Zeke, Amos Dominate Class 3 District Track

“A winner never quits, and a quitter never wins”

So true, so true.

Ezekiel Elliott, the most prominent athlete to emerge from John Burroughs since the school’s inception in the 1920s was a winner on the MICDS district track Saturday.

Consider the fact, between 11 am and 5 p.m., he ran 7 races, counting the preliminaries of the sprints and hurdles. He won six of those races--one got slightly away.

More race photos on the Ladue-Frontenac Facebook Page

The fact that he lost the 100 meter dash to fellow football back Denzell Conway (MICDS) stuck more in his craw than winning the other six. (See related story about Denzell Conway.)

“I was surprised he beat me. I got lost in the moment a little bit winning that 110 high hurdles. He dipped under 14 seconds in that event for the first time this rainy, cold spring season.

Elliott, headed to Ohio State football is determined not to let that happen again.

It was another stellar meet for the Burroughs’ senior.   “All this running does take a toll on me. But, I’ll be ready for state (in Jeff City May 24-25)."

Elliott was on the victory stand four times. He won the gold medal in the 110 highs (13.77); 300 intermediate hurdles (38.94); 200 meter dash (22.56) and second in the 100 dash with a time of 10.95. Conway nipped him at the line in the 100 in 10.90.

Amos was Famous

It was just another hard workout for Amos Bartelsmeyer, one of the premier long-distance stars for MICDS. He’s been competing both in and out of town this spring, getting ready for the collegiate cross country season at Georgetown University.

“I thank my coaches for letting me run in those out-of-town meets," he said.

Running in distances is pretty much just “move on” day. All competitors want to do is finish top four, and qualify for sectionals (at MICDS) this Saturday.

In the 1600 meter race (first in 4:30.58) he dispatched his nemesis Kirk Smith of Burroughs with much ease. He let Smith set the pace, and at the 300 yard mark of the last lap, he dropped a gear and cruised to an easy win.

The other races were steady enough just to win. He won the 800 meters in 2:00.45 (capable of going more than 5 seconds faster than that) and the 3200 meter run in 10:02.60.

“I kind of take these meets one at a time. I’m not thinking all that much about state right now. I just want to qualify, stay healthy and cheer my teammates through the rest of the meet.

This has been a great season. I’ve traveled more than in the past, and it has been an awesome experience,” he said.

The future is now

Keep an eye out for Villa Duchesne freshman Hannah Deines. She swept the 1600 meter field in 5:27.15. She was 8th in state cross country last fall.

She’s been running competitively since the sixth grade at Immanuel Lutheran School in St. Charles. “Villa has a good running program and my coaches are very supportive,” she said. During the winter, she plays basketball. She was third in the 800 meter run in 2:29.08.