Along the way to becoming the only Upper Perk athlete to move on to the District I Track and Field Championships, Eli Soto got a helping hand from one of his opponents at the PAC-10 championships last weekend, and that made all the difference.

        Soto would eventually throw the javelin 163' and take fourth place, punching his ticket to Coatesville this weekend, but it was not all smooth sailing for the Tribe junior.

        "My first throw was 155 feet," Soto said, "and it kind of got me a little worried."

        That throw was good enough to get him into the javelin finals but would not come close to getting him to districts.

        In the finals, Soto was "a little nervous" right down to sweaty palms. "One of the guys on another team gave me some chalk or powder so I could get more grip on the jav. That helped a lot."

        Soto's mental makeup also worked to his advantage.

        "Eli is a self starter and self motivator," noted coach Byron Hecker. "He is always concentrating on how to make the next throw better."

        According to Hecker, "The PAC-10 has some of the best javelin throwers in the district."  Soto has risen to the occasion meet after meet.

        Despite his initial nervousness, Soto took his second consecutive trip to Coatesville in stride, unlike 2014.

        "I was excited, but I wasn't as excited as last year, because I was kind of expecting it this year. Last year, I wasn't really expecting it to happen."

        Last spring, Soto entered districts with a shoulder injury and could only manage a throw of 147'.

        This year a healthy Soto is aiming for a 170. "That's a little jump, but I think I can do it."

        Soto's familiarity with Coatesville's facilities should also be a plus.

        "Last year, I wasn't really prepared for the track runway. It kind of threw me off a bit, because I had to change my spikes, and I had to fix my steps because there was a different gripping surface."

        Pope John Paul has a similar surface, and Soto feels that was good preparation for this weekend.

        And Soto has his mechanics going for him.

        "He has the best approach that I have ever seen," Hecker noted. "He also has great acceleration and a very fluid delivery."

        Despite the fact that Soto will be the only one advancing to districts, Hecker was very pleased with his team's performances even though the boys finished ninth and the girls finished 10th.

        "Given their overall placement, it might sound funny to say that we had a good meet, but so many kids increased their performance so dramatically that I think that it was a good meet."

        Senior Jess Spano finished fourth in the shot put.

        "Jess is known around the league for her shot put ability and has has made unbelievable progress this year," Hecker related.

        "Jess worked hard at it and often practiced at night with her dad. She really wanted to break the school record this year but fell a little short."

        Other notable achievements included Quinn Bilger's third place in the 200 meter, Levi Homan's third in the pole vault, Aubrey Gibb's fifth in the javelin and Christian Zera's fifth in the discus.

        The boys 4x100 relay composed of  Bilger, Matt Elderhorst, Soto and Barry Singleton took fifth.

        "The team really did well this weekend," Hecker said.