Eastwood boys capture crown
5/31/2009LEXINGTON - Crosby Schemenauer and Justin Welch collected the only two individual titles Saturday for Eastwood at the Division II regional championships.
But several Eagles played a role in capturing the boys team championship.
The Eagles, who were state runners-up last year, qualified for the coming state meet in nine events to total 77 points and run away from their regional competition. Orrville finished second with 56 points, followed by Defiance (52), Sandusky Perkins (41) and a three-way tie for fifth place between Delta, Clyde and Creston Norwayne at 34.
"I'm very proud of our team," Eastwood coach Gary White said. "When you see that kind of effort as a coach you're always proud."
Schemenauer and Welch jump-started the Eagles' run by securing their wins during Thursday's action. Schemenauer cleared 15 feet, 4 inches to win the pole vault, and Justin Welch repeated as discus champion by recording a hefty toss of 194 feet, 2 inches.
Taylor Depew, Josh Hoodlebrink, Matt Schlumbohm and Cody Seifert teamed up to win the 400 relay with a time of 43.03 to account for Eastwood's only other first-place finish.
Yet Eastwood wasn't the only team from northwest Ohio to produce winners at the regional meet.
Defiance's boys and girls 3200 meter relay teams are headed to state as regional champions. Anna Meyer, Megan Vogelsong, Kristen Fett and Mikaela Tolbert won the girls relay with a time of 9:35.56, while Sebastian Brown, Trevin Flickinger, Sean Murray and Zac Wiles topped the boys relay with a time of 8:13.03.
Delta's Korbin Smith qualified for state in three events, including the long jump after winning the event with an effort of 22-11 1/2. He also qualified for state in the 200 and 400 after placing second in the 200 (22.02) and third in the 400 (48.97).
The top four finishers in each event qualify for the state meet set for Friday and Saturday in Columbus.
"I'm happy I qualified for state in the 200 and 400," said Smith, the defending state long jump champion.
Eastwood's Schemenauer also placed second in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.00, while Seifert guaranteed himself a spot at state in the 100 after running third at the regionals with a time of 11.15. Hoodlebrink made his presence felt in the long jump, where he finished runner-up with a leap of 22-9, while Defiance's Derron Pritchett placed fourth with a leap of 21-1 1/2.
Clyde's Logan Garcia, Travis Lauer, Ryan Scharf and Kade Kramer dashed to first place in the 800 relay (1:29.87). Garcia, Kramer, Scharf and Scott Koenig also won the 1600 relay (3:22.54) while Eastwood finished third
(3:23.43).
Perkins' Matt Hoty produced a state record with his winning throw of 64-8 1/4 in the shot put, while Genoa's Marcus Vicars (58-3 1/4), Eastwood's Welch (55-9 3/4) and Perkins' Ben Bacni (55-7) finished second, third and fourth, respectively.
"I'm just glad I qualified for state in both events (shot put and discus)," Welch said.
Fostoria's Matt Cassidy and Clyde's Juho Hietanen are headed to state in the high jump after placing second (6-3) and third (6-3), respectively. Cassidy cleared 6-3 on fewer attempts than
Hietanen to finish runner-up to Marion Pleasant's Ken Hosp, who won with a jump of 6-4.
Ottawa-Glandorf's Nolan Croy advanced with a fourth-place effort in the 110 hurdles (15.22).
Wiles and Flickinger came through in the 1600 for Defiance by placing second (4:21.14) and fourth (4:25.42), respectively. Wiles also advanced to state in the 3200 after running second
(9:41.70), while Delta's Colin Fisher placed fourth (9:56.60).
Defiance's Sean Murray and Napoleon's Steve Weaver ran second (1:58.07) and fourth (1:58.65), respectively, in the 800.
Perkins' Kyle Steinhauser and Wauseon's T.J. Christy placed second (172-11) and third (161-9), respectively, in the discus. Napoleon's 3200 relay qualified for state by finishing second (8:13.67).
In the girls meet, Wauseon's Holly Baird put together one of the top efforts of the day by running away from the girls 3200 field to win with a time of
11:29.25. Napoleon's Rachel Huddle and Defiance's Megan Vogelsong placed a distant second (11:50.31) and third (11:51.08), respectively.
Napoleon's Kendall Homan prevailed in one of her specialties by recording a jump of 17-10 1/2 to win the long jump. She also ran third in the 100 hurdles (15.30).
Akron Archbishop Hoban won the girls team championship with 67 points, followed by crosstown rival Buchtel 61, Mansfield Ontario 46, Shelby 42, and Defiance 41 to round out the top five teams.
Defiance's Tolbert, a three-year state qualifier in the 400, is headed to state in the 800 in her senior season.
"It was just my goal to get to state for the fourth year in a row," said Tolbert, who finished second in the 800 with a time of 2:18.32.
Port Clinton's Macy Caldwell and Defiance's Brooke Lime
finished second (15.21) and fourth (16.00), respectively, in the 100 hurdles. Ottawa-Glandorf's
Hannah Kaufman placed second in the 200 (25.32).
Napoleon's Sara Weaver finished third (118-8) in the discus while teammate Emily Gerken qualified in the high jump after finishing fourth (5-2). Willard's Alysun Daniel placed second in the high jump by clearing 5-3.
Oak Harbor ran third (50.53) in the 400 relay while Genoa's 3200 relay finished fourth (9:51.48).
Contact Donald Emmons at:demmons@theblade.com
or 419-724-6302Quonsit porum tanumus, cone facieniquid achuius