventh (1:57.26) all-time at M-S for the 800 meters as a junior. Ranks seventh (4:22.77) on the school’s list of career leaders in the 1,600 meters from his junior year.
STEVE PIERSON, 2000, HIGH JUMP. Ranks third (6-5 ½) on the list of all-time M-S leaders in the high jump from his senior year. He had the area’s second-best jump that spring.
GABE POMMIER, 2017, DISTANCE. All-Area second-teamer as a senior. Ranks second (4:18.10) all-time at M-S in the 1,600 meters from his senior year.
MATHIAS POWELL, 2019, DISTANCE. Three-time All-Area first-teamer. Three-time All-Stater (fourth place, second place and first place) as a sophomore, junior and senior, respectively. Also, All-Stater (third place) as a senior in the 1,600 meters. School record-holder (9:03.51) on the M-S career leaders list in the 3,200 meters from his senior year. Ranks fifth (4:21.87) on the school’s all-time leaders list in the 1,600 meters from his senior year.
WADE RIPPY, 2004, SPRINTS/HURDLES. Tied for first place (10.6) on the school’s all-time leaders list in the 100 meters. Ranks fifth (14.95) on the school’s career charts in the 110-meter hurdles as a senior. Ranks sixth (39.95) on the M-S career records list for the 300-meter hurdles as a junior. Ranks in a tie for ninth place (22.3) on the all-time leaders list in the 200 meters from his senior year.
ANDREW RONEY, 2013, POLE VAULT. Two-time All-Stater (eighth place and fourth place) as a junior and as a senior, respectively, in the pole vault. Ranks sixth on the school charts (15-3) for the pole vault as a senior.
DREW SAHNI, 2014, LONG JUMP. Ranks fourth (21-6) on the M-S career leaders list in the long jump from his junior year.
JONATHAN SCHAAP, 2013, DISTANCE. School record-holder (4:14.85) in the 1,600 meters as a junior. Ranks sixth (9:29.71) all-time at M-S in the 3,200 meters from his junior year.
JASON SEAMAN, 2007, WEIGHTS. Two-event All-Stater as a senior, third in the shot put and seventh in the discus. Ranks second (60-8 ½) on the school’s career chart for the shot put as a senior and is fifth in the record books (171-5) in the discus as a senior.
JUSTIN SEBENS, 2007, HIGH JUMP. All-Stater as a senior (eighth place) in the high jump. Ranks in a tie for fifth place (6-5) at M-S in the high jump from his senior year.
C.J. SHOAF, 2021, HURDLES/HIGH JUMP. All-Area first-teamer as a senior and Area Athlete of the Year. Two-time All-Stater in the high jump (sixth place and first place) as a sophomore and as a senior, respectively. Also, second at state in the 110-meter hurdles as a senior and third in the 300-meter hurdles as a senior. School record-holder in the 110-meter hurdles (14.15) as a senior. School record-holder (7-0) in the high jump from his senior year. Ranks second (38.40) in the 300-meter hurdles as a senior.
BRENNAN SHOBE, 2017, POLE VAULT. All-Stater as a freshman (sixth place) in the pole vault. Had a personal-best of 13-9 as a freshman and cleared 13-6 as a sophomore.
ANDREW WALMER, 2017, DISTANCE. All-Area second-teamer as a junior. Ranks fifth (9:29.10) all-time at M-S on the career list for the 3,200 meters, from his junior year.
CALLAN WHITEHOUSE, 2018, POLE VAULT. All-Area first-teamer as a senior and All-Area second-teamer as a junior. All-State as a senior (first place) in the pole vault. School record-holder in the pole vault (16-0) as a senior.
WILLIAM WOLF, 2015, DISTANCE. All-Stater as a senior (sixth place) in the 3,200 meters. Ranks ninth (9:35.18) all-time on the M-S list of school leaders in the 3,200 meters from his senior year.
ZANIEL ZILEWICZ, 2013, HURDLES/HIGH JUMP. Ranks second on the school’s charts for 110-meter hurdles (14.67) as a senior. Ranks in a tie for fifth place (6-5) at M-S in the high jump from his senior year.
