EAST PEORIA – Oh, the drama.

For anyone with a rooting interest in Curtis Gordon’s pole vault performance at Saturday’s Illinois Elementary School Association state championships, it was tough to stand still throughout the final four heights.

Battling Parkside’s Ryan Ashenbremer in 3-inch increments in the Class AA finals, the tension rose on every attempt as Gordon and Ashenbremer matched heights up to 12 feet, 9 inches.