(EDITOR’S NOTE: The Times News is running a series of stories asking area coaches and athletic directors to remember their “Most Memorable” sporting event. Today’s Most Memorable moment comes from Northern Lehigh track and field coach Mike Lehtonen)

By TJ Engle

tengle@tnonline.com

Track and field didn’t become a part of Mike Lehtonen’s life until his freshman year at Susquehanna University.

Before that, Lehtonen had competed in soccer, basketball, and baseball as a multisport athlete at Morris Central High School in upstate New York.

But since discovering the sport of track and field during his college years, it has become a big part of his life.

Lehtonen made the transition from that of a stellar track athlete to a track coach.

He currently finds himself in his 13th season as the head track coach at Northern Lehigh High School.

While Lehtonen’s love for the sport is obvious, his year’s of experience in the team sports he played before college are also special to him.

The combination of individual talent and team chemistry is something Lehtonen knows a lot about. Because of that, it should be no surprise that when asked for the “Most Memorable” moment of his coaching career, he chose something that combines both of those elements.

“In my mind, relays are always a little extra special because track is often considered an individual sport,” Lehtonen said. “But relay races are different because not only do you need individual talent, but you need teamwork.

“The 1600 relay takes that to an even higher level because not only is it the last event of the meet, but it takes a combination of speed and a lot of guts to push through the pain of the last 100 meters to give your teammate the baton in the best position possible.”

There is one particular 1600 meter relay that took place during Lehtonen’s career with the Bulldogs that stands out above the rest.

“We have had a lot of athletes that have been really good on the individual side of the sport that have provided memorable moments for me,” Lehtonen said. “There have also been some great meets we’ve been part of as a team, but I don’t think there’s one meet that tends to stand out more than any others.

“But there’s one event at one particular meet that still stands out for me even years later - it was the 1600 meter relay at the 2012 District 11 Class 2A Boys Track and Field Championships. The race was really, really close and our performances ended up getting us to states.”

Lehtonen’s Most Memorable moment took place on May 17, 2012 at the Whitehall Sports Complex and featured the 1600 meter relay team of Kirk Bender, David Getz, Darien Middaugh and Caleb Johnson.

It turns out Johnson - the Bulldogs’ anchor that day - didn’t cross the finish line in first place, as Marian earned District 11 gold that day.

But when Johnson crossed the line just behind the Colts’ anchor, the Bulldogs had grabbed a second-place finish and earned the opportunity to compete at the PIAA State Track and Feld Championships the following week.

“Going into that day, we knew had a shot to go to States,” Lehtonen said. “But based on the top times from that season, we figured it was going to be really close among a lot of teams.”

It played out exactly how Lehtonen thought it might.

The second-place Bulldogs crossed the line in a time of 3:30.02, Palisades finished third with a time of 3:30.38, and Palmerton was fourth in a time of 3:30.45.

That means the second-place state berth and fourth place were separated by just 43-hundredths of a second.

“It was super, super close there,” said Lehtonen. “That’s another reason this event made that day even more memorable.”

One other thing that sticks out to Lehtonen about the team that captured District 11 silver was they originally weren’t going to run the 1600 together. The quartet of Bender, Getz, Middaugh and Johnson thought their strength was the 400 meter relay.

“Early in the year, the guys were thinking, ‘Alright, we have speed, we can be a 4x1 really team,’” Lehtonen recalled. “But we kind of got destroyed in the 400 meter relay by a Catty team early in the season.”

Lehtonen felt all along that the 1600 relay might have been the spot for the group. After that early season meet against Catasauqua, they decided to give it a try.

“Every sprinter wants to be a 100-meter sprinter. So, when the sprint coach says, ‘Guys, we can really do well in the 4x4,’ that’s not necessarily something that really excites them at all.

But give our kids a lot of credit; they started to believe that they could extend themselves a little bit and run the 1600.”

While the Bulldogs’ foursome of Bender, Getz, Middaugh and Caleb Johnson got all the glory that day, there was someone else behind the scenes who added to the memories for Lehtonen.

“Throughout the year, Dalton Johnson was another guy that was part of that team,” Lehtonen said. “He didn’t run in that race, but as far as doing whatever we needed him to do, Dalton played a role throughout the season.

“We could only put in four for a relay. So, I had a lot of respect for him, as far as really have a good attitude with things. As coaches, we sometimes have tough decisions. We didn’t run him at the district championship meet, but he was definitely part of the team throughout the season.”