The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Landis’ road leads home
Two-time Pa. state qualifier, now at Madison, could redefine area discus
Nolan Landis is well-versed in every twist and turn of Interstate 90 east.
Two years worth of daily drives from Madison across the state line to Pennsylvania for high school will render that a lock.
Now that Landis is home, though, one stretch of freeway acclimation matters — I-71 south during the first weekend of June, because it would lead him to Columbus and a shot at glory he craves for his community.
Landis has transferred to Madison for his junior year after spending his freshman and sophomore years at Erie Cathedral Prep (Pa.).
While at Prep, Landis was a two-time state qualifier in throws during the spring and a lineman on the Ramblers’ 2016 Class 4A state title squad in football.
“My brother (Cameron) and I commuted just over an hour every day to Cathedral Prep,” Landis said. “I’ve lived in Madison my whole life, but we decided we wanted to be football players, so we went there.
“Once I decided I was giving that up after we won a state title in Pennsylvania, I decided, ‘All right, I don’t need Prep anymore. I can come back and throw for Ohio and throw for Madison.’ ”
Landis said he grew up dabbling in several sports, including hockey, but was drawn to throwing when he took it up for the first time in seventh grade.
As an eighth-grader, he won the Ohio middle school state championship competing for Madison with a throw of 142 feet, 4 inches.
“I realized, ‘Wow, I could really do something here,’ ” Landis said.
At Prep, Landis advanced to the Pennsylvania Class 3A state meet in discus as a freshman in 2016, taking ninth (156-2). Last spring, Landis was a 3A qualifier in shot put and discus, including a 164-6 to take 12th in the latter. His brother Cameron was fourth in shot put with a 59-0 ¾ and 10th in discus (166-11).
But enjoyable as it was to step on big stages in the fall and spring in Pennsylvania — especially with his brother — Landis admits the daily grind was taxing.
“I look back some days and think, ‘Wow, that was crazy I did that,’ ” Landis said. “We left around 6:30 every day — eight classes every day at Prep. It’s a pretty rigorous academic place, too. And then with football, too — that was from the beginning of summer almost at Prep through December.
“So it was really hard to get my track training in as well. And just the hour drives — we would sleep over at some kids’ houses just to try and save us. But definitely, I’m glad I’m back here now because I definitely have more time for lifting and throwing.”
Landis capped his first indoor campaign for the Blue Streaks by taking fourth at state in D-I shot put with a 58-10. And he wasted no time putting Ohio on notice in discus once the spring season commenced. In his first invitational — the NEOITC Indoor/Outdoor meet March 26 at SPIRE — discus was the lone event contested outdoors. Discus flight warmups are known to lag, so Landis went for a jog to stay sharp.
As he stepped in the circle for his initial throw of the meet, his personal best in the event coming in was 178. Seconds later, it wasn’t.
Landis uncorked an outstanding throw of 191-3 ¾ to better his PR by more than 13 feet and set the school record — surprising even himself.
“I was not expecting that at all,” Landis said. “I kind of just took it easy.
“That’s kind of the funny thing in discus is sometimes your easy throws are the ones that go the furthest, just because you’re feeling the positions and you really get the torque out of it. The circle is good at SPIRE — everything is the best here. I went slow out of the back to finish well — and it flew.”
To put the 191-3 ¾ in perspective, it would have won the D-I state title in Ohio last spring by more than nine feet. The area record is 200-11 by Berkshire and Ohio State legend Dan Taylor in 2000. Of the 43 times an area thrower has cracked the top four at state in discus all-time, only six have eclipsed 180 to get there. The best among the 15 state champions in that group of 43 was Mentor great Jason Caldwell’s 197-11 to capture the D-I title in 2000.
“The key for me is repetition — and good coaching, that’s also something,” Landis said. “I have my dad. I have a club coach in Pittsburgh, and (Kent State throws coach Nathan Fanger) also helps me out.
“So it takes a good combination of strength gains, obviously lots of practice, repetition — just drilling without an implement. Just going out in the driveway drilling without an implement — 50 a day, you’ve got to do. If you want to get somewhere, 50 a day is key. Combining that all together is definitely what makes you throw further.”
Not to mention combining all of the elements of a journey that has incurred a lot of miles on the road and in circles around the region competing at a high level.
Madison has had seven top-four state placers all-time in track and field, the last on the boys side coming in 1998 — and no state champions in the sport. If Landis can keep this going, he may hit the familiar I-90 east in the first weekend of June with some hardware to show for it.
“I came (to the NEOITC meet) hoping to be right around my PR — to hit 190 was special,” Landis said. “If I get 200 this year, that would be outstanding.
“(Competing for an Ohio state title) would be fantastic. I’ve lived here my whole life. I won a middle school title, so to take high school, that would be awesome.”