By John D'Onofrio
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal
FREDONIA —
A goal-scoring phenom on the soccer field, Lockport High School junior Alex Reid is also a presence on the track.
Reid earned a trip to the state indoor track championships on Thursday when he won the long jump at the 2012 Section VI State Boys Championship Qualifier at Fredonia.
Reid, along with senior Robert “Bubba” Ralyea and super sophomore Dan Jones all qualified for next weekend’s state championship meet to be held at Cornell University.
It was a record setting day at Fredonia for both Reid and Ralyea, said Lions head coach Richard Pytlik.
The fleet-footed Reid placed first in the long jump with a leap of 22-feet, 5-inches. Reid’s top jump this year of 22-8 is a new Lockport indoor track record.
In addition to that, the Niagara Frontier League’s top soccer scorer last fall also placed second in the 55-meter dash with a runner-up time of 6.65 seconds. Earlier this season, Reid sprinted home in 6.58 seconds, which is also a new school record.
“Alex has been performing at this consistent high level all season,” coach Pytlik said.
“He’s a tremendous athlete whom all of his competitors regard as one of the best. He continues to get better with every season, and I believe we'll see some truly amazing feats from him in the upcoming outdoor season.”
Bubba was second in the pole vault, leaping 13 feet flat. Ralyea, also a soccer standout last fall, set a new school record earlier this year in the pole vault with a jump of 13-6.
Also placing second for the Lions was the boys 4-by-200 meter relay quartet of freshman Nick Hamilton, sophomore Ben Cain, Ralyea and Reid. Their time was 1:40.02.
Also for the Lockport boys, Jones ran to a third-place finish in the 1,000-meter run, crossing the line in 2:43.78.
Topping the Lockport girls was senior Olivia Kurbs, who jumped 10-feet flat in the pole vault, earning a fourth-place finish.
