Ottawa Township High School District

OTHS Seniors Joey Liebhart, Bryar Baxter & Stephon Patrick qualified for the IHSA Class 2A Boys State Track Championships.

Liebhart won 1st in the 300-meter hurdles at the IHSA Class 2A Sectionals held at Pontiac High School May 20th. Liebhart, who also ran the 110-meter hurdles, and Patrick in shot put, both finished with 3rd place podium appearances. Baxter finished 4th in pole vault.

As they prepare for their first State meet at Eastern Illinois University May 28th through 30th, Liebhart, Patrick and Baxter and coach Trent Swords shared thoughts about the road to the finals.

How did the Sectional meet unfold for each of you?

Joey Liebhart: “I knew both races were going to be very competitive. I ended up getting 3rd place in the 110 hurdles qualifying for state. I wasn't quite confident that I was going to be running a state time in that race. At the end of the race, I leaned forward over the line and fell, got some nice scratches on my arm. 300 hurdles were my better race. I was fairly confident going in. There were lots of good guys around me, and I think all that pushed me, and I ran a PR and qualified for state.”

Bryar Baxter: “It was a bit of a weird day because I was on a different pole. My other one was too small, and it was a little rocky. I ended up making the state qualifying mark, and that took a lot of the pressure off. And then I ended up tying my PR at 133.”

Stephon Patrick: “I started with shot put. I threw the state qualifying mark on my second throw, surprisingly. Then I went to discus, and I did not make state, but I think I had a good fight. Then we went back to shot put for finals and I threw above the mark I got earlier, and I was for sure going to state.”

Is reaching the IHSA State Championship an expectation?

Trent Swords, Coach: “When we start the year, I talk to everyone about, you know, track is possibly different than other sports that they might be involved in, like football or basketball, that are more team oriented. We are a team, but there are individual goals they set for themselves. I tell them early on to set those goals, know what those are, know what the time is to qualify for state and that's what you come to work on each day at practice. It's a stressful time for a coach and for these athletes. It doesn't matter what you've done all season - you have to do it at that one particular meet (sectionals). I’m hopeful they are able to achieve the goals that they've set for themselves. I'm really proud not only of these three, but everybody from our team. We had a really nice sectional. We competed well. We were 5/10ths of a second away from qualifying our 4 x 4 team, which would have been the first time ever for OTHS. Our 4 x 1 was a couple ticks off as well. So, we had a lot of great competition, and we performed well.

What are your goals for the State Meet?

Stephon Patrick: “I think my expectations are that when I get to throw on Friday morning, that I will be able to compete, and I will be able to make it to finals for Saturday morning, and I could make myself one of the top athletes in Illinois this year. I know that I would like to make this more icing on a cake for me and Coach Swords because I know that he's retiring.”

Bryar Baxter: “My expectations are, hopefully, to make it to finals. I know it's gonna be very competitive, a lot of good jumpers there. I hope to reach my goal that I've set for myself at 13 (feet) 6 (inches). But I don't know. The ultimate goal was to make it to state. I've said since freshman year that I wanted to go, so I'm just glad I get to.”

Joey Liebhart: “My ultimate goal is to place top three in the 300 (meter) hurdles. Since the beginning of the year, I've known that I can compete in the 300 (meter hurdles) specifically, 110 (meter hurdles), maybe not quite as much. I would still love to do great in those, but my main focus this weekend is get to the finals and then go out there and compete. I know I can compete with all of those guys and I'm very hopeful for that.”

What are your plans after high school?

Bryar Baxter: “It's all a little bit blurry. Nothing's really set in stone yet, but if track is in it, then I will be set.”

Joey Liebhart: “I don't plan on running track or doing any type of sports after high school. I'll be going to the University of Illinois to study civil engineering.”

Stephon Patrick: “After high school, I'll be traveling to California to pursue my goals in football. Hopefully this is not the last time I compete.

Trent Swords, Coach: “It just brings me such pride and joy to see the kids that I've had a part in coaching and just be a part of their high school life for four years to see them become young men, set goals, go out, work hard, and achieve their goals. It will be an emotional day for me as it always is when the track season comes to an end and the seniors move on. It'll be a tough day, but I'll be super excited. I know these guys are gonna do a great job and I’m just so proud of them.”

OTHS Junior Gwen Jimenez & Freshman Kendall Justice qualified for the IHSA Class 2A Girls State Track Championships.

Justice in the 400-meter race & Jimenez in shot put finished 2nd at IHSA Sectionals held in Mendota May 13th. As they prepare for State at Eastern Illinois University May 20th through 23rd, they joined their coaches to share thoughts about reaching the championship meet.

Was qualifying at Sectionals a surprise or an expectation?

Gwen Jimenez: “Towards the middle of the season, I kind of fell into a slump, so towards the end, I peaked. Because I PR'd that Monday of sectionals week, I was really hoping that I could throw that distance again, which was state qualifying. So, I was really nervous and then once I got it, I was relaxed.”

Kendall Justice: “I was just so shocked. I wasn't expecting to get second or anything like top three. And when I found out I got second, I was just so surprised and grateful. There were two people in front of me, and the one other girl from LP, I caught her right at the end, and it was just crazy.”

Did you choose your events or did your events choose you?

Kendall Justice: “My dad always would tell me that I would be a really good 400 runner, and so I just tried it and I really liked it. I started it out last year in 8th grade, and I liked it the first time I tried it, and I did pretty good, so I just kept doing it. I did start off with the shorter sprints, so I was used to it until I tried (the 400) and I really liked it.”

Gwen Jimenez: “I started in grade school, and then I got 3rd in state for my 8th grade year. Since then I've always been in the gym, it's always been kind of working hand in hand with shot put. And since I did really good in grade school, I just kind of stuck with it.”

What is the importance of reaching the IHSA State Championship Meet?

Dan Heaver, Head Coach: “You've accomplished something, you've put in the work, you've trained hard, you've done all that. All the state competitions, they do a great job of making it special. You're always there with some of the greatest people. Great coaches, great student athletes, and that's just a fun time interacting with all those people beyond just the actual competition that you're there for.”

Andrew Jacobi, Coach: “As a team, we've made some pretty big strides. It does take a team to really support the individual, even if you're not necessarily contributing athletically, you can still contribute to be part of the team culture and everything. This is this is as much of a reward for them as it is for us to see them get there. Just getting there says something about you and regardless of what the result is, you can still be proud because that can't be taken away.”

Jonathan Pena, Coach: “They should be very proud. We put in a lot of hard work. And that pays off going to state and going there with the best athletes in the state. It's really cool and important to soak that in, you know, realize that you belong there and you're there for a reason. You hit your marks and that you belong with that group of elite competitors.

What are your expectations heading into this weekend?

Gwen Jimenez: Well, the girls ahead of me are throwing really far, so I'm kind of just going for a personal record. I'm just trying to better myself, and if I make finals, that's fun.

Jonathan Pena, Coach: “Gwen knows what to expect. I think she's ranked around 16th right now. I'm looking at the field for Friday and if she hits around her PR, I think she could make finals. The window from where she's at to the top 12 is just a matter of inches. So, if she's anywhere near where she throws or where she's been throwing, I think she will be okay.”

Kendall Justice: “My expectation is to just go and compete and hopefully make finals. It's a really big shot for me making finals, because I’m a freshman, and it's just gonna be a challenge.”

Andrew Jacobi: “I primarily work with Kendall. And my thoughts are, go soak it all in, enjoy the experience and try to get another PR and see what happens. So, we’ll see if we can get her out a little bit quicker and see where it goes. There's a reason why she’s in the race.”

Dan Heaver, Head Coach: “It's a long season. For both of these girls - along with a bunch of the others - track season is the longest season of all the sports because you're going pretty much the entire second semester. Both of them putting in work starting in January, February definitely helps pay off here at the end.”

What are your goals for the State Championship meet?

Gwen Jimenez: “I really hope that I do good at this meet, but if I don't, there's always more next year for improvement and over the summer I can hopefully work with Mr. Peña and get better.

Kendall Justice: “It's really just an honor to be running at state. We've been practicing since the start of the year, and we've been putting in a bunch of work. So, I'm just really excited that I made it this far. And I hope that this weekend goes really well.”

The Ottawa Township High School (OTHS) Music Department finished 3rd in the 2026 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class A Music Sweepstakes. The OTHS bands and choirs participating in the IHSA Solo and Ensemble and Organizational Contests scored a combined 807 points, which marks the 40th time OTHS has placed in the top 3 in its class in the 54-year history of the IHSA Music Sweepstakes.

“Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, Concert Choir, Treble Choir, and Crimson Choir all got all Division I (Superior) Ratings,” explained OTHS Band Director Andrew Jacobi. “It’s the third time that has happened in my 10 years at the school.”

90 OTHS music students competed in 100 events during the Solo and Ensemble Contest part of the competition March 7th at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School before the full music department headed to Kewanee High School for the Organizational portion that was supposed to begin Friday, April 17th.

“A challenge that the choirs had to face was that we were suddenly rescheduled to Day 2 of Organizational Contest due to the weather,” said OTHS Choral Director Ali Stachowicz. The performances resumed Saturday April 18th. “It ended up being all the more exciting and special that all three choirs were awarded Division I’s, because the students rose to the occasion against those circumstances."

“One of our biggest goals throughout the contest is providing our students with quality musical experiences,” says Jacobi, who stressed a primary goal for the band and choirs transcends how they score in the competition. “Our main focus is to grow our students into stronger musicians,” he said. “The biggest win for us is the quality music we made along the way and the bonds our students made with each other through the process.”

High school music programs across 5 different classes (AA, A, B, C, D) compete in the IHSA Solo & Ensemble Contest and the IHSA Music Organizational Contest. The highest combined score from both events determines the State Champion. Since the IHSA State Music Championship series began in 1972, OTHS has collected 22 total IHSA State Music Championships, six runner-up awards, and twelve 3rd place finishes.