Gahanna, Pickerington Central win titles
Lions girls bring depth, Tigers boys edge foes
The Gahanna Lincoln girls and Pickerington Central boys track and field teams entered the Division I state meet with star power, but both also did the little things right.
Gahanna coach Roger Whittaker pointed to his sprinting depth, giving him enough flexibility to keep all of his top competitors rested for finals as being key to his team’s third state title. The Lions have finished in the top three at eight consecutive state meets.
“It’s because some other teams had some issues,” Whittaker said. “Really it’s the story of the people in the background. I had a couple girls run (Friday) at the last minute and that’s the reason we’re here.”
Gahanna finished with 47 points to take first, with Westerville Central scoring 31 to finish a program-best second. Watkins Memorial was fourth (23.5) and Hilliard Davidson was eighth (20) as 77 teams scored.
Lions sprinter Camden Bentley opened the finals by running a scorching 13.25 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles that would have been a state record had it not been considered wind-aided.
She then was joined by Amryne Chilton, Keena Sanders and Ayanna Stafford on the first-place 800 relay (1:38.32) and later won the 300 hurdles (42.82).
“I was kind of in the zone,” Bentley said. “I heard everyone grunting the first three hurdles (in the 100 hurdles) and just had to go. I wasn’t expecting it to be that fast.”
Central, meanwhile, captured its third team title by getting the one point it needed in the meet’s final event.
The Tigers finished with 31 points to edge Olentangy Orange (30), with Licking
Heights taking fourth (23) and Hilliard Darby and Davidson tying Canton Glenoak for seventh (18) as 79 teams scored.
“I thought we had a chance of being top five, and when (Westerville Central’s Justin) Braun decided he wasn’t going to run, now it changes everything,” Central coach Jason Roach said. “Then I thought maybe we could win
state.”
Troy Lane showed his spectacular speed in the 100, running a state-record time of 10.25 that gave him the title after he finished third last season.
He later won the 200 (21.09) and joined Ethan Pinkins, Kaleb Holloway and Xavier Mccoy on the first-place 400 relay (41.22).
“The way I like to think of it is that I climb Mount Everest and each race is like me taking the next step to reach the top,” Lane said. “Today I finally reached the top.”
Central and Orange were tied with 30 points heading into the 1,600 relay, in which the Pioneers did not have an entry. The Tigers managed an eighth-place finish to take the team title.
Joel Addo led Orange, capturing the championship in the high jump (6 feet, 8 inches) and taking third in the long jump (23-5 1/4).
The boys long jump was dominated by central Ohio athletes, with Licking Heights’ D.J. Fillmore going 24-11 to edge Darby’s Alex Smith (24-7 3/4) for first place.
“My first meet of the season, I scratched behind the board, and it was definitely a 24, so I knew I could jump 24,” Fillmore said.
Also winning titles were Davidson’s Jack De Francesco in the pole vault (15-6), Beechcroft’s Jayden Douglas in the 300 hurdles (36.72), the Orange girls 400-relay team of Josephine Davis, Ava Musgrove, Cassidy Shimp and Teresa Christian (47.55) and the Thomas Worthington boys 1,600 relay-team of Shohaan Singh, Camden Beatty, Daniel Assoku and Eli Hitzhusen (3:17.42).
In Division II, the Eastmoor Academy boys tied for 10th (18) with Sandusky Perkins behind champion Cleveland Glenville (45) as 72 teams scored.
Heath’s Huntyr Butler defended his title in the boys 110 hurdles (14.15).
“It’s pretty amazing going back-toback,” Butler said.
In Division III, Grandview Heights’ Collin Haj Abed captured the title in the 110 hurdles (14.81), won the long jump with an effort of 22-2 3/4, and helped his team finish fifth (28) behind champion Creston Norwayne (40) as 72 teams scored.
“It’s all I could have ever hoped,” said Haj Abed. julrey@thisweeknews.com @Ulreythisweek