Senior Spotlight of the Day
The boys track and field team faced off against their toughest competition of the season to date Friday night at the Rockridge Invite. Battling local rival Sherrard in a tightly contested team race, the Chargers spent much of the night chasing from behind before clawing their way back into a tie heading into the penultimate event, the 200m dash. With the team title hanging in the balance, the meet came down to the final event of the night—and the boys delivered. In one of the most exciting finishes of the season, the boys edged out Sherrard by a single point, 185–184, to secure another team victory. It was a total team effort from start to finish, and a reminder of just how exciting this sport can be. Also, special shoutouts to the Orion girls team for assisting in a combined 2nd place team finish. Here are the highlights.
4x100m Relay
It’s time to recognize one of the strongest units on this year’s roster—our sprint relays. The Chargers have shown the ability to mix and match personnel while continuing to produce high-level results. Leading the way was the 4x100 relay of Will Maher, Wyatt Steen, Kaden Cirks, and anchor Owen Voorhees, who raced to a 1st place finish in a season-best 44.80. That mark moves them within .47 of the state qualifying standard and just .58 off last year’s school record. Special recognition also goes to senior Owen Voorhees, who turned in four gold-medal performances on the night, contributing 40 team points across the 100m, 4x100, and 4x200, while also setting a new personal best of 22.88 in the 200m.
4x200m Relay
The 4x200 relay may have been the most unexpected breakthrough of the night. After earning gold in the triple jump, junior horizontal jump specialist Aaron Mohr filled in for the lead off leg. Aaron teamed up with the remaining members of the 4x100 relay—Wyatt Steen, Kaden Cirks, and Owen Voorhees—to put together a standout performance, racing to a 1st place finish in 1:33.68. That mark stands as the fastest 4x200 time recorded by Orion in over a decade and moves the group to within .59 seconds of the state qualifying standard.
4x400m Relay
We closed the night with the ultimate pressure event in track and field—the 4x400 relay. With the team title hanging in the balance, the Chargers knew they needed to finish within one place of Sherrard to secure the overall victory. A young lineup rose to the moment. Freshman Carter Sersland, the workhorse of the night after already scoring in the high jump, 4x800, and open 400, led things off with a strong 53-second split. Sophomore shot putter, Aidan Leingang, continued to show his range, stepping in with a personal-best 55-second split. Freshman Max Hessler followed in his first 400 meter appearance of the season and answered with a steady 55-second split of his own. Junior Charley Arnold, the veteran of the group, brought the relay home in 53 and secured 3rd place—just one spot behind Sherrard, and exactly what the Chargers needed to clinch the team title. In the biggest moment of the night, this young group handled the pressure with composure well beyond their years and proved the future of Charger track is in very capable hands.
4x100m Relay
It’s time to recognize one of the strongest units on this year’s roster—our sprint relays. The Chargers have shown the ability to mix and match personnel while continuing to produce high-level results. Leading the way was the 4x100 relay of Will Maher, Wyatt Steen, Kaden Cirks, and anchor Owen Voorhees, who raced to a 1st place finish in a season-best 44.80. That mark moves them within .47 of the state qualifying standard and just .58 off last year’s school record. Special recognition also goes to senior Owen Voorhees, who turned in four gold-medal performances on the night, contributing 40 team points across the 100m, 4x100, and 4x200, while also setting a new personal best of 22.88 in the 200m.
4x200m Relay
The 4x200 relay may have been the most unexpected breakthrough of the night. After earning gold in the triple jump, junior horizontal jump specialist Aaron Mohr filled in for the lead off leg. Aaron teamed up with the remaining members of the 4x100 relay—Wyatt Steen, Kaden Cirks, and Owen Voorhees—to put together a standout performance, racing to a 1st place finish in 1:33.68. That mark stands as the fastest 4x200 time recorded by Orion in over a decade and moves the group to within .59 seconds of the state qualifying standard.
4x400m Relay
We closed the night with the ultimate pressure event in track and field—the 4x400 relay. With the team title hanging in the balance, the Chargers knew they needed to finish within one place of Sherrard to secure the overall victory. A young lineup rose to the moment. Freshman Carter Sersland, the workhorse of the night after already scoring in the high jump, 4x800, and open 400, led things off with a strong 53-second split. Sophomore shot putter, Aidan Leingang, continued to show his range, stepping in with a personal-best 55-second split. Freshman Max Hessler followed in his first 400 meter appearance of the season and answered with a steady 55-second split of his own. Junior Charley Arnold, the veteran of the group, brought the relay home in 53 and secured 3rd place—just one spot behind Sherrard, and exactly what the Chargers needed to clinch the team title. In the biggest moment of the night, this young group handled the pressure with composure well beyond their years and proved the future of Charger track is in very capable hands.
A huge THANK YOU to Elena at MercyOne Genesis for coming into Mrs. Nightingale’s Health classes! She presented on a variety of opportunities in the health fields for students to start thinking about after their high school years.
Senior Spotlight of the Day
Rain Rain just go away already!!! Due to todays forecast tonight's Girls Soccer at Pekin as well as Softball and Baseball vs. Sherrard have all been postponed!
Softball vs. Sherrard will be rescheduled for Wednesday April 29th Varsity at 4:30pm w/JV to follow.
Baseball vs. Sherrard will be rescheduled for Wednesday May 6th. Varsity will be at Love Park at 4:30pm and JV will be at Sherrard at 4:30pm
Girls Soccer at Pekin will be rescheduled for Wednesday May 6th at 4:30pm
Softball vs. Sherrard will be rescheduled for Wednesday April 29th Varsity at 4:30pm w/JV to follow.
Baseball vs. Sherrard will be rescheduled for Wednesday May 6th. Varsity will be at Love Park at 4:30pm and JV will be at Sherrard at 4:30pm
Girls Soccer at Pekin will be rescheduled for Wednesday May 6th at 4:30pm
Senior Spotlight of the Day
OHS Student Council is hosting a blood drive on April 30. Use the QR code on this flyer to book an appointment and support this wonderful cause!
Senior Spotlight of the Day
Last night marked the first Fresh/Soph meet of the boys track season at Annawan-Wethersfield, giving our younger athletes a chance to compete against others in their class. Opportunities like this are valuable for development and always fun to watch, as these athletes continue to grow into the future of our program. Here’s a look at a couple standout performances:
Freshman Carter Sersland has been building a strong foundation in the 400m this season, recently dipping into the 53-second range. With that in mind, we used this meet as a chance to expand his skill set—and it paid off. Carter reached a new level in the high jump, clearing 5’10”, a four-inch personal best and just three inches shy of the state qualifying mark. He also anchored the 4x100 relay to a 5th place finish (49.35) and turned in a solid effort in the 100m dash. Carter’s focus and internal drive continue to stand out, and his versatility is becoming a major asset.
Sophomore Joe Border has put in a lot of focused work this season to refine his technique in the throwing events, and the results are starting to show. Over the past few weeks, he has made significant adjustments that have led to measurable improvements—adding over 15 feet to his discus and more than 5 feet to his shot put compared to last season. He turned in a strong performance at Annawan-Wethersfield, throwing 99’2” in the discus to place 6th and 34’10.5” in the shot put to take 7th. Both events had a field of 28 total throwers. Joe’s commitment to improvement and attention to detail have him trending in the right direction, putting him in a strong position to compete for a varsity spot.
Freshman Carter Sersland has been building a strong foundation in the 400m this season, recently dipping into the 53-second range. With that in mind, we used this meet as a chance to expand his skill set—and it paid off. Carter reached a new level in the high jump, clearing 5’10”, a four-inch personal best and just three inches shy of the state qualifying mark. He also anchored the 4x100 relay to a 5th place finish (49.35) and turned in a solid effort in the 100m dash. Carter’s focus and internal drive continue to stand out, and his versatility is becoming a major asset.
Sophomore Joe Border has put in a lot of focused work this season to refine his technique in the throwing events, and the results are starting to show. Over the past few weeks, he has made significant adjustments that have led to measurable improvements—adding over 15 feet to his discus and more than 5 feet to his shot put compared to last season. He turned in a strong performance at Annawan-Wethersfield, throwing 99’2” in the discus to place 6th and 34’10.5” in the shot put to take 7th. Both events had a field of 28 total throwers. Joe’s commitment to improvement and attention to detail have him trending in the right direction, putting him in a strong position to compete for a varsity spot.
Beautiful night at the ball park! Tonight the Orion Softball team hosted Rocky for their Strike Out T1D (Type 1 Diabetes) Night. Our very own Seniors Dylan White and Alli Taets were our honorary captains and threw out the first pitches! Both Dylan and Alli have battled with type 1 diabetes most of their lives but that has never stopped them from anything and being the great students they are! Thank you everyone who put in the work to make this night happen and for everyone who came to support it!
Mark your calendars and come out to the annual FFA Plant Sale.
Happy Administrative Professionals Day to the three women that keep OHS running smoothly each day. Thank you for all you do, Mrs. Amador, Mrs, Jackson, and Mrs. Stropes!
Senior Spotlight of the Day
This afternoon, Senior Kamryn Brown signed her letter of intent to play basketball for Blackhawk College. We are proud of her record-breaking run at OHS and wish her the best in this next chapter of her basketball career.
OHS took 20+ students to the "Build My Future" career fair at the QCCA Expo Center today! Students had the opportunity to do hands on activities and learn about possible future careers! All around great experience for our kids to see and interact with.
Senior Spotlight of the Day
Senior Spotlight of the Day
The boys track team hosted our annual Charger Invite last Thursday, moving the meet up a day due to weather concerns—and it turned out to be a beautiful night for competition. The boys delivered another solid team performance, racking up 281 points—114 points ahead of second place Kewanee Wethersfield. In a fun twist, we swapped out traditional medals for custom champion t-shirts, and Orion athletes rose to the occasion by claiming 1st place in 11 events on the night. It was an outstanding showing across the board. Here is our top performers:
Will Maher
Sophomore Will Maher continues to show increasing consistency in the long jump, an event that is still relatively new to him. He put together a huge performance with a leap of 21’5.25”, surpassing the state qualifying standard of 20’10” by more than six inches. Will becomes the third athlete on the Charger squad this season to hit a state qualifying mark. He didn’t stop there—Will also placed 2nd in the 100m dash with a time of 11.57, finishing just behind teammate Owen Voorhees. In addition, he led off both the 4x100 and 4x200 relays, helping guide each team to 1st place finishes with times of 44.95 and 1:35.40. Will continues to be a key contributor to the sprints and jumps group, and his growth and composure are showing in a big way this season.
Tony Dochterman:
Tony returned to competition for the first time in nearly a month and took on a new challenge in the 300m intermediate hurdles, placing 4th with a time of 49.55 as he continues transitioning from distance events and finding his niche. He was then called on as a last-minute addition to the 4x400 relay—one of the most demanding events of the night—and stepped in without hesitation to help the team secure a 1st place finish with a time of 3:49.20, nearly four seconds ahead of second place Kewanee Wethersfield. Tony’s willingness to embrace unfamiliar roles and compete for the team highlights his selflessness and made a major impact in securing the overall victory.
Will Maher
Sophomore Will Maher continues to show increasing consistency in the long jump, an event that is still relatively new to him. He put together a huge performance with a leap of 21’5.25”, surpassing the state qualifying standard of 20’10” by more than six inches. Will becomes the third athlete on the Charger squad this season to hit a state qualifying mark. He didn’t stop there—Will also placed 2nd in the 100m dash with a time of 11.57, finishing just behind teammate Owen Voorhees. In addition, he led off both the 4x100 and 4x200 relays, helping guide each team to 1st place finishes with times of 44.95 and 1:35.40. Will continues to be a key contributor to the sprints and jumps group, and his growth and composure are showing in a big way this season.
Tony Dochterman:
Tony returned to competition for the first time in nearly a month and took on a new challenge in the 300m intermediate hurdles, placing 4th with a time of 49.55 as he continues transitioning from distance events and finding his niche. He was then called on as a last-minute addition to the 4x400 relay—one of the most demanding events of the night—and stepped in without hesitation to help the team secure a 1st place finish with a time of 3:49.20, nearly four seconds ahead of second place Kewanee Wethersfield. Tony’s willingness to embrace unfamiliar roles and compete for the team highlights his selflessness and made a major impact in securing the overall victory.
Congratulations to this year's 2026 Prom King and Queen - Will Clarke and Autumn Hoftender
Senior Spotlight of the Day
