'We're just going to keep going strong': Sprinters power Dalton to Div. III district title
CRESTON — It’s been a tough season and Dalton’s boys track team has the scars to prove it.
Despite the nagging injuries along the way, the Bulldogs found a way to get the job done Friday night as they captured the Norwayne Division III District championship.
“It feels good,” senior sprinter Kanoa Hevia said, “We barely have run as a team (on the relays) because I've been dealing with some things, so it feels really good to get this.
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“We're just going to keep going strong, all the way to state.”
No matter the various setbacks that have plagued Dalton this spring, Friday was a combination of strength and balance across the lineup to help the team compile 85 points to hod off Waynedale (81) for the team title. Rittman tied for fourth with 72, followed by Tuslaw (7th place, 50) in the top 10.
And it started with the sprints as the Bulldogs — like the rest of the field — had to endure a 30-minute weather delay before the start of the running finals that pushed every event back.
The 4x200-meter relay team picked up an impressive win by over three full seconds as the team of Hevia, Sammy Tomlinson, Colin Pearson and Gavin Annen cruised to victory in 1:32.04, highlighting a long list of area athletes that qualified for next week’s regional meet back in Creston.
It was another triumph for a group that has endured a host of bumps and bruises this season; everything from sore hamstrings to knee pain, as the group hopes to get back to state and improve on its All-Ohio finish from a year ago.
“We just want to do it for each other,” said Pearson, who is one of three members back from last year’s state team along with Tomlinson and Hevia. “You have to be resilient, practice hard, recover, take care of our bodies and get us back to state this year.”
Tomlinson was an individual champ in the 100, clocking an 11.28 to beat Waynedale’s Rollin Hendrix by 0.06 seconds, while Pearson placed second in the 200 by the slimmest of margins as Stephan Kozopas held on for the win in .003 seconds as both registered 22.82s.
Not too shabby for Pearson, who ran the race in the not-so-favorable lane No. 2.
“I know I didn't run my best on Wednesday (in the prelims) to put me in lane two, but it was nice to see the field in front of you so you know where you're at and where you need to be,” said Pearson, who also ran on the 4x1 team that was second. “I just had to power through those last steps.”
The Bulldogs also picked up a slew of points in the field, led by senior Carson Steiner’s personal-record mark of 13-4 in the pole vault to highlight first-day action on Wednesday. Collin Jones added a second straight runner-up finish in the throws, adding a regional trip in the shot put after recording a similar finish in the discus. Ian Sarver of Waynedale won the shot with a toss of 48-feet-8¾ after having the competition delayed in the middle of his round, thanks to a rain shower that was accompanied by a rumble of thunder.
The area swept the individual distance races as Rittman’s Luke Snyder was the winner in both the 1,600 and 3,200, while Waynedale’s Conner Reich took first in the 800.
Snyder was impressive as he stormed out to an early lead and never let up for a nine-second victory in the 1,600 over Mapleton’s Isaik Schoch in 4:20.95, just off of his own district-record time of 4:18.99 set last season. He then went on to hold off the Golden Bears’ Jackson Varner for the second straight week to register a 9:34.63 in the 3,200.
“The whole time I was trying to go out fast and maintain as long as I could,” Snyder said of the 1,600 win. “We had splits we wanted me to run, and I hit them the first half of the race and my wheels kind of fell off at the end, but it still was pretty good.”
Reich also led start-to-finish in his win in the 800 in a career-best 2:00.96, coming through the first lap a 58.10-second split and adding another regional event to his list for next weekend as he ran with a district-winning 4x8 on Wednesday.
“I took the lead, which I normally don't like doing, and I was able to stay up in front,” he said. “I felt pretty good, though. I didn't like starting in lane eight, because you really can't see the whole field, but coming around the turn and noticing that nobody had caught me yet, that's when I knew I got off to a good start.”
Snyder wasn’t the only double winner for Rittman, as Evan Rastorfer overcame the inclement conditions early in the meet to manage a 6-2 jump to take the high jump, just days after placing first in the long jump.
Tuslaw’s Manny Strong bounced back after just missing a regional berth in the 100 earlier in the night to finish runner-up in the open 400 (51.85), before helping the Mustangs’ 4x4 unit to a second-place finish.
“The first couple of years weren't what I wanted, but to come out here and show that I can run with these guys means a lot,” he said. “It's a rush and you got to love the rush or you wouldn't be out here.
“It's a great feeling moving on and I really hope to move on from that and continue to live up to my potential.”
Along with a host of area individuals moving on, among them was Waynedale’s Jeremy Reber.
The All-Ohio hurdler, just days after reaggravating a hamstring injury that has plagued him all year long, managed to lock-up the final regional bid in the 110 hurdles to keep his final prep season alive.
“It feels good, well morally, physically not so much,” Reber said, following his fourth-place finish in 16.46. “We're just trying to limp it through and see how far we can get, honestly.”
Norwayne D-III District
Boys
Team standings: 1. Dalton 85, 2. Waynedale 81, 3. Black River 79, T-4. Rittman/Mapleton 72, 6. East Canton 67, 7. Tuslaw 50, 8. Canton Central Catholic 34, 9. Rootstown 32, 10. Mogadore 29, 11. Hillsdale 25, 12. Loudonville 17, 13. St. Thomas Aquinas 12, 14. Windham 8, 15. Southeast 4, 16. Northwestern 3.
Results
(Top four in each event advance to regionals; winner and locals in the top-6 listed)
Shot put: 1. Ian Sarver (W) 48-8¾, 2. Collin Jones (D) 46-10, 3. Gatlin Herman (W) 46-1, 4. Grayson Allis (H) 45-3½, 5. Grady Nussbaum (D) 44-2¼. Discus: 1. Cade Herman (W) 156-9, 2. Jones (D) 151-5, 4. Hugo Hawkins (Ri) 144-4, 5. G. Herman (W) 137-8. High jump: 1. Evan Rastorfer (Ri) 6-2, 5. Dylan Adams (W) 6-1. Long jump: 1. Evan Rastorfer (Ri) 20-6, 3. Jace Eberly (D) 19-5¾, 5. Patrick Fox (T) 18-10¼. Pole vault: 1. Carson Steiner (D) 13-4, 2. Braden Carr (L) 13-0, 6. Justin Ramella (D) 11-0. 4x800: 1. Waynedale (Jackson Varner, Jayden Varner, Conner Reich, Nick St. John) 8:18.62, 3. Rittman 8:22.91. 110 hurdles: 1. Aiden Rodstrom (Ro) 15.27, 4. Jeremy Reber (W) 16.46, 6. Brock Weygandt (T) 17.83. 100: 1. Sammy Tomlinson (D) 11.28, 2. Rollin Hendrix (W) 11.34, 6. Manny Strong (T) 11.50. 4x200: 1. Dalton (Tomlinson, Colin Pearson, Gavin Annen, Kanoa Hevia) 1:32.04, 4. Hillsdale 1:37.61, 5. Rittman 1:37.68. 1,600: 1. Luke Snyder (R) 4:20.95, 5. Bryen Valerio (R) 4:32.91. 4x100: 1. Black River 43.29, 2. Dalton 43.88, 3. Hillsdale 45.45, 4. Rittman 45.76, 6. Northwestern 45.84. 400: 1. Jacarie Corner (STA) 51.63, 2. Strong (T) 51.85. 300 hurdles: 1. Braylon O’Neal (BR) 39.25, 4. Sam Sly (L) 42.32, 6. Ely Hutson (D) 42.96. 800: 1. Reich (W) 2:00.96, 5. Cash Iams (T) 2:03.18. 200: 1. Stephan Kozopas (BR) 22.82, 2. Pearson (D) 22.82, 4. Hayden McFadden (H) 23.17, 6. Hevia 23.40. 3,200: 1. Snyder (R) 9:34.63, 2. Jac. Varner (W) 9:38.53, 3. Jay. Varner (W) 10:00.30, 5. Valerio (R) 10:25.18. 4x400: 1. East Canton 3:32.85, 2. Tuslaw 3:34.81.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Boys Track and Field: Dalton wins Div. III district title
