Finishing it out
Riverdale’s Kolten Evans (left) pushes toward the finish line as coach Richard Patterson (right) times in the 1600 relay Saturday in the Carey Blue Devil Relays. Carey’s Damon Zimmerly and Upper Sandusky’s Jameson Reile trail. Evans set a meet record in the mile for the runner-up Falcons, who were second to Upper Sandusky.
By LONNIE McMILLAN
Sports editor
CAREY — The Upper Sandusky boys track and field team finished in the bottom three of every invitational it took part in last season, so winning the Carey Blue Devil Relays on Saturday shows just how far the Rams have come.
Upper Sandusky edged Riverdale 72-68 for first place to take home the team trophy in a track-events only event because of very damp conditions Saturday at Carey. Meanwhile, it was business as usual for Riverdale’s girls, which defended their championship, with the Rams taking second.
“We knew last year with the young guys, they were going to develop and that we had a good freshman class coming in,” Upper Sandusky boys coach Ed Arnold said. “The few upperclassmen we do have are solid performers, so they just needed some support last year because you can’t win with three or four people. It’s nice having this nice, big, young group, and they ran real well. This meet really helped us out a lot with the freshman mile and stuff like that, which is our strongpoint, and the meet worked out real well for us. It’s a little luck that the events are the way they are. We knew we would do well in almost every single event.”
It was to the benefit of the Rams that field events were canceled because of water lying in grassy areas. Their strengths are on the track and especially in their freshman class, so having two events for first-year runners only also was a positive.
Upper Sandusky went 1-2 in the freshman mile, with Carter Pohlman winning in a meet-record 4:57.31 and Drew Leightey taking second place in 5:08.24. The Rams’ Zachary Barr, Zander Berger, Eli Smith and Franklin Arnold were second in the freshman sprint medley in 1:47.80.
Those were the only first- and second-place finishes for Upper Sandusky, but it had solid finishes in nearly every event, taking third in the 800 relay (1:40.31), the 3200 relay (9:17.85), the sprint medley (1:48.14) and the shuttle hurdles (1:11.52).
Fast to the finish
Riverdale’s Marissa Bonham (left) runs past Jocelyn Leightey on Saturday in the Carey Blue Devil Relays. With field events being canceled, the Falcons topped the Rams 91-80 for first place in the girls team standings.
“The meet hit all of our strengths. We’re just glad we had nice weather and the kids ran well,” coach Arnold said.
The girls champion Riverdale won despite having an area of strength taking away from it with the cancelation of the field events, but the Falcons proved to have enough firepower in track events to top the Rams 91-80.
“I was really worried about not having field events because we have so many strong competitors in field events, but not running field events, being able to put some of those competitors in our running events, that helped us a little bit, being able to rearrange some of them,” Riverdale coach Maryann Holderman said. “Right now, we have some girls out with illness, being sick, so we had to do some finagling, moving some girls around there. All in all, I’m very happy this yearly in the season with some of our performances.”
Allison Woodruff won the mile in 5:33.00 and also part of the meet-record distance medley team. Grace Driskill, Graycee King, Gwen Bucher and Woodruff finished in 13:25.08.
Kennedy Phelps, Paige Vent, Seneca Wentz and Marissa Bonham won the 800 relay in 1:53.54, while Shae Berger, Woodruff, Summer Boutwell and Bonham were first in the 1600 relay in 4:21.27.
The Falcons also got wins from Wentz, Cyndell Morton, Sophie Weatherholtz and Vent in the freshman sprint medley in 2:04.37 and from Driskill, King, Bucher and Woodruff in the distance medley in 13:25.08.
Gucher, Weatherholtz, Paige Courtad and Woodruff were runners-up in the 3200 relay in 11:38.94, with Morton, Isabella Martinez, Megan Donaugh and Kinsey Shull taking second the throwers relay in 1:03.55. Erica Fowler, Allison Clark, Phelps and Bonham finished the sprint medley in 1:58.79 to take second place.
“We have a lot of young girls, and I’m really proud of our upperclassmen who are working with the young ones, trying to teach them how to come out of blocks, what to do, when to get ready, when to warm up,” Holderman said. “I’m really proud of veterans and how they’re working with our young ones.”
Upper Sandusky’s only victory was in the 3200 relay. Abbi Ault, Macie Clark, Addison Niederkohr and Abi Gottfried finished in 11:37.39.
Hope Morris was the runner-up in the middle in 5:55.54, and the Rams also were second in the 400 relay. Jocelyn Leightey, Arielle O’Flaherty, Ava Walton and Adriane Yeater finished in 53.64 seconds. Kyle Conley, Kya Martinez, Aeris Caudill and Lia Wilkinson took second place in the shuttle hurdles in 1:13.31.
Around the corner
Upper Sandusky’s Madelyn Collins (right) and Carey’s Eliza Weinandy turn the corner in the sprint medley relay Saturday in the Carey Blue Devil Relays. The Rams finished second in the team standings and the Blue Devils third.
Coach Tim Pohlman said he was disappointed that field events could not be contested but certainly understood once he saw the conditions. Though there are adjustments to be made, the Rams ran well.
“Everybody from Monday until now, they really upped their game,” he said. “Our 4-by-4 dropped their time significantly. They looked solid. Our handoffs looked really good today. There were a few things that we need to tweak. Part of it it’s just our confidence with our handoffs because we have some new kids, so they’re feeling the butterflies right now.”
He added that the Rams’ increased depth with a huge albeit young roster allowed him to feel comfortable with everyone he put into each event. Upper Sandusky was third or better in all but two relays.
That was good enough to hold off host Carey in the standings. The Blue Devils finished with 70 points.
The only win for the Blue Devils was in the throwers relay. Adi Kramer, Lydia Black, Elise Fredritz and Scarlett Prater finished in 59.15, a new meet record for the event.
Elysia Holsinger was second in the freshman mile in 6:09.52. Elaina Post, Haley Gerschutz, Riley Yost and Eliza Weinandy finished in a runner-up time of 1:59.29 in the 800 relay. The freshman sprint medley team of Anna Maybee, Addison Baldridge, Bella Phoenix and Holsinger was second in 2:04.37.
Riverdale’s boys overcame the cancelation of field events, plus an injury and some illness, to come up just shy of first place while holding off Arlington by two points.
“Overall, we have a good well-balanced program,” Riverdale coach Richard Patterson said. “When the field events got canceled, we knew the meet was going to be a lot more challenging, and then some early injuries and some illness led to a thin squad. In order to come out here and secure second place required some of the younger guys to really step up, and they definitely performed for sure. I’m really pleased with the second place, and we walked away with a few meet records. That just shows some of the strengths of this program and what we’re capable of.”
Kolten Evans, Gabe Donaldson, Sam Boucher and Cale Young, all sophomores, set the meet 3200 relay record, winning in 8:54.76. Evans also broke the mile record, winning in 4:42.99.
Jack Dusseau, Will Clark, Hayden Hagerty and Noah Locke were second in the 400 relay in 46.05. The Falcons also had a trio of third-place finishes.
“I’m beyond excited, beyond proud of what the team did, and to have some of the freshmen come out and perform how the way they did against some really good competition, it just speaks to their heart and what they’re capable of, so I’m beyond excited to see where we go from here,” Patterson said.
Carey, which finished only 10 points out of first place with 62 points, was four points behind Arlington in the third position.
Featuring three freshmen and a sophomore, the Blue Devils won the shuttle hurdles. Carter Hall, Mace Puckett, Lincoln Ritter and Tristan Mullholand finished in 1:08.31. Eli Steen, Tripp Phoenix, Sam Cole and Dalen Walter won the throwers relay in 45.32.
The Blue Devils host Bucyrus in a dual at 4:30 p.m., while the Rams compete at the same time at Seneca East. The Falcons compete in a quad at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Ada.
Boys
Team results
1. Upper Sandusky 72, 2. Riverdale 68, 3. Arlington 66, 4. Carey 62, 5. Gibsonburg 49, 6. Hopewell-Loudon 48, 7. Tiffin Calvert 43, 8. North Baltimore 14.
Individual results
Mile: 1. Evans (R) 4:42.99, 4. Donaldson (R) 5:07.39, 5. Weyand (US) 5:13.09, 6. Minehart (US) 5:13.92, 8. R. Miller (C) 5:36.23.
Freshman mile: 1. C. Pohlman (US) 4:57.31, 2. Leightey (US) 5:08.24, 5. Lewis (C) 5:42.03.
400 relay: 1. Carey (E. Steen, Phoenix, Cole, Walter) 45.32, 2. Riverdale (Dusseau, Clark, Hagerty, Locke) 46.05, 5. Upper Sandusky (Barr, Berger, Arter, Martinez) 48.47.
800 relay: 1. Carey (Phoenix, E. Steen, Ritter, Walter) 1:33.53, 3. Upper Sandusky (Martinez, Shock, Arter, E. Smith) 1:40.31, 5. Riverdale (Clark, Dusseau, Hagerty, Locke) 1:44.72.
1600 relay: 3. Riverdale (Flowers-Barger, Phillips, Evans, Snook) 3:55.80, 4. Carey (Zimmerly, Williams, Ritter, Walter) 3:58.35, 5. Upper Sandusky (Clark, Richards, Coburn, Reile) 3:59.17.
3200 relay: 1. Riverdale (Evans, Donaldson, Boucher, Young) 8:54.76, 3. Upper Sandusky (Arnold, Leightey, Robinson, Miller) 9:17.85, 6. Carey (R. Miller, Littleton, L. Miller, Zimmerly) 10:02.42.
Thrower relay: 1. Carey (M. Puckett, L. Steen, E. Steen, Williams) 47.68, 4. Riverdale 53.46, 7. Upper Sandusky (Penwell, Gelbaugh, Nieset, Miller) 1:01.03.
Freshman sprint medley: 2. Upper Sandusky (Barr, Berger, E. Smith, Arnold) 1:47.80, 3. Riverdale (Benitez, Pelfrey, Phillips, Snook) 1:47.86, 6. Carey (Mullholand, Sidor, Hall, Henry) 1:57.28.
Sprint medley: 3. Upper Sandusky (Arter, Shock, Martinez, Clark) 1:48.14, 6. Carey (Row, Cole, Mangett, Hill) 1:50.43.
Distance medley: 1. Riverdale (Young, Locke, Donaldson, Evans) 11:19.93, 4. Upper Sandusky (Robinson, Coburn, Reile, Weyand) 12:15.43, 6. Carey (L. Miller, Zimmerly, Littleton, R. Miller) 12:53.98.
Shuttle hurdles: 1. Carey (Hall, M. Puckett, Ritter, Mullholand) 1:08.31, 3. Upper Sandusky (Richards, Shaffer, Roe, J. Smith) 1:11.52, 5. Riverdale (Spitnale, Snook, Boucher, Flowers-Barger) 1:16.59.
Girls
Team results
1. Riverdale 91, 2. Upper Sandusky 80, 3. Carey 70, 4. Tiffin Calvert 55, 5. Arlington 35, 6. Hopewell-Loudon 34, 7. Gibsonburg 31, 8. North Baltimore 16.
Individual results
Mile: 1. Al. Woodruff (R) 5:33.00, 2. Morris (US) 5:55.54, 5. Ault (US) 6:22.02, 6. Etzinger (C) 6:24.56, 8. Stoops (C) 6:41.08.
Freshman mile: 2. Holsinger (C) 6:09.52, 3. Minehart (US) 6:26.02, 4. Bucher (R) 6:30.24, 5. Clark (US) 6:31.27, 6. Phoenix (C) 6:39.31, 8. L. Miller (R) 7:42.26.
400 relay: 2. Upper Sandusky (Leightey, O’Flaherty, Walton, Yeater) 53.64, 3. Carey (Post, Weinandy, Blankemeyer, Yost) 54.08, 4. Riverdale (Phelps, Vent, Weatherholtz, O’Flaherty) 54.58.
800 relay: 1. Riverdale (Phelps, Vent, Wentz, Bonham) 1:53.54, 2. Carey (Post, Gerschutz, Yost, Weinandy) 1:59.29, 4. Upper Sandusky (Reile, Shasteen, Thomas, Wilkinson) 2:02.04.
1600 relay: 1. Riverdale (Berger, Al. Woodruff, Boutwell, Bonham) 4:21.27, 3. Upper Sandusky (Collins, Leightey, O’Flaherty, Gottfried) 4:27.50, 4. Carey (Baldridge, Phoenix, Blankemeyer, Holsinger) 4:31.77.
3200 relay: 1. Upper Sandusky (Ault, Clark, Niederkohr, Gottfried) 11:37.39, 2. Riverdale (Bucher, Weatherholtz, Courtad, Al. Woodruff) 11:38.94, 5. Carey (Mattimoe, Stoops, Wentz, Etzinger) 12:50.85.
Throwers relay: 1. Carey (Kramer, Black, Fredritz, Prater) 59.15, 2. Riverdale (Morton, Martinez, Donaugh, Shull) 1:03.55, 5. Upper Sandusky (Wagner, Thompson, Penwell, Rowlinson) 1:09.50.
Sprint medley: 2. Riverdale (Fowler, Clark, Phelps, Bonham) 1:58.79, 3. Upper Sandusky (Shasteen, O’Flaherty, Leightey, Collins) 2:00.22, 6. Carey (Post, Yost, Weinandy, Blankemeyer) 2:11.64.
Freshman sprint medley: 1. Riverdale (Wentz, Morton, Weatherholtz, Vent) 2:03.80, 2. Carey (Maybee, Baldridge, Phoenix, Holsinger) 2:04.37, 3. Upper Sandusky (Reile, Thomas, Walton, Yeater) 2:10.21.
Distance medley: 1. Riverdale (Driskill, King, Bucher, Al. Woodruff) 13:25.08, 3. Carey (Phoenix, Kitzler, Stoops, Etzinger) 14:19.10, 4. Upper Sandusky (Ault, Clark, Gottfried, Minehart) 14:41.86.
400 shuttle hurdles: 2. Upper Sandusky (Conley, Martinez, Caudill, Wilkinson) 1:13.31, 3. Riverdale (Hilvers, Weatherholtz, Courtad, O’Flaherty) 1:16.54, 4. Carey (Baldridge, Blankemeyer, Watkins, Holsinger) 1:17.94.
