Boys State Track, Day 1: Rittman's Tyler Thompson gets runner-up in shot put

COLUMBUS — Saving the best for last has a whole new meaning for Tyler Thompson.

With a pair of fouls on his first two throws of the Division III shot put competition Friday afternoon at the OHSAA State Championships, the Rittman senior needed to land one just to get into the finals.

Thompson was able to do just that, going from the outside looking in to second place overall, a spot he would regain on his last attempt of the finals, en route to taking runner-up honors in his final prep meet.

“It wouldn't be any fun if I didn't foul the first two throws and keep everyone their toes, you know?” said Thompson, who finished the day with a mark of 59-feet-9¼. “I didn't feel too nervous. My coach told me to just envision you're at home and imagine being in our home ring. That put me at ease and I was ready to go.”

It was a day of adversity for the multiple-time All-Ohioan, who came in with the state’s top mark, but found himself with just one throw between a trip to the finals and going home earlier than expected.

That didn’t seem to faze Thompson, however, went out there and uncorked a toss of 57-2 1/4.

But then again, the local has been here before when, as a sophomore in his state debut, he also had a pair of fouls and needed one good one to get into the finals – something he did by ¼-inch.

“I felt a little more experienced this time, a little calmer going into that throw,” Thompson said.

Thompson faced the same dilemma in the finals when, after a foul and a throw of 57-8, he dropped to third overall after A.J, Schafer of Columbus Grove recorded a toss of 59-8.

“I had the mindset going into the last one that I'm never going to get this moment back,” he said. “I mean, it's my last throw in high school. I didn't want to put too much pressure on it, just go out and have fun and enjoy the last moment.”

The finish was the best in the three-year career of the thrower, who will continue throwing for the University of Cincinnati next season.

In each of those three seasons, after COVID erased his freshman campaign, Thompson earned All-Ohio honors, finishing fourth as a sophomore and sixth as a junior before the runner-up finish.

“It's been a goal of mine to be a state champ forever, but I can't complain,” he said. “Today I overcame adversity, and second place is the highest that I've ever gotten in the state tournament."

Waynedale’s Ian Sarver also competed in the shot competition on Friday, finishing 15th with a mark of 47-0½, while Dalton’s Quentin Lehman took part in the discus, placing 16th (135-6).

Loudonville freshman Braden Carr just missed a spot in the podium, tying for 10th overall in D-III after clearing 13-6, while in D-II, both Norwayne’s Jon Graham and Chippewa’s Alex Rodriguez ended in a tie for 15th with identical marks of 13 feet.

The lone final on the track, the 4x8 final, took place earlier in the day with Rittman placing 13th with the team of David Kollin, Devin Bowlby, Bryen Valerio and Luke Snyder in 8:17.25.

Orrville’s Calvin Speicher headlines the list of locals that qualified out of running prelims on Friday. In his state debut, the senior earned a spot in both the 110- and 300-meter hurdle finals in D-II, thanks to times of 14.42 and 39.61, which both were fifth-fastest in their respective events.

The day almost started disastrously in the 110s as Speicher stumbled between hurdles around the 50-meter mark, but was able to rebound and finish his heat strong.

“It slowed me up a little bit,” Speicher said. “We were all moving and, about halfway through, I kind of hit my trail leg kind of hard and got a little off balance.

“When that happens, you get in a little bit of panic mode, but I was able to get back going pretty easy, he added. “It was a little nerve-racking but I stayed up and I was good.”

Fellow hurdler, Waynedale junior Jeremy Reber, also had a strong day in his D-III 110 hurdle prelims as he reset his own school-record time in the event by clocking a 14.96 to head into Saturday with the fifth-best time.

Later in the day, Reber came up 0.12 seconds shy of a finals appearance in the 300s after running a 40.59. Northwestern’s Jacob Wakefield also ran in the prelims for the event, placing 15th (42.35).

Dalton’s 4x2 relay also advanced as the group of Sam Tomlinson, Colin Pearson, Cameron Gazboda and Kanoa Hevia combined to finish in 1:31.92.

And while the time was good enough for eighth overall, and a spot in the final race of the season, the group knows they have more left in the tank.

“It feels good, obviously, but we know we can do better,” Pearson said. “That definitely gives us confidence, knowing that we can run faster. I thought our handoffs looked good, just first day running it was hot.

“We will need to push a little harder and just find that extra gear.”

Along with those events, a host of locals will be in action on Saturday in field and track events. Norwayne’s Dillon Morlock will look to go 2-for-2 in state titles, competing in the D-II discus, while both West Holmes’ Kyle Matarich and Smithville’s Josh Davis are schedule to take part in the high jump. Wooster discus thrower Michael Howman-Williams is the lone area athlete in D-I.

On the track, Snyder will compete in the 1,600 and 3,200 — the latter event also included Jackson Varner of Waynedale and Jack Swartz of Tuslaw — with Kollin running in the 800 final.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Boys Track and Field: Rittman's Thompson a state runner-up in shot put