ohio high 2009 spring sports state tournament issue

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Baseball, Softball and Tennis champs crowned;Elyria snaps losing skid, Strasburg adds to legacy,Indian Valley stuns Hamilton Badin

Spring Sports State Recap

Who were the state’s best performers? We’ve gotthem here...and it’s an impressive list

Spring Players of the Year6

10Editor in ChiefSteve Helwagen

PrintingMiami Valley Sports Magazine (MVP)

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PhotographyStephanie Porter, Gary Housteau,

Nick Falzerano, Greg Beers, Joe Maiorana,Jim Rinaldi, Scott Grau, Jim Metzendorf

ContributorsMarty Gitlin, Jeff Williams, David

Gatwood, Brad Morris, Shayne Combs

Staff WritersKirk Larrabee, Jeff Rapp,

Dave Biddle

Assistant EditorMatt Natali

Recruiting EditorsMark Porter, Bill Kurelic

Managing EditorEric Frantz

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Ohio High Magazine is published online nine times a yearand also produces an online and hard copy issue in July(Football Preview/Year in Review). Ohio High is an inde-pendent source of news and features relating to Ohio highschool sports. Ohio High strives to report informationbased on fact, but assumes no responsability for any inac-curacies that may appear. Ohio High is not authorized,sponsored or sanctioned by any university, athletic confer-ence or athletic governing body. Subscriptions are avail-able and may be purchased online at jjhuddle.com.Copyright 2009, Ohio HighMagazine andMVPMagazine, LLC.

All rights reserved.COVER PHOTOS: Jim Metzendorf, Impact ActionSports Photography

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Volume 6 Issue 6

State track meet provides heroics and some of thecountry’s top athletes - again

Amazing Pace12

Through The Lens: Over 40 pages of picturesfrom the state track and field championships

On your mark, Get set, Photo18

10Photo by Joe Maiorana/www.impactactionphotos.com

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin upset Walsh Jesuit in the D-II statechampionship.

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J JHUDDLE .COM6 JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

Spr ing Spor ts Players of the Year

t was another great spring sports seasonin Ohio high school athletics and OhioHigh is proud to partner with Huntington

Banks to present player of the year awards inall four spring sports.Among those honored below are some of

the nation’s best athletes at their rspectivesports. Here is a look at the six player of theyear award winners for the spring season.I

Baseball

Softball

Boys Track

Boys Field

Girls Track

Girls Field

Boys Tennis

t’s only appropriate that Tess Sito closed out her high school career bystriking out the last batter she faced. The fact that is was for a state titleonly adds to the legend.A senior at Elyria High School, Sito capped an incredible prep career by

leading the No. 1-ranked Pioneers to the Division I state softball championshipwith a 10-1 win over Hudson at Akron’s Firestone Stadium on June 6.Playing in its fourth straight state tournament, Elyria had lost in the state

finals the last three years.Not again. Not with Sito.A three-time first team All-Ohio selection, Sito is arguably the best softball

player ever from Lorain County. The 2009 Huntington Bank/Ohio HighMagazine Softball Player of the Year, she also ranks high among the state’sbest ever.Since her freshman year, Sito has dominated.As a pitcher Sito has been nearly untouchable, tallying 814 career strike-

outs and 75 wins. The last two years have been especially remarkable. Afterregistering 22 wins and 170 strikeouts in spot duty her first two years, Sitobroke out for 313 Ks and a 27-3 record as a junior. As a senior she went 26-3

and had 331 Ks. She issued just 22 walks.Sito, who bats leadoff, is just as valuable with a bat

in her hand.She’s hit over .400 all four years of high school and

the last two years combined to hit 11 homeruns andknock in 49 runs. She scored 46 runs herself this

spring and batted.505.Honored as the D-I

state player of theyear this season bythe Ohio High SchoolFastpitch SoftballCoaches Association,

Sito is the youngest of five siblings. The other four (three sisters and a broth-er) all played softball and baseball, respectively, in college. Sito will follow suit.In a bit of a coup, Cleveland State signed the standout in December.“Tess is simply one of the best pitchers in the country,” CSU head coach

Angie Nicholson said. “She throws hard with good location and will becomeeven better once she learns the college game. She is also strong offensivelyand will play in the field when she isn't in the circle.”Memo to Horizon League batters – and pitchers – buckle up and bear

down. — EF

Standout pitcher leads team to elusive statetitle, wraps career with a strikeout

SOFTBALL Tess Sito, Elyria

I As a pitcher, Sito went53-6 as a junior andsenior and tallied 644strikeouts.

y definition, there is no way to improve on perfection. But Walsh Jesuitpitcher Tyler Skulina still has his best days ahead of him.The junior hurler was 9-0 on the season leading the Warriors to a

state runner-up finish with a 0.75 earned run average and 84 strike-outs and 32 walks in 56.33 innings of work.He has yet to lose a game in his high school career (20-0).Skulina (6-6, 240) was nearly perfect in the Division II 2-0 state semifinal

win over Columbus DeSales tossing a complete game allowing just three hits,three walks and striking out 11.Walsh (28-4) fell to Cardon Notre Dame Cathedral Latin 2-1 in the state

title game.Skulina was also named Ohio’s top baseball player by Gatorade automati-

cally qualifying him for the national player of the year.

“I was shocked,” Skulina told the Cleveland Plain Dealer following theannouncement in early June. “There are a lot of good players out there. Itdefinitely is an honor.”Past Gatorade baseball players of the year include major leaguers Ken

Griffey, Jr. (Cincinnati Moeller, 1987), Chad Billingsley (Defiance, 2003) andKent Mercker (Dublin 1986).

Skulina is the first Walsh Jesuit player to winthe award in the tradition-rich program.“Tyler Skulina continues to amaze me with

his combination of elite skill, unrelenting workethic, and maturity beyond his years,” WalshJesuit head coach Chris Kaczmar said. “But Iam most impressed of all by his kind heart, hisconsistently warm smile, and his humility.

“He’s a tremendous teammate first, then he’s a dominant pitcher second.”Though Walsh Jesuit finished state runner-up, Skulina is aiming to bring

home a fifth state trophy for the Warriors – and the fourth in seven seasons-next spring. — MN

Junior hurler looking to end his high schoolcareer undefeated

BASEBALL Tyler Skulina, Walsh Jesuit

B After going 9-0 thisseaon, Skulina is now20-0 for his high schoolcareer.

PhotobyScottGrau/www.im

pactactionphotos.com

J JHUDDLE .COM 7JJ Huddle ’ s Ohio High

Spr ing Spor ts Players of the YearSTORY BY ER IC FRANTZ & MATT NATAL I

he high jump competition at this year’s Division I state track and fieldchampionships offered arguably the deepest, most talented and tough-est field in the 102-year history of the event.Fittingly the state’s record holder in the event won it.

Toledo Rogers senior Erik Kynard captured his second straight state titleand survived a gauntlet that featured four competitors that cleared 7-0 thisspring. Kynard’s winning leap of 7-1 ranks as the fourth best mark all-time atthe state meet.Kynard was the state runner-up as a sophomore.After sailing over 7-4.5 during the indoor season, Kynard opened the out-

door season by winning the fabled Mehock Relays in Mansfield with a leap of7-2.5.

Kynard’s best jump during the outdoor season was7-3.5 at the Toledo City League Championships.Kynard is also an accomplished long jumper and

owns the state’s farthest leap in that event this sum-mer (24-3).Kansas State is Kynard’s college destination.

Kynard cleared 5-8in his first high jumpattempt in junior highand sailed 6-6 as afreshman at ToledoStart.He transferred to

Rogers for his sopho-more year, specifically to work with jumping coach Eric Browning. The movehas paid off. Kynard plans to compete in several national and possibly interna-tional events this summer. — EF

State record holder owns the nation’ssecond best high jump mark this year

BOYS FIELD Erik Kynard, Toledo Rogers

T Kynard has cleared 7-0over 25 times in hiscareer; his mark of 7-4.25 is Ohio’s best ever.

f one were to author the ideal high school tennis career, Peter Kobelt’srecent run may make the director’s cut.A senior at New Albany High School, Kobelt wrapped his final season

in dramatic fashion by beating defending state champion Wyatt Lippert inthree sets for the Division I singles state championship at Ohio State’sStickney Tennis Center on May 30. The meeting was a rematch of last year’sstate final that Lippert, also a senior, won in three sets. Both players are head-ed to Ohio State.Kobelt, who choose the Buckeyes over Kentucky and Michigan State, is the

2009 Huntington Bank/Ohio High Boys Tennis Player of the Year.No stranger to tennis or state success, Kobelt is a four-time state qualifier

and placer – he’s never finished worse than second.As a freshman, Kobelt teamed with senior Ryan Dodd to finish runner-up in

the D-II doubles. As a sophomore Kobelt and junior Skyler Engel captured theD-II doubles title.Moving up to D-I last year, Kobelt made it all the way to the finals before

falling to Lippert. He actually opened the match with a 6-4 win in the first setbefore dropping the next two 3-6, 3-6.

This year Koblet beat Lippert 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, toimprove his two-year singles record to 48-4.At 6-6, 190 pounds, Kobelt is intimidating.“Pete is a physical presence,” New Albany coach

Andrew Sinclair told the Columbus Dispatch. “He's bigand strong and his serve and his forehand are world

class.”Kobelt, whose father

Paul was a high schooltennis state championin Wisconsin and cur-rently teaches tennis atthe New AlbanyCountry Club, owns a

serve that’s been clocked at 130 mph.That force and his desire to get better have led to a successful run on the

national level.After a third place finish in singles at the U.S. Tennis Association's Midwest

Closed Finals in 2007, Kobelt finished runner-up there last year. He’s a two-time defending doubles champion in the event.Nationally, Kobelt’s rank has gone from No. 151 as a freshman to No. 55.Said Sinclair. “He plays the game the way most weekend hackers dream of

playing it.” — EF

Kobelt ends impressiive career withanother state title

BOYS TENNIS Peter Kobelt, New Albany

I Kobelt played in fourstate championshipmatches and has a sin-gles and doubles title.

PhotobyJoe

Maiorana/www.im


here have been 35 girls state track and field championships, whichhave hosted over 20,000 competitors. Up until this year, just 15 of thoseathletes had won four events in the same year.Now there are 16.

Although just a sophomore, Gates Mills Gilmour Academy sprinter CandaceLongino-Thomas has already done more than most veterans.At the girls state meet on June 6, Longino-Thomas finished first in the

Division III 100 (12.05), 200 (24.42), 400 relay (48.70) and 800 relay (1:41.31).Her hand in 40 points helped the Lancers win their fourth state title in five

years.Gilmour was second last spring.Heading into her junior year, Longino-Thomas already owns three D-III state

records.

Individually she set the state record in the 200(24.19) in early May at the 29th Optimist Classic inAustintown.She’s also a part of two record-setting relays – the

400 and 800 – which also set state meet records withtheir times.

Longino-Thomas’sperformance at thestate meet should nothave been a huge sur-prise.Last year as a

freshman, she finishedsecond in both the 100

and 200 and anchored both the 400 and 800 relaysto third and fourth place finishes, respectively.Only two girls have won four events in the same year twice…none has

done it three times. Longino Thomas has that chance. — EF

Sophomore sprints to the head of the pack;Longino-Thomas wins for events at state

GIRLS TRACK Candace Longino-Thomas, Gilmour Academy

T Logino-Thomas alreadyowns three Division IIIstate records: 200, 400relay and 800 relay.

PhotobyGaryHousteau

PhotobyGaryHousteau



t was probably the safest bet at the 35th Annual State Track and FieldTournament in early June.Elmore Woodmore senior Erin Pendleton earned her second

straight gold medal in the Division III discus event with a toss of 160-00 capping off her high school career.Despite being the heavy favorite going into the state meet, Pendleton

didn’t think the title was automatic.“You can never say that you are going to win something. Everyone has

an opportunity but I just wanted to get out there and try to do my best,” shesaid.Pendleton won the state gold last year with a 168-10 throw, which is a

state meet and Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium record. Her farthest throwthis spring was 167-6, which ranks as the second farthest throw nationally among high school girls.“I threw farther last year but this year is better because now I am a two-time state champion and

I am really happy about it,” she said. “I got the win, so that’s what really counts. I am just reallyhappy.”All told, between Pendleton and her older sister Emily, the Woodmore products have now

notched six straight D-III discus titles. The elder sister set the state record (183-03) in 2007.Emily was on hand at the state meet to support her younger sister.“(Emily is) happy. She gave me a big hug. I’m happy I got to keep the tradition going,” said Erin.

“Six years is awesome and I am really excited I won again. I amsad that high school is done but I am excited for college, too.”Pendleton will join her older sister at the University of Michigan in

the fall after competing in the Nike Outdoor Nationals and theJunior Nationals this summer.“Emily and I get along really well, so I’m happy we will be togeth-

er,” she said. “We’re good training partners. We know what we doand have been throwing with each other since we were little whenwe started.”

But don’t think this will be the last time the Pendleton name is announced at state. SophomoreCarly Pendleton is the next in line with her furthest throw this season at 143-3. She finished fifth inthe regional meet (129-06).“I think she has a good chance (to win a state title). She’s been working pretty hard and she has

been doing really well,” Pendleton said.With the second state title in hand, winning has become routine for Pendleton but she has not

grown tired of it.“Winning is the nice part that comes with it. This is fun for me,” she said.— MN

Pendleton earns family’s sixth straight Division III discus state champinshipGIRLS FIELD Erin Pendleton, Woodmore

I

Pendleton’s heave of167-6 earlier this year isthe second farthest H.S.throw in the countrythis spring.

ad knees turned Danny Neff into one of the country’s top high schoolrunners.A senior at Vandalia-Butler High School, Neff recently defended his

1,600 meter state title and added an 800 crown at the Division I statetrack and field championships held June 6 at Ohio State’s Jesse OwensMemorial Stadium.Those two titles go with a pair of indoor state championships in the same

events that Neff earned in March.Neff, undefeated during his senior season, is the 2009 Huntington

Bank/Ohio High Boys Track Runner of the Year.Neff never thought of himself as a runner until a few years ago when injury

ended his team sport days. He blew out his right ACL in seventh grade playingfootball and then did the same to his left ACL as a freshman.After that he turned to running.“I needed something that was competitive,” Neff said, “that didn’t demand

that I cut.”Now all he does is cut time.Neff dropped seven seconds alone from regional to state his sophomore

season when he placed third in the 800 despite beingseeded 10th. He was also second in the 1,600 at the2008 indoor state championships.Neff’s best efforts in the 800 (1:51.36) and 1,600

(4:08.41) this year, respectively, rank seventh andeighth nationally for high school.

In regards to theGreater Western OhioConference, which hasproduced some stand-out runners, Neff holdsthe conference recordsin the 800 (1:54.22),1,600 (4:15.64) and

3,200 (9:25.46). The 3,200 record he achieved this spring when he ran theevent for the first – and last – time at the GWOC championships.Neff is headed to Georgia.He picked the Bulldogs over Ohio State.“I ‘m not saying that I don’t love Ohio!,” Neff said. “I’ve lived here for almost

eighteen years! I just wanted to try and get a different experience. I wanted tosee what the south was like, and hey, it’s a different climate!“The running weather will be much better in the winter (laughs). When it

gets really cold out my knees get a little… stiff.” — EF

Neff defends 1,600 title and adds 800 crown,also swept events at state inddor meet

BOYS TRACK Danny Neff, Vandalia-Butler

B Neff owns the GreaterWestern Ohio Confernecerecords in the 800, 1,600and 3,200.

PhotobyGaryHousteau

PhotobyGaryHousteau

Photoby

Nick

Falze

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COMING IN DECEMBER...Football POY

Soccer (Boys & Girls) POYsVolleyball POY

Cross Country (Boys & Girls) POYsGolf (Boys & Girls) POYs

Field Hockey POYGirls Tennis POY

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Spr ing Spor ts Recaps OHSAA REPORTS (oh saa .o rg )

he Buckeye State witnessedseveral stellar performances –both on individual and teamlevels – again this winter.The following is a look back

at the finals in four OHSAAsanctioned state champi-onships. A roundup of thewrestling state tournament can

be found on page 17, while state basketballreviews start on page 32. For more informa-tion, please visit www.jjhuddle.com andwww.ohsaa.org.

BOYS TENNISMay 29-30OSU Stickney Tennis Center

All four state champion trophies went tofirst-time recipients as the Ohio High SchoolAthletic Association boys tennis champi-onships concluded May 30 at The Ohio StateUniversity’s Stickney Tennis Center.

Division I SinglesIn a rematch of last year’s Division I sin-

gles title match, New Albany senior PeterKobelt outlasted West Chester Lakota Westsenior Wyatt Lippert 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 in amatch that lasted two hours and 38 minutes.Lippert won their 2008 championship meet-ing, which also went three sets, and ends hiscareer with four top-four finishes.

Division I DoublesIn Division I doubles, Worthington

Kilbourne junior Kevin Metka and senior

Johnny Price topped defending state champi-on Columbus Bishop Watterson brothersPhilip, a senior, and Chris Diaz, a sopho-more, 6-4, 6-4.

Division III SinglesCincinnati Country Day junior Joey Fritz,

who finished third last year, beat Beachwoodjunior Mark Goldberg 6-1, 6-2 to win theDivision II singles crown. Fritz surrenderedonly six points in his four tournament wins.Goldberg had to win a marathon semifi¬nalmatch, topping Columbus Wellington Schoolsophomore Ian Wagner 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6)before facing Fritz in the finals.

Division II DoublesSophomores Alex Aleman and Lou

Konstan from Cuyahoga Falls CuyahogaValley Christian Academy won the Division IIdoubles crown, topping junior Andrew Enslenand senior Joey Frank from ColumbusAcademy 6-3, 7-5.

BASEBALLJune 4-6Huntington Park, Columbus

Division ISixth-ranked Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller

captured its fifth state title by knocking offsecond-ranked Pickerington North 5-2.North scored a run in the top of the first,

but the Crusaders (24-5) answered with threetallies in the bottom half, getting an RBI basehit from junior Tyler Hutchison, an RBIgroundout from senior Eric Smith, and senior

Brett Cisper coming around to score on apassed ball.Senior Eric Brindle had an RBI single for

North in the fourth to cut it to 3-2. TheCrusaders, though, came back with a run oftheir own in the fourth, with junior EthanMcAlpine scoring on an error. Moeller pushedacross its final run in the fifth on Smith’s RBIsingle.Brindle, Smith and senior Sage Iacovone

each had two hits to lead Moeller’s offense.Junior Robby Sunderman worked five inningsand yielded just one earned run to earn thewin, while Cisper closed the game with twoscoreless frames to pick up the save.North, playing in its first state champi-

onship game, finished its season at 30-4, asBrindle and senior Alex Bayer both went 2-for-3.

Division IIBehind a two-hitter from senior Erik

Okleson, unranked Chardon Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin (28-4) defeated second-ranked Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit 2-1 toclaim its second state title.Okleson allowed a one-out home run in the

top of the first to senior Joe Pawlowski and atwo-out single in the second, but held theWarriors hitless the rest of the way. Hewalked four and struck out six in the com-plete game victory.NDCL tied the score at one in the bottom

of the second, with senior Sean Stricker’ssingle plating senior Matt Bencic. The Lionspushed across the go-ahead run in the sixthas Bencic singled home senior Rob Searleswith two outs. The Warriors then put two run-ners aboard in the seventh, but Oklesonended it by forcing a groundout and flyout.Walsh Jesuit, the defending and four-time

state champion, finished with a 25-6 recordand as state runners-up for the first time.

Division IIIGnadenhutten Indian Valley took advan-

tage of a Hamilton Badin miscue and won itsfirst state title with a 7-6 victory over the top-ranked Rams in eight innings.Badin (29-3) tied the score at six with a run

in the sixth inning that eventually forced thegame to extra innings. After the Rams wentdown in order to start the eighth, junior MattWheeler walked and junior Logan Gray sin-gled, with Wheeler coming around to scoreon a throwing error to end it.The Rams had taken a 4-1 lead in the

third, with the big hit being senior BrettMcKinney’s two-run double. But the Bravesresponded with four runs of their own in thebottom of the inning to take their first lead ofthe game. Indian Valley (27-2) took advan-tage of a walk, two errors, a wild pitch and a

TPhoto by Scott Grau/www.impactactionphotos.com

State Champions crowned inbaseball, softball and tennisStrasburg-Frankiin celebrates its fifth state softball title.

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Spr ing Spor ts Recaps

passed ball to do its damage.The Braves scored again in the

fourth on sophomore Logan Cozart’sRBI single, but Badin knotted it upwith junior Scott Purcell’s sacrificefly in the fifth and senior ZachToerner’s RBI double in the sixth.Junior Adam Mizer pitched the

final 5 2/3 innings for sixth-rankedIndian Valley and gave up oneearned run to earn the win. Grayhad three hits and Wheeler reachedbase four times, scoring three runs.For Badin, Corey VanNatta scored

three times, while Toerner,McKinney and Purcell each drove intwo runs. The Rams finished as run-ners-up for the second straight yearand the third time since 2005.

Division IVHamler Patrick Henry (25-4) suc-

ceeded in its title defense by defeat-ing New Middletown SpringtownLocal 3-1.Fifth-ranked Patrick Henry is the

first school since Newark Catholic(2002-04) to repeat as state base-ball champions. Newark Catholicaccomplished the feat in Division IVas well.The fifth-ranked Patriots scored twice in

the top of the first. Senior Chris Boyer had asacrifice fly and senior Tyler Phillips hit anRBI single to put Patrick Henry on the board.Springfield (29-5) tallied its lone run in the

second on junior Matt Semach’s sacrifice fly,which scored senior Bryan Visingardi. PatrickHenry tacked on an insurance run in the fifth,as senior Brian Kline’s RBI basehit scoredsenior Clay Maas.Kline went the distance on the mound for

the Patriots, yielding just three hits and twowalks. Senior Mitch Leonard had three hitsand senior Cody Meyer had two, and bothscored a run as well.Unranked Springfield was making its sec-

ond appearance in the state tournament andfinished as runners-up for the first time.Junior Dylon DeJane had two of the Tigers’three hits.

SOFTBALLJune 4-6Firestone Stadium, Akron

Division IAfter finishing as state runners-up each of

the past three seasons, Elyria (29-3) claimedits second state title by defeating Hudson 10-1.The game was scoreless through three

and a half innings when the top-ranked

Pioneers broke through with a six-run fourth.With two outs and two runs already in, soph-omore Kristen Boros launched a grand slamto cap the scoring flurry. Elyria tacked on fourmore runs in the sixth, with junior AshleeStolarski having a two-run hit in the frame.Senior Tess Sito hurled a two-hitter, giving

up a solo home run to junior Callie Drohan inthe sixth inning. After striking out 17 hitters inElyria’s semifinal win, Sito fanned 11Explorers in the championship game.Eight of Elyria’s nine batters had at least

one hit and scored at least one run. Stolarskiwas the lone Pioneer with two hits, whileBoros reached base three of her four plateappearances.Eighth-ranked Hudson, winners of the

2007 title, finished its season at 29-3.

Division IIHamilton Ross (26-7) used a four-run fifth

inning to propel itself to a 4-2 victory overBellville Clear Fork for the school’s first statechampionship.Clear Fork (29-5) scored on a Ross error

and sophomore Mor¬gan Ruhl’s sacrifice flyto build a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Ross, whichstrung together four hits in the first inning butdid not score, finally cracked through in thefifth. Seniors Kaitlyn Strunk and Nell Wilsonboth had RBI doubles, and junior BrittanyFernandez and sophomore Gina Huff addedRBI singles.Clear Fork put two runners aboard in the

sixth but could not score, andFernandez set the side down in orderin the seventh for the complete gamevictory. She allowed six hits andstruck out five without walking any-body.Senior Rachael Connaughton,

Fernandez and Wilson each had twohits to pace the Rams’ offense. ClearFork, making its first state tourna-ment appearance since 1980, wasled by sophomore Taylor Thomas,who went 3-for-3 with a run scored.Both Clear Fork and Ross were

unranked in the final state poll.

Division IIISecond-ranked Hebron Lakewood

(30-4) repeated as state champions,shutting out fifth-ranked YoungstownUrsuline (27-7) 5-0.Lakewood starter Alissa Birkhimer

went the distance and al¬lowed justfour hits, striking out nine withoutissuing a walk. Birkh¬imer, a senior,also earned the victory in the 2008state title game when Lakewooddefeated Wellington.The Lancers did most of their dam-

age in the fifth, as Birkhimer helpedherself with a bases-clearing double to scorethree runs. A single by junior Caitlin Houkscored another run to put Lakewood on top4-0, and sophomore Brayan Gault’s RBI dou-ble in the sixth accounted for Lakewood’sfifth run.Birkhimer set down 13 of the last 14 hitters

she faced. Ursuline junior Kasey Foley hadtwo of the team’s four hits in the Lady Irish’sfirst trip to the state tournament.

Division IVStrasburg-Franklin brought home its fifth

state championship and first in 18 years asthe top-ranked Lady Tigers downed fifth-ranked Convoy Crestview 2-0.Junior Carly Clark and sophomore Kasey

Gerber combined for the one-hit shutout. TheLady Tigers (32-2) shut out all eight oppo-nents they faced in the postseason.The game was scoreless entering the top

of the seventh. Sophomore Kristen Smith hita one-out double and freshman Anne Dreherbrought her home with a single. After a field-er’s choice, senior Emmy Hensel’s RBI singlescored Gerber. Gerber then worked a 1-2-3seventh to close out the game.Junior Lydia Etzler had the lone hit for the

Knights (27-4), while fellow junior ChelseyLare threw a complete game and gave upeight hits while fanning five. The Knights fin-ished as runners-up for the second time(2005). — OH

PhotobyScottGrau/www.im


Elyria celebrates winningthe D-I softball state champi-onship after losing in thelast three state finals.


State Track Recap

he boys state track and fieldchampionship is the longestrunning state championshipevent in Ohio. This yearmarked the 102nd running ofthe boys meet and the 35threndition of the girls. Just asimpressive as the longevity, isthe fact that the meets contin-

ues to produce some of the country’s topathletes.This year was no exception.

DIVISION I GIRLSReynoldsburg ends Central Ohiodrought in state track

If you like blowouts, the Division I girlsstate track and field championships were toyour liking. Reynoldsburg obliterated thecompetition en route to its first state title,beating second place Cincinnati Withrow 82-35 in the team race Saturday at Ohio State’sJesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

The 82 points were the fourth most in the35 year history of the girls championships.Cleveland Beaumont scored 98 points in1990 and also had tallies of 89 (1999) and87 (1997).The title is also the first for a Central Ohio

school in the big school division since 1985when Upper Arlington claimed the ClassAAA championship. It doesn’t appear to bethe last.The Raiders are heavy on underclassmen

and Saturday was their personal playground.Freshman Destinee Gause had a hand in

three titles. She won the 200 (24.21), ran aleg on the winning 1,600 relay and anchoredthe winning 800 relay.Just for good measure, both the 1,600 and

800 relays set new state and state meetrecords.The 1,600 quartet, which also included

freshman Faith Washington and sophomoresAzia Walker and Taneisha Cordell, betteredthe previous mark (3:45.89 set last year byWalnut Hills) by over two seconds (3:43.83).Cordell also won the open 800 (2;10.79).Walker, who won the individual 400

(54.74), teamed with Gause, Washingtonand senior Timia Ingram to set the record inthe 800 relay (1:37.02).Senior Melissa Dodaro defended her dis-

cus title (146-04) and won another individualtitle for the Raiders.The Raiders 400 relay of Ingram, Gause,

sophomore Kacia Grant and senior AshleyPhillips was second.

SOPHOMORE SENSATIONMedina sophomore Taylor Burke captured

the first of what could be three state highjump titles, with a leap of 5-9. Burke wasseventh last year.

HARD TO SWALLOWHeading into the state meet, Cleveland

Rhodes senior Mahogany Jones was a

viable threat to win three state titles. Owningthe Midwest’s top times in the 100, 200 and400 this spring, Jones was surprisinglydenied a title in all three events.She finished second in the 100 (12/17)

and third in both the 200 (24.69) and 400(55.61).

REDEMPTIONWarren Howland senior Nicole Pachol

missed her entire junior year rehabbing fromknee surgery. This season she spent herspring working towards – and attaining – astate title.Pachol won the 300 hurdles title with a

time of 42.12.

REDEMPTION IILast year’s long jump experience for

Euclid’s Tamica Harbour was forgettable.This year’s effort was memorable.A senior, Harbour captured the long jump

title with a leap of 18-6. Last year she didn’tplace and fouled in her third and final prelimattempt.

REDEMPTION IIILast year Hilliard Davidson’s Brittany

Cheese finished dead last in her prelim heatof the 100 hurdles with a time of 17.84. Thisyear Cheese finished ahead of everyone inthe event’s finals with a time of 14.64.

SAME RESULTSA school change didn’t stop Harrison sen-

ior Brittany Wilson-Farley from winning herfirst state title in the shot put. Wilson-Farleypreviously finished fourth and eighth the lasttwo years while attending Colerain.

MAKE ROOMOlmsted Falls senior Katie Nageotte

capped a memorable senior season with astate title in the pole vault with a state meetand Owens Memorial Stadium record vaultof 12-8. Nageotte tied the state record earli-er this season with a mark of 13-0.

TIGER STRIPESAlthough Withrow didn’t win the team title,

the Tigers did set a state, state meet andOwens Memorial Stadium record in the 400relay. The foursome of seniors JonniqueLawrence, Brittany Smith and JadeClingman and junior Genesis Calhounturned in a lightening time of 46.53. The oldstate meet record of 47.12 by Elyria hadstood since 2003.

CAN THEY DO IT?Heading into next season, these three

underclassmen will have targets on theirbacks. That’s what accompanies a state title,

TPhoto

byGaryHousteau


State Track RecapSTORY BY ER IC FRANTZ & MATT NATAL I

which these three earned: sophomoreKandace Thomas, Canton GlenOak (100;12.04), junior Madeline Chambers, RockyRiver Magnificat (1,600; 4:49.18) and sopho-more Hannah Neczypor, North Royalton(3,200; 10:39.92).

MAGNIFICENT MAGNIFICATRocky River Magnificat didn’t even make it

to the podium in the 3,200 relay last seasonbut the 9:09.42 time the Blue Steaks clockedthis year would have won the gold. Moreimportantly, it won the gold this season.

DIVISION I BOYSGahanna-Lincoln edgesCleveland Glenville

Coupled with Reynoldsburg’s runaway winin the Division I girls competition, Gahanna-Lincoln gave Central Ohio a sweep of thebig school state titles at the D-I boys statetrack and field championships Saturday.Although its win wasn’t as convincing asReynoldsburg’s, G-L’s victory was just assweet. The Lions edged perennial powerCleveland Glenville 48-45 for the title. G-Lalso won the state championship in 1979.It was the first title by a Central Ohio team

since 1999 (Thomas Worthington) and justthe third since 1983 (Marion Harding).Junior Blake Heriot captured the only two

titles for the Lions, winning the 200 (21.25)and 400 (47.47). He was also second in the100.Junior Herman Washington was second in

the 110 hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles.

HIGH FLYERSThere might not be a high jump competi-

tion at the state meet like this year’s for along time. Coming into the event three ath-

letes had cleared 7-0, including defendingstate champion Erik Kynard of ToledoRogers, Shaun Joplin of Sylvania Southviewand Dwayne King of Cleveland Heights.After the dust had settled, Kynard haddefended his title with a leap of 7-1, whileMarietta’s Cody Westbrook added his nameto the 7-0 club with a second place finish.Joplin was third (6-10) and King fourth (6-10).All told, five jumpers cleared 6-10 and

nine cleared 6-6.Kynard was also runner-up as a sopho-

more.

FAST RAMSLast year William Henry and Jordan

Paschal made up two fourths of Trotwood-Madison’s 1,600 relay, which set an all divi-sions record en route to the state title. Thisyear the duo was part of another foursomethat broke the record again.Flying around the track in 3:13.32,

Paschal, Henry and sophomores JuliusRuby and Michael Jordan set a new statestandard across the board (state, meet andstadium).

FIRST STATE TITLESpringfield sophomore Josh Bass netted

Springfield its first state track title with a winin the long jump (23-2.5). This is the firstyear that former North and South highsjoined together.

DOUBLE DUTYVandalia-Butler senior Danny Neff defend-

ed his 1,600 title (4:10.57) and added the800 crown (1:51.36) to his resume.

SHOT PUTCanfield junior Dustin Brode captured the

shot put title with a heave of 62-11.25.Joining Brode in the Top 4 were two OhioState football recruits. YoungstownBoardman senior Corey Linsley was second(62-9), while Bellbrook senior Sam Longowas fourth (56-2.75).

HIGH MARKSGreenville senior Kevin Leland, who

cleared 16-1 at the regionals, didn’t have togo that high to win the state title. Hewrapped up the title by clearing 15-9.

YOUNG GUNSThe 400 relay is Westerville Central’s to

lose the next three years. The Warhawkswon the 400 relay with a time of 41.83. Themost impressive thing? Three of the fourlegs were run by freshman: John Howard,Davon Reed and Channing Doermann.Senior Gibril Kamara ran the opening leg.

REVENGELast year Glenville finished second to

Trotwood-Madison in the 800 relay. Thisyear the Tarblooders got revenge. Glenvillewon the 800 relay (1:26.38) and survivedchallenges from Warren Harding (second;1:26.98) and Trotwood (third; 1:27.14).

ATOP THE PODIUMAdditional event winners included:

Sandusky senior Dailyn Moore (100 hurdles;14.12), Warren Harding junior DeaverWilliamson (100; 10.90), Hilliard Darby sen-ior Jordan Rispress (300 hurdles; 37.56) andMason sophomore Zach Wills (3,200;9:02.90).Wills effort was a new Owens Stadium

record.

MAKING UP GROUNDThe Glenville 3,200 relay team found itself

in fifth place halfway through the D-I final butthe Tarblooders turned on the jets to claimthe gold medal.

DIVISION II GIRLSLast race decides Division II girlsstate track and field title

With two events to go Saturday, ColumbusBishop Hartley led Cuyahoga ValleyChristian Academy by four points in theDivision II girls team standings at the statetrack and field championships. With oneevent to go, Hartley suddenly trailed CVCAby two.Needing to finish ahead of the Royals in

the meet’s final event – the 1,600 relay – theHawks came through in the clutch, placingsecond in 3:55.24. CVCA was third

PhotobyGaryHousteau

PhotobyGaryHousteau


State Track Recap

(3:58.59).As a result, both Hartley and CVCA

scored 55 points and grabbed a share of theD-II girls track title at Jesse Owens MemorialStadium.The state championship is CVCA’s first in

trackIt’s and Hartley’s fourth (first since 1988).

THREE-TIME CHAMPIt will be weird when Gnadenhutten Indian

Valley’s Kayla Caldwell isn’t in the D-II polevault competition next year considering she’sbeen a fixture in the field for four years.Caldwell captured her third straight state titlein the event by clearing 12-0. She won as ajunior and sophomore with vaults of 12-4and placed second as a freshman (11-6).

SHE’LL TAKE ITGallipolis Gallia Academy long jumper

Alexis Geiger has jumped farther at the statemeet than she did this year, but she’s neverplaced as high. A two-time runner-up withjumps of 18-1.25 and 18-11.75 the last twoyears, respectively, Geiger won her elusivestate title with a mark of 17-10.25. She wasalso seventh as a freshman (17-1.5).

TWICE AS NICEMansfield Ontario dominated the girls shot

put competition as junior Kelly Barnhill wonthe title (42-11) and senior Ashtan Hibarplaced third (40-10.25). Both Barnhill andHibar were in the field last year and failed toplace.

CAT AND MOUSESophomores Jerica Sanders (Mentor Lake

Catholic) and Bridget Doughty (Bay Village)recorded the first session in what looks to bea three-year act at state. Sanders beatDoughty (14.48-14.65) to win the 100 hurdletitle, while Doughty beat Sanders (43.53-44.24) to claim victory in the 300 hurdles.Those two are by no means shoe-ins for

the next two years though. Seven under-classmen placed in the 100 hurdles and fiveplaced in the 300 hurdles.

REACHING NEW HEIGHTSWarrensville Heights was third in the team

race with 40 points, but the Tigers did gohome with something no one else did – anew state and state meet record in the 1,600relay. WH’s quartet of seniors NoelleJohnson and Angelique Lykes and juniorsAsia Hill and Daianna Barron blazed to atime of 3:50.08 in the event which beat theirown record of 3:51.22 set last year.Barron, who also won the 400 (55.36),

teamed with senior Ashlei Ruglei, juniorKatherina Gentry and freshman Shayonna

Jackson to win the 800 relay too (1:40.41).

KNIGHT TIMEAfter a year hiatus, Kettering Alter hung

the gold around their necks in the 3,200relay with a 9:17.10 effort.Anchor leg Catherine Crisler, now a sen-

ior, was part of the state title team as asophomore. Crisler plans on running crosscountry and track at Loyola (Chicago).“When I was running I was thinking this

would be the last 800 I would get to run withthese girls so I had to make it my best,”Crisler said.Sophomores Ashley Rodgers and

Rebecca Esselstein with freshman OliviaAlbers set the tone for the race for Crisler’sfinal leg.

HART(LEY) TIMESHartley grabbed its share of the team title

thanks in part to its success in the meet’sfastest events.Junior Chesna Sykes swept both the 100

(12.05) and 200 (24.53), while sophomoreAisha Cavin was second in the 200 (24.63).Junior CharAnna Dixon was seventh in the100 (12.79).The Hawks 400 relay team of Dixon,

Sykes, Cavin and senior Ashlee Hoffmanwas also first with a new state record andstate meet record time of 47.09.

GOING THE DISTANCEIn the distance races, Akron Hoban’s

Julianna Libertin (2:16.01), PeninsulaWoodbridge’s Erin Mercer (5:00.71) andAshtabula Edgewood’s Mallory Kreider(10:57.73) took gold in the 800, 1,600 and3,200, respectively.

OUTLASTING THE FIELDThanks to jumps, Cambridge junior Katie

Davis claimed the gold in the D-II girls highjump with a 5-4 effort. Overall, four girlscleared 5-4, but Davis was declared the win-ner. Davis was happy to make the podium,let along stand on top of it.“I was here my freshman and sophomore

year and I didn’t even place on the podium,so this is ridiculously exciting,” she said.

DECADE DROUGHT ENDEDHanoverton United sophomore Victoria

Bates tossed the discus 122-10 to win thestate title. Bates’ gold marks the first statetitle for United Track in ten years.“I never thought 122 would win it,” Bates

said. “I was trying to get farther and father totry and get the school record (130) but Ipopped that 122 out there and that wasenough to win it.

DIVISION II BOYSField events lead PembervilleEastwood boys to first D-II statetrack title

When people hear “track” championshipsthey often forget about the “field” part.Pemberville Eastwood is taking home ahuge reminder.After finishing runner-up last year, the

Eagles captured their first Division II boysstate track and field title Saturday by bestingsecond place Cortland Lakeview 47-38 atOhio State’s Jesse Owens MemorialStadium. Eastwood was also runner-up in2003.The Eagles accumulated nearly 75-per-

cent of their points in the field events.Junior thrower Justin Welch defended his

discus title with a stadium record heave of(196-1). He was also third in the shot put.Senior Crosby Schemenauer won the pole

vault (15-4), while senior Josh Hoodlebrinkwas second in the long jump (22-9.25).On the track, the Eagles got fifth place fin-

ishes from the 400 relay and Schemenauer(110 hurdles). The 1,600 relay finishedfourth.

PIRATE REPEATMatthew Hoty is used to being on the top

of the podium. The Sandusky Perkins juniordefended his D-II state title by surviving anupset bid from Kettering Alter’s ChrisBorland in the shot put event. Borland went61-0.75 but Hoty’s best heave was 61-3.25.“It was an alright day,” Hoty said.“I didn’t throw as far as I wanted. I had a

couple big (throws) in warm-ups and I got alittle tense. But I won and I defended it so Iwas happy.”Last year Hoty set the D-II state meet

PhotobyGaryHousteau


State Track Recap

record with a winning put of 62-0.25. Earlierthis season, Hoty set the D-II state recordwith a mark of 64-8.25. That throw ranksseventh in the country.

DOUBLE-DIPIf there was an MVP award for the D-II

state meet, Cortland Lakeview’s Ben Moodywould get it. The senior sprinter pulled off arare double by winning both the 110 hurdles(14.19) and 100 (10.97). The events areback-to-back.Moody also anchored Lakeview to a third

place finish in the 400 relay and took fourthin the long jump on Friday.

JUMP FOR JOYDayton Stivers senior Nate Davis captured

the high jump title and in doing so isbelieved to be the first individual and/or teamstate champion from the school. The lastStivers team to finish this high at state wasthe 1975 basketball squad that was runner-up in Class AA.Davis’s winning jump was 6-7. He cleared

6-10 last year. Davis, who will play basket-ball and jump at Heidelberg, was third in theevent at state last year.

WE’LL BE BACKThe Salem quartet of Ben Eisel, Dustin

Matak, Dustin Huffman and Zack Penickcaptured the 800 relay title with a time of1:28.37. Expect a similar outcome next year.Eisel, Matak and Huffman are juniors.Penick is a freshman.

OUT OF NOWHERELast year Alliance Marlington’s Jarrod Eick

wasn’t in the 1,600 field at the state meet.This year he led it across the finish line. Eickcaptured the 1,600 state title with a time of4:16.43.

WE CAN RUN TOOYoungstown Cardinal Mooney has long

been known for its football. Looks like theCardinals can run a little too.The 400 relay foursome of seniors Scott

Johnson and Matt Mcwilson and juniorsBraylon Heard and Ray Vinopal escaped acompetitive field with a state title time of42.67. A total of 0.3 seconds separated firstthrough fourth.

DOUBLING UPCreston Norwayne senior Cody Miller and

London senior Ethan Fleet both successfullydefended their 2008 titles in the 400 and 300hurdles, respectively.Miller beat the field in the 400 with a time

of 47.48, while Fleet turned in a time of37.92. Fleet was eighth in the 300 hurdles

as a sophomore.

NOT THIS TIMELast year Caledonia River Valley’s Zach

Lathrop had to watch from the second stepof the podium as Sandusky Perkins’ CoryLeslie was recognized as the state championin the 800. This year, Lathrop stood in thetop spot. Nearly besting the field by two fullseconds, Lathrop crossed the line first in1:51.44.

HAWKS FLYColumbus Bishop Hartley finished with 33

points and was third in the team standings.Headlining a very productive meet was sen-ior Rufus Walls and the 1,600 relay team.Walls took first in the 200 (21.57), while

the quartet of seniors Luke Evans, CarwinHill and Domonic Colvin and freshmanIsaiah Walls was first in the 1,600 relay(3:20.43).

UP FRONTLast year Circleville’s Brad Liston made

the state 3,200 field but drifted to the back atthe end of the race and finished 10th. Thisyear the junior pressed on and bested thefield with a time of 9:18.30. That mark was37 seconds better than what he ran at statelast year.

SKY HIGHDelta senior and Ohio State recruit Korbin

Smith claimed his second straight D-II longjump state title with a 23-7 leap.“It feels good,” Smith said. “I was a little

worried coming in. I knew Josh and a coupleof other guys were right up there. I knew if Icould jump 23 (feet) I felt pretty confident.”

FAMILIAR FOESDefiance and Napoleon have been two of

the top long distance teams all season so itwas fitting the D-II boys 3,200 relay camedown to the Bulldogs and Wildcats. Defianceedged Napoleon by just over a second toearn the gold medal in the event clocking a7:57.24. Napoleon had a 7:58.36.“It was pretty typical to have Napoleon

and Defiance up in front on the last leg,”said senior anchor leg runner Zac Wiles. “Itwas a picture perfect day to run and a greatday for all of us.”And Wiles preferred running against a

team Defiance had face so many times thisseason.“I think it gives you some confidence going

in that you know they have played their handand they don’t have anymore tricks up theirsleeves and they are not hiding anythingfrom us,” he said. “I think that gave us someconfidence.”

DIVISION III GIRLSGilmour Academy adds to girlslegacy; Versailles sports state'stop overall athletic program

Gates Mills Gilmour Academy is the undis-puted class of Ohio when it comes toDivision III girls track. Saturday the Lancersadded to their reputation.Rallying from a 24-8 deficit after the first

six events, Gilmour captured its fourth D-IIIstate title in five years by scoring a whop-ping 65 points in the meet’s final 11 eventsfor 73 overall. That’s an average of 5.9points, meaning the Lancers averaged noworse than third in any event on Saturday.The 73 points was the most for a small-school girls team since Minster put up 75.33in 1979. Gilmour was state runner-up lastyear.Versailles was second this year with a

solid 62 points.Relays and sophomore sprinter Candace

Longino-Thomas did most of the damage forGilmour.Longino-Thomas became just the 18th girl

in state history to capture for firsts when shewon the 100 (12.05) and 200 (24.42) andanchored the winning 400 (48.70) and 800(1:41.31) relays.Gilmour’s 400 and 800 relays also set new

state and state meet records with theirtimes.Sophomores Alexandria Dahlhausen and

Longino-Thomas, junior Kathryn Drew andsenior Rebbecca Bloom ran the 400, whileDahlhausen, Longino-Thomas, Drew andjunior Bekka Simko competed in the 800.Simko also won the 400 (56.11).Gilmour’s 1,600 relay (Dahlhausen,

Simko, senior Melanie Frank and junior

PhotobyGaryHousteau


State Track Recap

Grace Brennan) won in 3:57.19, while theLancers 3,200 relay finished second toVersailles on Friday by less than a second.With the stable of underclassmen it

returns, Gilmour better make more room inits trophy case. It appears the Lancers arefar from slowing down.

HEFTY TOTAL, PROGRAMVersailles second place tally of 62 points

would have been good enough to win thestate title in every state meet from 1985-2007. The Tigers will have to settle for know-ing they are the best small school girlssports program in the state.Saturday’s second place track finish came

on the heels of a third place finish by thecross country team in the state finals andstate semifinal appearances by the volleyballand basketball teams. No other program canmatch that wealth of excellence.Senior Mary Prakel and freshman Tammy

Berger lead the Tigers on Saturday by per-forming in the distance events.Berger was second in the 3,200 and third

in the 1,600, while Prakel was third in the3,200 and fourth in the 1,600.Both ran on Versailles winning 3,200 relay

Friday.

THE HAMMERBarnsville senior Stephanie Morgan

capped her high school career with anotheroutstanding effort. One of the state’s bestfemale runners ever, Morgan won her thirdstraight 1,600 title (4:50.93) and defendedher 800 title with a new state and meetrecord time of 2:09.77. Morgan set the oldstate record of 2:09.87 at last year’s statemeet.Coupled with her freshman year in

Michigan where she teamed with her sisterJenny to win the 3,200 relay at ClarkstonHigh, Morgan has seven state titles. Shealso won the 3,200 D-III state championshipas a sophomore in 2007.Morgan is headed to Baylor.

RECORD SETTEROttawa Hills junior Katherine Jamieson

broke her own state record en route to the300 hurdles title. Jamieson, who had run43.58 earlier this year, went 43.18 to set anew state and state meet standard.

PHOTO FINISHSteubenville Catholic Central sophomore

Teddi Maslowski edged Alecia Daniels ofEdgerton at the tape to claim the 100 hur-dles title. Both runners finished in 14.83.

REDEMPTIONDespite finishing seventh in the event last

year and having four runners who placedbetter than her coming back, CincinnatiMaderia senior Lauren Dehan captured the3,200 title (11:06.51).

BEE-UTIFULTipp City Bethel senior Kylie Kopp saved

her best for last. In the finals of the longjump, Kopp recorded a 17-11.25 to earn thegold medal.Kopp failed to place as a freshman and

sophomore and missed her junior seasondue to injury.“I think God is finally rewarding me,” Kopp

laughed. “I have been praying to him a lotlately. I worked really hard to finally get amedal and I am glad it is gold.”

FAMILY TRADITIONElmore Woodmore senior Erin Pendleton

won the D-III discus event last season with atoss of 168-10 but she only needed 160-00this year to claim her second gold. All told,between Pendleton and her older sisterEmily, the Woodmoore products have nownotched six straight D-III discus titles.“I am happy that I kept the tradition

going,”Pendleton said, “Six years is awe-some and I am really excited I won twotimes.”Erin will join Emily, who was in atten-

dance, at Michigan this fall.Pendleton’s farthest throw this spring

(167-6) is the second farthest in the countryby a high school girl. She was the heavyfavorite coming in but Pendleton didn’t thinkthe title was automatic.“You can never say that you are going to

win something because everyone has anopportunity to win,” she said. “I just wantedto come in and try and do my best.”

VAULTING ONTO THE SCENEIn her first trip to Columbus, North

Baltimore freshman Amanda Hotaling vault-ed her way to the pole vault state title withan 11-8 performance.“I didn’t think (I would win) but it was one

of my goals and I am glad I accomplished it,”Hotaling said. “It was a rough start gettingback into the swing of things but I workedhard and it paid off.”Hotaling tied her personal record with the

winning jump tallying the same height sherecorded in the Midland Athletic Leaguechampionship.

FAMILIAR TERRITORYAnna high-jumper Laura Gehret set the D-

III state record last season with a 5-8.25jump and defended her state title this springwith a jump of 5-7. She is also a state cham-pion in volleyball.

“It is totally different,” she said. “With vol-leyball, you do it as a team. Everybody hasto work together but with the high jump thatis totally individual. You can’t rely on anyoneelse to pull you through. You have to do it allyourself. It is really cool because it is allyou.”

DIVISION III BOYSGarfield Heights Trinity adds D-IIIboys track title to trophy case

Garfield Heights Trinity has dominated theNorth Coast League in boys track, winning18 of a possible 24 championships and 10 ofthe last 12. Now the Trojans can add therest of the state to their list of conquests.Saturday at the 102nd annual boys state

track and field championships, Trinity won itsfirst Division III state title by outscoringPandora-Gilboa 45-38 at Ohio State’s JesseOwens Memorial Stadium.The state championship is just the second

earned by a boys program at Trinity (alsowon football in 1980) and the sixth state titlein school history. The Trojans also own threegirls basketball titles (1990, 1994, 1996) anda softball crown (1991).Trinity’s rise to the top has been fast.In 2007 the Trojans didn’t score a point at

state and last year managed just nine enroute to finishing 22nd.Things were different this year.Senior standout Jonathan Bobak captured

both the 100 (11.11) and 200 (21.92) titlesand anchored the winning 800 relay(1:28.96), which also included junior BrianSmith and seniors Steve Mlinaric and NickSwanson.Sophomore Nick Gliha (9:28.16) won the

PhotobyGaryHousteau

State Track Recap


3,200 title.Trinity’s lone individual state title before

Bobak and Gliha’s on Saturday, came fromLenny Jatsek who won the 2003 state title inshot put.

DEFENDING HIS GROUNDFindlay Liberty-Benton junior Seth Butler

captured his second straight 800 title with atime of 1:52.86. Last year Butler wasclocked at 1:52.54. He was fifth in the eventas a freshman.

WATCH OUTThe Versailles foursome of sophomore

Damian Winner and juniors Tom Gorman,Mitch Pitsenbarger and Keith Schlater notonly won the 1,600 relay title, they estab-lished themselves as a threat to set anewstate record in the event.Winner, Gorman, Pitsenbarger and

Schlater ran 3:22.97 on Saturday. The stateand state meet record of 3:21.08 was set in1994 by Dayton Jefferson Township. Nextyear it could fall.

OUT OF NOWHERESenior Tyler Nichols of Gates Mills

Hawken won the 110 hurdles (14.64) despitenot qualifying for state last year.

MOVING UPJunior Carson Britton from North Robinson

Colonel Crawford won the 1,600 state titlewith a time of 4:20.76. Britton was fourth asa sophomore.

FASTEST FOURSOMEThe East Palestine quartet of seniors Jeff

Farkas and Dalton Cope and juniors ShanePeterson and Travis Patterson wont he 400relay in 43.11.

STRAIGHT TO THE TOPCardington-Lincoln senior Silas Jolliff bet-

tered his state placement from a year ago byseven spots, moving from eighth to first onthe podium in the 400. Silas dropped nearlythree seconds off his time at state, running48.43 this spring as opposed to 51.03 at lastyear’s meet.

RECORD-SHATTERINGHannibal River’s D.J Duke went home

empty-handed his sophomore year in the D-III state shot put. Now, the senior has twogold medals.Duke broke his own state record and the

state meet record with a heave of 68-8.25.That mark is the fifth farthest in the countrythis spring by a high school athlete.“It feels great,” Duke said. “I came out with

the goal to hit 70 and I came as close as Ipossibly could and it feels great today.”Duke’s old personal record was 66-10.25,

which was also the old state record. The oldD-III state meet record of 62-0.75 was set bySmithville’s Larry Kolic in 1981.Duke, who won last year’s D-III title with a

60-foot throw, is headed to AshlandUniversity.“I came in with a goal and tried my best at

it.”The crowd applauded enthusiastically

when his record-setting toss was announcedas Duke stood on the top spot on the podi-um.Said Duke: “It sent shivers down my spine

when everyone applauded. It felt prettygreat. I am going to miss it.”

RUN AND JUMPGates Mills Gilmour Academy senior

Preston Hoge took home the 300 hurdlestitle in 38.32. Last year Hoge was fourth.

LONG TIME COMINGThe last time Kirtland won a state track

title, none of runners on the 4x800 relayteam were born. Now, the Hornets are gold-en. Kirtland outlasted favorite Louisville St.Thomas Aquinas in the event clocking a7:53.90 to win the state title.“(It means) everything for us, for our

coaches and our school,” Dominic Samfsaid. “Our coach (Jim Pilewski) is a greatcoach and he has been working with us real-ly hard and pushes us throughout the sea-son. He wants us (to get a personal record)every meet whether or not we have competi-tion.

GREEN WAVEThe boys discus competition was green

with envy thanks to Newark Catholic juniorClay Harris and senior Luke Webster. Harriswon the gold with a 166-7 throw andWebster placed fifth with a toss of 160-8.“It started (to sink in) when they

announced it,” said Harris of his state titleperformance. “I was hoping (I would win). Ithought if was going to happen in eitherevent it would be discus. I wasn’t 100 per-cent sure though.”Said Webster: “I was hoping for the podi-

um but to call something like that is bold.

There were a lot of nice distances today. Icame in and wanted to throw well today andI did and got to the podium and it was awe-some.”

REBEL WITH A CAUSUEColumbiana Crestview senior Jakob Leon

came to the state track meet with a purpose.He wanted to win the high jump state title inhis fourth trip to Columbus. And the fourthtime was a charm.Leon, an Akron recruit, won the gold with

a 6-10 jump which was four inches higherthan second place Matt Sindelar of NewBremen.“Fourth year being down here, to come

out with a state title is really just amazing,”Leon said. “It gives you some motivationbecause you have been down here and itwould be real nice to go out with a bang.”

PR AT THE RIGHT TIMEMineral Ridge sophomore Dan Skiba

saved his best for last. Skiba set a personaland school record with a leap of 22-10.75 towin the long jump.“I (got a personal record) by a whole foot,

which surprised me,” he said.Skiba sailed 21-11 earlier in the season.“I never thought I would get close to it

again,” he said. “I never thought I would go22 feet. I don’t know if it was just the adren-aline rush from being at state or what. Iwould have been happy with making thepodium.”With two more years of high school left,

Skiba is now the jumper to beat.“It is kind of nerve-racking now because

there will be a lot of pressure and expecta-tions for next year.,” Skiba said. “But it hasn’tsunk in.”

SENIOR SEND OFFSandusky St. Mary Central Catholic senior

Alex Slattery finished second in the polevault last season. This season, he won thegold. Slattery vaulted 15-0 to claim the statetitle.“My goal was to get 15 and I finally got it,”

he said. “My main goal was to win state butthose were my two main goals. To get theboth today was amazing.”Slattery felt he had a good chance of win-

ning this year after finishing second to staterecord holder Heath Nickles (ColumbusGrove) last year.The 15-0 performance was a personal

record for the Akron recruit. — OH

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State Track : in Pictures

All Photos By Nick Falzerano

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ohio high 2009 spring sports state tournament issue

Documents

ohio highschool sports

elyria high school

editorohio high magazine

high school career bystriking

state track meet

team allohio selection

straight state tournament

tess sito