Buckeye Trail boys; John Glenn girls lead area regional track qualifiers

ST. CLAIRSVIILE — Buckeye Trail put forth a strong effort at the Division III District track meet hosted by St. Clairsville on Wednesday and Friday evenings. The Warriors' boys team captured the district runner-up with 63.5 points.

The top four placers in each event qualified for the regional to be held on Wednesday and Friday at Massillon Perry High School.

"I told the athletes that I believe in our culture that we're building in the track program. Our boys push the girls at practice, the girls push the boys at practice," Buckeye Trail head coach Nathan Fisher explained. "We have wonderful first time coaches in Ty Young, Kaci Cunningham, and Sydney Hickman, as well as returning coaches Dylan Roe and Terry Parry. It was truly a culmination of everyone's hard work."

Senior Franko Rome racked up 21.25 total points in an impressive performance to lead the Buckeye Trail effort. Rome took the district title in the 800-meter run (2:06.83) and placed 2nd in the 1600-meter run (4:38.87).

Rome then teamed up with Kohlton Channell, Laine Wayble, and Austing Hastings to capture 2nd place in the 4X800-meter relay (8:55.18) to advance on to regionals. And then combined with Channell, Blake Hoop and Travis Dodd to claim 4th place in the 4x400-meter relay to move on (3:42.94)

"We planned for Franko to sit in the pack for the first three laps and use that speed to move up at the very end," Fisher explained. "I was a bit nervous when Franko took off from about 250 meters out, but he looked like he was shot out of a cannon and held it. For the 800, Franko wasn't happy with his time, but was happy to be able to take home a win after his hard 1600. Franko looks to challenge our school record and go sub-2 in the 800 at regionals."

Also advancing on to regionals were senior Brendan Bates and Janson Alloway  in the pole vault. Bates (12-6) captured 2nd place with Alloway right behind in third place (12-6). Koen Eagon grabbed 2nd in the 300-meter hurdles (43.11) to punch his ticket to regionals.

On the girls side, both Riley Ward 4th in the 1600-meter run (5:51.43) and Ava Tank (4-08) with a third place in the high jump were able to advance.

Division II District (Meadowbrook High School)

BYESVILLE — The John Glenn girls have been the hunted in the Division II district track and field meet for the past decade at Meadowbrook.

The Lady Muskies outlasted the field again, claiming their eighth district title in nine years with 157 points at the district meet, which was held on Thursday and Saturday.

Steubenville was second with 118 followed by Morgan in third (82). Philo was ninth (25) and Maysville 12th (6).

The top four placers in each event qualified for the regional to be held on Thursday and Saturday at Chillicothe Southeastern.

Jessica Church claimed the 400 (59.45); Brea Wilfong placed first in the 800 (2:26.73); Chelsea Sotherden won the discus (110-0); and Church, Emma Dolan, Wilfong and Abigail Derry placed first in the 4x400 (4:14.01) to lead John Glenn on Saturday. Derry, Wilfong, Laurie Baughman and Grace Lawrence won the 4x800 (10:20) on Thursday.

Derry added a second (5:34) and Wilfong third (5:35) in the 1,600; Derry was third in the 800 (2:27.84); Kara Fields finished second in the 100 hurdles (15.38) and 300 hurdles (49.02); Rebecca Spohn was third in the 3,200 (13:41); Ava Hoffman placed second (5-0) and Raya Taylor fourth (5-0) in the high jump; Brayden Snider came in second (11-6) and Jordan Killiany third (10-6) in the pole vault; Claire Smith was third in the shot (36-7); Marina Nicolozakes was fourth in the 300H (49.21); and Fields, Angela Kumler, Church and Nicolozakes came in fourth in the 4x200 (1:50.0) to also qualify.

Cambridge High had a strong showing in the girls relay action with Riley Crupper, Zoey Gibson, Ziciah Gibson and Zoey Cahoon taking third (1:49.29) in the 4X200-meter relay; Emily Clark, Cahoon, Nevaeh Smith and Crupper took 4th (52.41) in the 4X100 relay; Gibson, Crupper, Cahoon and Josie Fabian grabbed 4th in the 4X400 relay (4:22.79). Cahoon also advanced in the 300-meter run with a 3rd place effort (49.07).

Meadowbrook Lady Colts' regional qualifiers include Taylor Forbes with the district title in the 3200-meter run (13:05.62), followed by Marabelle Thornberry in 2nd (13:18.42). Camden Black clamed first place in the high jump, and then was 3rd in the 100-meter hurdles (16.40). Avery Black reeled n a 4th place by long jump and Mylee Arnold took 4th in the pole vault.

The John Glenn boys were third (77.5), as St. Clairsville won with 100 points and Steubenville was second (90). West Muskingum was 10th (32), Maysville 11th (27), Philo 12th (18) and Morgan 13th (7).

Chris Tooms won the 1,600 (4:31) and 3,200 (9:49) to pace the Muskie boys. He was also part of the second-place 4x800 (8:28) with Carson Clouse, Caiden Lake and Kody Clendenning on Thursday.

Elijah Kuklica took second in the 400 (51.06); Clendenning placed second in the 800 (2:02.3); Clendenning, Cameron House, Asa Kridelbaugh and Chris Russell finished second in the 4x400 (3:34); Kuklica, Kridelbaugh, Stefan Israel and Chase Stephen took third in the 4x200 (1:33.5); and Riley West, Russell, Israel and Stephen were fourth in the 4x100 (44.88) to also qualify for John Glenn.

Meadowbrook senior Kahle Flowers, who just recently signed his Letter of Intent with the University of Mount Union had a big day with second place in the 100-meter dash (11:17), and 3rd place in the 400-meter dash (51.89).

Kendell West claimed 4th in the 3200-meter run (10:22.12), Ethan Furbee was 3rd in the high jump (5-10.00), Hunter Eubanks took 3rd in the pole vault (13-00.00). Meadowbrook's 4X100-meter relay team grabbed first place (43.94).

Cambridge's Jonah Stanberry once again went head-to-head with Flowers, with Stanberry 3rd in the 100-meter dash (11.28) with teammate Zairek Bell right behind in 4th to advance (11.32). Stanberry then captured 3rd in the 200-meter dash (23.25) with this time teammate Reed Johnson earning a regional trip with 4th place showing (23:37).

Cambridge senior Levin Polasky took first place in the long jump (20-11.00), in relay action the Bobcats had a strong showing. CHS grabbed second place in both the 4X100-meter relay (43.91), and 4X200-meter relay (1:32.04).

KSutton1@gannett.com

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This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Senior Franko Rome's big effort leads Buckeye Trail to runner-up spot at Division III district meet