The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Woodall, Chandler impress
Brush and Euclid runners post red-letter days at Ranger Relays
Quentin Woodall brings plenty of pomp and circumstance every time he steps on the track. April 21 during the Ranger Relays, the pomp was clear, the circumstance was special — and the swagger stepping off the track was justified.
The Brush senior notched a milestone double, taking 110-meter hurdles and 100 in a memorable running-event MVP afternoon.
The 100 was a signature victory for Woodall. Lining up one lane over from Lorain senior Zion Cross, the 2016 Division I 100 state champion who took third in the event in 2017, Woodall was dynamic in powering through his last 40 to stave off Cross and win with a time of 10.97 seconds.
After a last-minute move to 4x400, Woodall sat on the infield and took his time collecting himself before heading for the exit — but it was a well-earned pause.
“I feel good,” Woodall said. “Coming into the meet, I knew the hurdles was going to be easy. I knew I had some competition in 100, and that’s what I needed because, really, no one’s been running with me all year. And (Cross) kind of pushed me to do a little better, so that helped a lot.”
In 110s, in which the returning first-team NewsHerald all-star was fourth in D-I at state last spring, Woodall was dominant from the start amid a 14.35.
Snapping his trail leg with precision, Woodall recorded the best time thus far in 2018 in The NewsHerald coverage area in the event and was just .16 off his state time a year ago.
But the senior, one of four boys 110/120 hurdlers in school history to make it to state and the lone athlete among that group to crack the top four at state, eyes a lot more than that.
“(Running 14.35) is going to make me go faster, because I kind of want to get out of the 14s for good,” Woodall said. “I want to run consistent 13s or better, so I’ve just got to work harder.”
Euclid’s Caisja Chandler put in some work as a strong start to her senior campaign continues to unfold. The Cincinnati signee enjoyed a 4-for-4 day to earn running MVP honors — winning 100 and 200 and anchoring the Panthers’ dangerous 4x1 and 4x2.
The longtime Euclid standout sprinter had to stave off brief homestretch challenges from Mentor’s Paige Floriea but had the power to see out firsts in 100 (12.01) and 200 (25.15).
“I feel pretty good about it,” Chandler said. “My times are lower than they were last year — last year, it was like high-24s. At GlenOak last week, it was low24s. So I’m hoping to see 23s by state — that’s what I’ve been wanting since like forever. Hopefully, I get it.
“(To get under 24 in 200, I) probably need to attack the turn a little more, because I finish through all the way. Freshman year, I wasn’t finishing through at all. I’m finishing all the way through, finishing way past the line — almost about to run into the gate.”
North’s Chris Beemiller wasn’t about to have throwers come into the gate of his home facility without keeping relay firsts — and the award to go with it — in Eastlake. The senior had the top individual throws in shot put (50-4) and discus (161-1) as he teamed with Joe Ginter to capture both relays and field event MVP.
“Oh yeah — it was a really good day for me,” Beemiller said. “I’m really focusing on discus, trying to get my form and not worry about my distance — just focus on form. And certainly for shot, too, of course. I’m going to try to work on that and get that a little farther.
“(The 161-1) felt really clean. I really just focused on form and took it really slow with a clear mind.”
The Mentor boys were free and clear of the field for another invitational title in 2018, accumulating 148 points, nearly as much as runner-up Bedford and thirdplace Riverside combined.
Derek Kleinhenz, who has been on strong form on sprint relays in April, won 400 with a 51.69 and put a punctuation on the Cardinals’ team title with a firstclass reel-in to anchor the winning 4x4 (3:34.91).
“It was an awesome meet,” said Kleinhenz, team trophy in hand just before he got on the bus. “Running the 400 and winning that was really fun, and it just motivated me more to do 4x4 — and then we ended up winning that as well. I anchored that.
“Seeing everyone do well was awesome. It just gives everyone else motivation to get better, placing in all of these different events. It’s just amazing.”
The Mentor girls also won the team title with 124 points, highlighted by a relay win in long jump in which Floriea recorded a personal-best 18-2 1/4.
Coming soon
For more from this meet, check back in track and field notes April 23 online and in the April 24 print edition.