Jaw-dropping time at county meet has Louisville High School boys 3,200 relay thinking big
NORTH CANTON — Louisville's boys 3,200-meter relay made a unanimous decision prior to the season.
After a heartbreaking finish in 2021, Owen Pukys, Stephen Ulrich, Colby Adams and Bobby Ganser thought they should go their separate ways and focus on other events.
"We really didn't think we would be that good," Pukys said.
Boy, they were wrong.
The Leopards carried the state's best 3,200 relay time into this week's Division I district track and field meet. To no one's surprise, they won a district title in 8:01.77 Wednesday at Hoover.
What Louisville accomplished at last month's Stark County Championships was jaw-dropping. The Leopards won the county title in 7:51.89 — an incredibly fast time for that point in the season.
It still stood as the state's top time going into Wednesday.
"Honestly it was pure shock," Adams said of Louisville's county-winning time. "We went from an 8:03 team to a 7:51 team. We dropped 12 seconds in one race.
"Going into the meet we were hoping to break eight (minutes). It was a huge shock to us we could even drop that much time.
"Euphoria is how I would describe it."
The Leopards hope to experience more euphoria over the next few weeks. Even though they are ranked No. 1 in the state, they are not taking anything for granted.
Louisville finished third at last year's district meet and had high hopes going into the regional at Austintown. A dropped baton shattered the Leopards' state dreams.
"What happened last year happened," Ulrich said. "It was definitely not what we wanted.
"This year we have a new mindset. Obviously, we have a lot more confidence going into it. We're running a lot faster than we were last year. I feel like we're more developed as runners. We definitely have the potential to do well."
This is Louisville's best 3,200 relay since 2017 when twins Nick and Noah Chaplik, Zach Fresenko and Noah Murray were state runners-up in 7:41.14. The four graduating seniors went on to win a national championship later that month.
"What they did was remarkable," Ganser said. "We always look up to them, and they always give us good advice."
As seniors themselves, Pukys, Ulrich, Adams and Ganser hope to follow the 2017 relay's lead.
"They've had a goal since they were freshmen to be running in Columbus when they were seniors," Louisville head coach Frank Grimm said. "They have held each other accountable and have been super coachable.
"Time aside, we want to win regionals next week and get to Columbus with these kids. They're four seniors who have worked hard. That's the goal, and they deserve it."
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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Senior-dominant Louisville boys 3,200 relay eyes memorable finish
