District track and field: Avon boys repeat as Division II champs

AMHERST — The tradition continued for the Avon boys, who placed first for the second year in a row and fourth time in six years at Friday's Division II district track and field meet at the Richard Cooley Track.Avon amassed 178 points. Amherst finished district runner-up for the second year in a row with 77 points ahead of Olmsted Falls (74).Avon Lake was the top Lorain County finisher on the girls' side, as the Shoregals were third with 73 points, placing behind St. Joseph Academy (128) and Bay (76).The Avon boys had multiple major players, with eight first-place awards and nine second-place medals.Victory was especially sweet for Avon senior Jacob Abfall in boys shot put.Abfall edged out teammate Maximus Hauck, 58-9-58-6. He vindicated himself after fouling out of districts a year ago.Abfall fouled his first-round throw, but came back with a toss of 55-6 in the second round to move into second place. Abfall followed with the winning toss in Round 3 (58-9). He had another throw of 58-5.5 in the second round of the finals.Hauck, who opened with a first-round toss of 57-10, posted his best total of the day in the first round of the finals."I just told myself, 'You've got to go. I don't care what it takes, you've just got to go,'" Abfall said. "That ended up working out positively for me. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't go into the third round with two fouls. It definitely was a thought in my mind. It was not easy. I usually don't cry but that was probably the last time I've ever cried. I put in so much work and in the weight room. To see that all disappear was an emotional thing for me. I knew that was last year. I just needed to focus on this meet and throw what I can throw."I fouled my first-round throw at conference last week. I knew that I had been in that situation before and that I could handle myself. It wasn't a big PR (60-7.5) like last week, but I'm happy that I was consistent."Senior Jackson Hughes was a double winner for the Avon boys, adding a win in high jump (6-4) after defending his district long jump title (22-11.5) Wednesday. Senior Sam Ulery was also a major player.Ulery opened the meet by winning the 100 meters in 11.18. He added another win as a member of the 400-meter relay (42.03) along with Bishop Weatherspoon, Graham Rowlison and Jairel Fenton. In between his two wins, Ulery was a member of the second-place 800-meter relay (1:28.14) along with Weatherspoon, Rowlison and Fenton. He capped the day with a fourth regional berth as a member of the fourth-place 1,600-meter relay (3:29.40) that included Jared Keressi, Luke Fox and Anthony Danicki.It was the second time in three years that Avon qualified all four of its relays to regionals."It feels great as a team, knowing all the hard work that we put in," said Ulery, who is the son of Avon girls coach Sam Ulery. "It shows out on the track with all four relays being able to qualify. It's just a huge accomplishment for us."With Avon, it's like a next person up mentality. If someone gets injured, we have a guy, we know a guy that can step up and he will do the exact same thing that the other person that was (injured). It's that next-up mentality."Keressi was second in the 800 (1:58.43) and as a member of Wednesday's 3,200-meter relay and fourth in the 1,600-meter relay."We care about each other as a team," said Keressi. "We really just wanted to keep racking up points and supporting each other. Everyone had a long day. We just wanted to finish it strong. Anthony (Danicki) hadn't really run (the 1,600 relay) much, but we're very happy with him and happy with his kick. I'm very proud of him."Fenton was also a major player for Avon. In addition to helping with the 800- and 400-meter relays, he qualified to regionals with a second in high jump (6-0) for the third year in a row and finished fourth in the 200 (22.67)."Year-in and year-out it starts with our middle-school program with coach (Ryan) Magyary and coach (Ben) Cable," said Avon coach Scott Lanham. "We build from the middle school on up. We get a lot of support from (football) Coach (Mike) Elder and the football team. We get a lot of football players out. We try to get more athletes from other sports to join us and keep the tradition going here at Avon."My boys have been working hard and it shows. We're very fortunate to have other varsity coaches that support us and encourage their athletes to come out. We went 1-2 in four out of five field events. That's phenomenal. The guys did a great job."Host Amherst had plenty to feel good about.The boys' 800-meter relay of Carter Boone, Julius Donald, Gaige Patton and Ben Thompson defended its district title, holding off Avon, 1:27.90-1:28.14.Amherst capped the meet with an electrifying win in the 1,600-meter relay, when Ben Dotson and Ethan Wilhelms teamed with Boone and Thompson to hold off Olmsted Falls, 3:20.54-3:21.19."The highlight of the race was Carter Boone," said Thompson. "He split sub-50. Carter first came on this relay two weeks ago at the Medina Last Chance meet and he's been tearing it up ever since. I really owe a lot to him. (Julius) Donald wasn't 100 percent today and we still got it done."With Thompson fighting off Olmsted Falls' Drew Minor in the anchor leg, it secured second place over Olmsted Falls in the team standings."Me and Drew (Minor, of Olmsted Falls) came around that corner and it was just a matter of who had that kick," said Thompson. "That's what it came down to. We had to get it done.""This race is so fun," said Boone. "These dudes are amazing. Through the season, I never knew I would be doing these long sprints like the 400. I wanted to run it one time. Ran it and I found a spot on this team. I love these dudes."Patton was instrumental in multiple roles. He teamed with Zane Rhoads, Donald and Boone for a second in the 400 relay (42.77) and also contributed with a third in the 200 (22.53)."It's just the result of a lot of hard work," said Patton. "We just execute, make it to the next level, survive and advance. We all performed very well. Our coaches love us very much. They want us to do our best. They give us the best training plans and provide us with good opportunities."Amherst coach Rob Glatz was pleased with his team's performance."We're kind of hitting our stride going into the postseason," said Glatz. "We had a meeting this week about how every point counts. It did. It came down to the last event. It's fun having Avon there. It's a friendly rivalry. The competition makes all of us better. We can't wait to hopefully have some better weather next week."Avon Lake (74) and North Ridgeville (60.5) made improvements on the girls' side, placing third and fifth, respectively. A year ago, Avon Lake (55) was fourth and North Ridgeville (11) finished 14th.Sophomore Rileigh Scarvelli and freshman Kaitlyn Warner were winners for Avon Lake.Scarvelli added to her shot put win Wednesday by taking top honors in discus (138-9). Warner was victorious in the 400 (59.27), as she edged another North Ridgeville sophomore, Halle Edge, (1:00.08)."I feel pretty good about my performances," said Scarvelli. "One of my goals coming in was to get the team more points this year at the district meet than I did last year. Last year, I got first in shot and second in disc, so I'm glad I was able to build on that."North Ridgeville junior Maya Harris won the long jump (17-1.25). The Rangers also received a first from their 400-meter relay of Madelyn Kuhn, Hayleigh Cass, Gabi Betonte and Mariam Othman (49.75). Kuhn, Cass, Othman and Edge placed second in the 800-meter relay (1:45.51)."We've worked all season for this," said Cass, a junior. "We didn't even qualify in the 400 relay last year, so to come in first this year was insane. It's crazy to be a part of a history-making team. Our chemistry just adds so much to everything. We love each other on and off the track, so, honestly, that love for each other is what helps us to grow. We're seeing seconds come off our times each time we run. It's an incredible feeling."Amherst junior Alex Sixbey won her second district pole vault title in three years with a school-record mark of 12-2.Contact Paul Heyse at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.BOYSTEAM SCORES1, Avon, 178; 2. Amherst, 77; 3. Olmsted Falls, 74; 4. Rocky River, 71; 5. Avon Lake, 63; 6. North Ridgeville, 56; 7. John Hay, 51; 8. Westlake, 23; 9. Lakewood, 21; 10. Midview, 18; 11. North Olmsted, 17; 12. Rhodes, 6; 13. Padua, 2Top 4 finishers advance to North Royalton regional100 METERS: 1. Sam Ulery (Avon), 11.18; 2. Michael Colburn (Avon), 11.27; 3. Javon Harris (North Ridgeville), 11.39; 4. Mario McCoy (John Hay), 11.45200: 1. Khalil Bryant (John Hay), 22.24; 2. Tayvon Debase (John Hay), 22.46; 3. Gaige Patton (Amherst), 22.53; 4. Jairel Fenton (Avon), 22.67400: 1. Khalil Bryant (John Hay), 48.09; 2. Ben Thompson (Amherst), 49.29; 3. Drew Minor (Olmsted Falls), 49.32; 4. Aidan O'Malley (Olmsted Falls), 49.84800: 1. Liam Kuri (Olmsted Falls), 1:58.22; 2. Jared Keressi (Avon), 1:58.43; 3. Niko Koutouras (Avon Lake), 1:58.45; 4. Asa Nicely (Amherst), 1:59.361,600: 1. Ryan Stirm (Rocky River), 4:26.81; 2. Jose Alvelo (Avon), 4:28.86; 3. Alex Schulz (Avon Lake), 4:29.03; 4. Evan Kascak (Westlake), 4:30.243,200: 1. Liam Fritz (Avon Lake), 9:53.61; 2. Porter Gilliand (Lakewood), 9:53.76; 3. Matthew Lochbihler (Avon), 9:54.26; 4. Andrew Shaver (Westlake), 9:56.45110-METER HURDLES: 1. Rafael Rodgers (Olmsted Falls), 15.20; 2. Gus Dutta (North Ridgeville), 16.24; 3. Luke Bartell (North Ridgeville), 16.31; 4. Johnny Cao (Avon), 16.35300-METER HURDLES: 1. Rogers (Olmsted Falls), 40.58; 2. Grayson Urban (Westlake), 41.69; 3. Johnathan LaRue (Olmsted Falls), 41.80; 4. Dutta (North Ridgeville), 41.81400-METER RELAY: 1. Avon (Bishop Weatherspoon, Sam Ulery, Graham Rowlison, Jairel Fenton), 42.03; 2. Amherst, 42.77; 3. Rocky River, 43.21; 4. John Hay, 43.83 800-METER RELAY: 1. Amherst (Carter Boone, Julius Donald, Patton, Thompson), 1:27.90; 2. Avon, 1:28.14; 3. Olmsted Falls, 1:28.57; 4. John Hay, 1:28.711,600-METER RELAY: 1. Amherst (Ben Dotson, Ethan Wilhelms, Boone, Thompson), 3:20.54; 2. Olmsted Falls, 3:21.19; 3. North Ridgeville, 3:28.07; 4. Avon, 3:29.40SHOT PUT: 1. Jacob Abfall (Avon), 58-9; 2. Maximus Hauck (Avon), 58-6; 3. Jeff Wirth (Midview), 56-7; 4. Harry Riley (Avon Lake), 54-1.75HIGH JUMP: 1. Jackson Hughes (Avon), 6-4; 2. Jairel Fenton (Avon), 6-0; 3. Tahj Caldwell (Rocky River), 5-8; 4. Desean Knight (North Olmsted), 5-8GIRLSTEAM SCORES1, Cleveland St. Joseph Academy, 128; 2. Bay, 76; 3. Avon Lake, 74; 4. Rocky River, 66; 5. North Ridgeville, 60.5; 6. Olmsted Falls, 55; 7. Lakewood, 47; 8. Amherst, 45; 9. Padua, 32.5; 10. Westlake, 26; 11. Midview, 24.5; 12. North Olmsted, 19; 13. Rhodes, 6; 14. Garrett Morgan, 4; 15. John Marshall, 1Top 4 finishers advance to North Royalton regional100 METERS: 1. Joelle Puni (St. Joseph), 13.53; 2. Mary Frazier (Olmsted Falls), 12.79; 3. Annie Willmitch (Bay), 12.81; 4. Leah Corrigan (St. Joseph), 12.82200: 1. Puni (St. Joseph), 25.83; 2. Frazier (Olmsted Falls), 26.40; 3. Corrigan (St. Joseph), 26.49; 4. Willmitch (Bay), 26.69400: 1. Kaitlyn Warner (Avon Lake), 59.27; 2. Halle Edge (North Ridgeville), 1:00.08; 3. Bridie Hyland (St. Joseph), 1:00.59; 4. Nia French (St. Joseph), 1:00.88800: 2. Maya Gonzalez (Bay), 2:15.42; 2. Allison Krayzel (Padua), 2:17.38; 3. Maggie Hunter (Westlake), 2:22.92; 4. Jane McCann (Rocky River), 2:23.201,600: 1. Gonzalez (Bay), 5:01.44; 2. Jane McCann (Rocky River), 5:15.23; 3. Avery Stives (St. Joseph), 5:17.58; 4. Brooke Hogan (Rocky River), 5:27.543,200: 1. Avery Stives (St. Joseph), 11:38.17; 2. Kara McCann (Rocky River), 11:39.49; 3. Lauren Lavelle (Rocky River), 11:41.52; 4. Anne Weber (Bay), 11:50.71; 6. Samantha Falbo (Amherst), 11:57.86100-METER HURDLES: 1. Ava Reed (St. Joseph), 15.79; 2. Anyja Peacock (Amherst), 16.30; 3. Charleigh Doxley (Lakewood), 16.91; 4. Tala Awad (North Olmsted), 17.07300-METER HURDLES: 1. Reed (St. Joseph), 47.04; 2. Doxley (Lakewood), 47.57; 3. Brooklyn Walker (Rhodes), 48.34; 4. Peacock (Amherst), 48.60400-METER RELAY: 1. North Ridgeville (Madelyn Kuhn, Hayleigh Cass, Gabi Betonte, Mariam Othman), 49.75; 2. St. Joseph, 50.27; 3. Lakewood, 50.44; 4. Olmsted Falls, 50.97800-METER RELAY: 1. St. Joseph, 1:45.38; 2. North Ridgeville (Othman, Cass, Kuhn, Halle Edge), 1:45.51; 3. Bay, 1:46.67; 4. Padua, 1:46.691,600-METER RELAY: 1. St. Joseph, 4:05.42; 2. Padua, 4:05.96; 3. Olmsted Falls, 4:08.88; 4. Lakewood, 4:10.21DISCUS: 1. Rileigh Scarvelli (Avon Lake), 138-9; 2. Isabel Geyer (Midview), 113-8; 3. Madison Dombrowski (Padua), 111-10; 4. Ella Luczak (Avon Lake), 111-6LONG JUMP: 1. Maya Harris (North Ridgeville), 17-1.25; 2. Puni (St. Joseph), 16-7.5; 3. Kaylin Whatley (Avon Lake), 16-5.25; 4. Sarah Pfahl (Rocky River), 16-3.75POLE VAULT: 1. Alex Sixbey (Amherst), 12-2; 2. Eleanor Remias (Rocky River), 10-0; 3. Alaina Pugh (Westlake), 9-8; 4. Gigi Waters (Bay), 9-0