Regional track and field: Second effort — Lorain County has five runner-up finishes in Austintown

AUSTINTOWN — Here's to seconds.That probably best describes the day for Lorain County athletes, as they brought home a combined five second-place awards Saturday at the Austintown Division III, Region 9 track and field meet.Brookside senior Avery Davis took second in her two hurdles races. Firelands senior Colton Clough brought home two seconds — in the 400 meters and as a member of the 1,600 relay with Andrew Pawlak, Dane Vanderpool and Ayden Fortner. Keystone sophomore Luke Devore had the other runner-up finish, in the shot put.Davis qualified to state for the third straight year in the 100 hurdles with a school-record 14.86 seconds. Only Warrensville junior Kamara Steward (14.83) was faster. Davis later was second in the 300 hurdles (44.99) to advance to state for the second time in three years in the event. Buchtel junior Jada Davis (43.46) won."This race means a little bit more because last year I didn't make state for that event," said Davis, the 2024 Division II state champ for the 300 hurdles. "To come back and to get second, I'm very proud. This year it's not been illness but I've been fighting some 'interesting injuries' with my leg. I've been pushing through it. Slowly but surely I've been getting there."The biggest thing for me is to really push for that first hurdle and focus on my arms throughout the whole race and then the last stretch finishing strong."Clough rebounded from a tough district meet, where he finished third in the 400. He finished second Saturday with a personal-record 48.61. His previous best was 49.02. Defending state champ Jay'vier Kerr of Glenville won in 47.32."It felt good," said Clough. "I'm very happy with that time. I'll take it."Last year Clough finished seventh in the regional (51.37)."I stopped myself from really coming out too hard," he said. "I was able to turn it up that last 100. It felt good. I ran that race to my strategy. I had a plan. I executed that plan."Fortner and Vanderpool, both seniors, along with Pawlak, a junior, teamed with Clough to advance to state for the second straight year in the 1,600 relay with a season-best 3:23.45, 0.09 of a second behind Glenville (3:23.36)."I ran the 800 relay earlier today," Fortner said. I was sitting there thinking that this could be the last time I'm running. It hit me immediately. It's a different motivation when you know that it might be your last time you are going to step onto the track to really give it everything that you have."When everybody's getting into the blocks, everyone's on edge because everybody is trying to make it to Columbus. It's like this could be it. You are going to do everything in your power to not let it be it, but it could be it."I trust (Clough) more than anyone I can think of. My promise I make to him for every single race is that I will get him close. I can't promise him first (the lead), but I promise him to keep it close enough to get us in. To be back in the same position that we were last year is a great sign going into next week."Last year Pawlak, Fortner, Vanderpool and Clough were third at regionals in 3:23.29. They took fifth at state in 3:20.56."It was good. I had a little nerves starting. There's always nerves with the baton and everything," said Pawlak, the leadoff leg. "The biggest focus was trying to hold off as many people as possible. The main focus for me is try to get my team out in front as far as I can because they can carry the rest. I'm just proud of all of us. We made it out last year in third place. The expectation was to do that or better, and we did. Next week we're going to make a run for the top three."Devore got better and better with each round Saturday. He first moved into second place with a third-round throw of 51 feet, 10.5 inches. After a first-round foul in the finals, Devore followed with consecutive personal-record throws of 52-10.5 and 55-2.5, the latter a school record. Ursuline sophomore Connor Crilley won at 57-0.75."It was fun. I kind of felt good in warmups and it carried over into the meet, which is nice," Devore said. "It was crazy, but it was really fun. Great, great competition between everyone. I've been practicing more recently to get ready for this. It's paying off."Devore is the first Keystone boys thrower to advance to state since Anthony Chizmadia in discus in 2009.Keystone's Colton Cowling, another sophomore, brought home another state berth as he captured the fifth and final qualifying spot in the 400 with a personal-best 49.75 — Cowling's first sub-50. He made it his mission to stay "somewhat close" to Clough, who was in the next lane."I felt terrible in the backstretch. My legs were all tight," Cowling said. "I just thought about the whole time to stay close to him and I'll be good."Cowling is believed to be the first Keystone boys state qualifier in the 400 since John Hooker in 1987."It was fun," said Cowling, "but I was tired for that last 100 meters. It was a very fast race."The Firelands girls also had a good day, advancing a pair of relays for the second year in a row and qualifying two individuals.Sophomore Natalie Smith, senior Jordyn Copley, junior Stella Frederick and senior Audrey Smith, Natalie's sister, qualified fourth in the 1,600 relay (4:06.96). Earlier the 800 relay of sophomore Emerson Zidar, Copley, Frederick and senior London Marsinick took fifth in 1:45.84."It feels amazing," Audrey Smith said. "It was pretty close in both races. We work together as a team and we just never stop running. A great word to describe both relays is fight. We always fight. District we had a fall in the 800 relay and we almost didn't make it, but we got back up and just kept fighting. We just always fight."Frederick and sophomore Addison Schrader earned tickets to state as individuals. Frederick finished third in pole vault, equaling her career best at 9-8. Seeded only No. 6 (16.16), Schrader qualified fifth in the 100 hurdles in 15.93."I started using my arms and pushing myself up above the pole instead of staying flat," Frederick said. "It's very special (qualifying for state), especially since this is my first year for pole vaulting. It's very exciting just to get to experience it."It's important to learn to shake off your mistakes after you miss one. You just have to do your best to make it for the next one."Elyria Catholic junior Ben Essenmacher placed sixth in the 110 hurdles, one place shy of automatic qualification with a personal-record 15.04."I'm very proud of my performance even with the headwind," Essenmacher said. "Not a huge PR but I'm still happy with that even with the headwind and hitting every hurdle. I was hitting most of them with the bottom of my foot, which I need to work on, but I'm getting my lead leg down lower to the hurdle. I really feel like that's helping my time."Contact Paul Heyse at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.BOYSTEAM SCORES1. Woodridge, 80; 2. Glenville, 61; 3. Orrville, 56; 4. Tie – Firelands and Ursuline, 38; 6. Northwest, 36; 7. Keystone, 33.5; 8. Bay, 33; 9. Villa Angela-St. Joseph, 32; 10. Salem, 29; 26. Elyria Catholic, 3. Of 34 teams that scored.Top 5 advance to state meet100 METERS: 1. Jayden Perrine (Bay), 10.85; 2. Noah Engle (Lakeview), 10.94; 3. John Gibson (VASJ), 10.95; 4. Ronnie Brown (VASJ), 11.02; 5. Ethan Laryea (Streetsboro), 11.07200: 1. Perrine (Bay), 21.81; 2. Jay'vier Kerr (Glenville), 21.84; 3. Gibson (VASJ), 21.96; 4. Luke Warner (Beachwood), 22.40; 5. Laryea (Streetsboro), 22.45400: 1. Kerr (Glenville), 47.32; 2. Colton Clough (Firelands), 48.61; 3. Braxton Sloan (Girard), 49.09; 4. Rob Bonchak (NDCL), 49.39; 5. Colton Cowling (Keystone), 49.75800: 1. Ben Lebay (Woodridge), 1:56.23; 2. Peter Adobamen (Beachwood), 1:56.34; 3. Dwight Shade (Buchtel), 1:56.58; 4. Jacob Williams (West Geauga), 1:56.74; 5. Atticus Sloan (Woodridge), 1:56.82; 6. Eli McConoughey (Keystone), 1:59.84; 13. Dane Vanderpool (Firelands), 2:04.141,600: 1. Ian Res (West Geauga), 4:16.90; 2. Ben Lebay (Woodridge), 4:18.01; 3. Xavier Griffiths (Woodridge), 4:20.12; 4. Owen Lacy (Orrville), 4:20.18; 5. Luca Novakovic (Northwest), 4:21.39; 8. Jamie Yuronich (Keystone), 4:26.31; 12. Craig Stroud (Keystone), 4:36.223,200: 1. Owen Lacy (Orrville), 9:27.33; 2. Atticus Sloan (Woodridge), 9:27.97; 3. Kelan Byrne (Chagrin Falls), 9:30.92; 4. Luca Novakovic (Northwest), 9:33.42; 5. Xavier Griffiths (Woodridge), 9:37.53; 6. Eli McConoughey (Keystone), 9:40.03; 7. Jamie Yuronich (Keystone), 9:41.83110 HURDLES: 1. Logan Border (Field), 14.12; 2. Tyler Starghill (Ursuline), 14.29; 3. Xavier Starghill (Ursuline), 14.34; 4. Logan Allman (Northwest), 14.45; 5. Connor Hons (Woodridge), 14.59; 6. Ben Essenmacher (Elyria Catholic), 15.04300 HURDLES: 1. Logan Allman (Northwest), 38.27; 2. Xavier Sturghill (Ursuline), 38.73; 3. Connor Hons (Woodridge), 39.14; 4. Bronson Rogers (Orrville), 39.56; 5. Jalen Berry (Woodridge), 39.79; 6. Alex Duke (Firelands), 40.07400 RELAY: 1. VASJ, 41.96; 2. Woodridge, 42.67; 3. Glenville, 43.04; 4. Bay, 43.12; 5. Streetsboro, 43.25800 RELAY: 1. Woodridge, 1:27.75; 2. Glenville, 1:27.77; 3. Streetsboro, 1:27.85; 4. VASJ, 1:28t.53; 5. Bay, 1:29.97; 8. Firelands (Aiden Simms, Alex Duke, Ayden Fortner, Andrew Pawlak), 1:31.511,600 RELAY: 1. Glenville, 3:23.36; 2. Firelands (Andrew Pawlak, Dane Vanderpool, Ayden Fortner. Clough), 3:23.45; 3. CVCA, 3:25.13; 4. NDCL, 3:25.80; 5. Beachwood, 3:27.71; 7. Keystone (Eli McConoughey, Colton Cowling, Emory Fedor, Liam Goran), 3:29.69SHOT PUT: 1. Connor Crilley (Ursuline), 57-0.75; 2. Luke Devore (Keystone), 55-2.5; 3. Jordan Holloway (Buchtel), 51-4.5; 4. Hunter Owen (Salem), 50-9.5; 5. Tate Howell (Orrville), 50-7.75; 12. Brett Beury (Firelands), 44-11.5HIGH JUMP: 1. Mark Lorson (Orrville), 6-8; 2. Lucas Adams (Salem), 6-4; 3. Trevor Dixon (Field), 6-2; 4. Demetrius Bryant (Glenville), 6-1; 5. Luke Demsey (Lakeview), 6-1GIRLSTEAM SCORES1. Salem, 81.5; 2. Buchtel, 54; 3. Hathaway Brown, 53; 4. Marlington, 45; 5. Woodridge, 43; 6. CVCA, 38; 7. Perry, 33; 8. Streetsboro, 30; 9. West Geauga, 26; 10. Warrensville, 25; 11. Crestwood, 24; 12. Firelands, 22; 13. Cloverleaf, 20.5; 14. Tie – Brookside and Fairview, 19. Of 32 teams that scored.Top 5 advance to state meet100: 1. Kayla Harris (Beaumont), 12.46; 2. C'Niyah Ivory (Streetsboro), 12.50 3. Olivia Clinton (Hawken), 12.52; 4. DeVonnah Smith (Buchtel), 12.64; 5. Livia Martini (Crestwood), 12.66200: 1. Chaya Murray (Salem), 24.64; 2. Miniya Mitchell (Buchtel), 25.20; 3. Livia Martini (Crestwood), 25.54; 4. C'Niyah Ivory (Streetsboro), 25.74; 5. Kayla Harris (Beaumont), 25.97400: 1. Miniya Mitchell (Buchtel), 57.33; 2. Amiyah Perry (Woodridge), 57.82; 3. Abby Knickerbocker (Salem), 58.46; 4. Addison Gilbert (Fairview), 58.81; 5. Kayla Shook (Cloverleaf), 59.36800: 1. Anna Prusak (Hathaway Brown), 2:17.50; 2. Isabella Scott (Hathaway Brown), 2:20.06; 3. Laura Hororka (Salem), 2:20.83; 4. JaJa Rosario-Johnson (Woodridge), 2:21.41; 5. Addison Hopple (Salem), 2:22.79; 7. Natalie Smith (Firelands), 2:24.641,600: 1. Irelyn Johnson (Marlington), 4:55.61; 2. Anna Prusak (Hathaway Brown), 4:58.37; 3. Caroline Valentino (Hathaway Brown), 5:03.39; 4. Lola Mullen (Woodridge), 5:04.80; 5. Madelyn Begert (Northwest), 5:04.983,200: 1. Irelyn Johnson (Marlington), 10:36.08; 2. Olivia Kiefer (Hathaway Brown), 11:12.16; 3. Lola Mullen (Woodridge), 11:13.42; 4. Marina Campbell (Orange), 11:16.91; 5. Addison Hopple (Salem), 11:19.00100 HURDLES: 1. Kamara Steward (Warrensville), 14.83; 2. Avery Davis (Brookside), 14.86; 3. Jada Davis (Buchtel), 14.89; 4. Kara Deister (West Geauga), 15.50; 5. Addison Schrader (Firelands), 15.93300 HURDLES: 1. Jada Davis (Buchtel), 43.46; 2. Avery Davis (Brookside), 44.99; 3. Hazel Kananen (Perry), 45.42; 4. Olivia Callahan (Marlington), 45.93; 5. Joelle Cherry (CVCA), 46.20; 7. Octavia Gonzalez (Brookside), 48.25400 RELAY: 1. Warrensville, 48.52; 2. Trinity, 48.98; 3. Salem, 49.40; 4. Marlington, 49.87; 5. CVCA, 49.90; 8. Firelands (Teaghan Jasinski, Stella Frederick, Madison Howard, London Marsinick), 50.73800 RELAY: 1. Buchtel, 1:40.72; 2. Trinity, 1:42.79; 3. Marlington, 1:45.14; 4. Woodridge, 1:45.35; 5. Firelands (Emerson Zidar, Jordyn Copley, Stella Frederick, London Marsinick), 1:45.841,600 RELAY: 1. Cloverleaf, 4:03.74; 2. Salem, 4:05.68; 3. Fairview, 4:06.18; 4. Firelands (Natalie Smith, Jordyn Copley, Stella Frederick, Audrey Smith), 4:06.96; 5. CVCA, 4:08.18DISCUS: 1. Emily Mechenbier (Perry), 146-9; 2. Makayla Norman (Field), 122-0; 3. Morgan Stoicoiu (Field), 120-10; 4. Ella Haesler (Geneva), 120-10; 5. Josephine Mayer (Woodridge), 117-6LONG JUMP: 1. Kara Deister (West Geauga), 17-3.75; 2. Carman Marcini (Streetsboro), 16-11.5; 3. Jackie Blasiole (Crtestwood), 16-7.75; 4. Taniyah Gains (Warrensville), 16-5.75; 5. Karlie Sampson (Salem), 16-5.75; 9. Emerson Zidar (Firelands), 15-7.5POLE VAULT: 1. Ellen Steppenbacker (Buckeye), 10-8; 2. Maddie Kraft (Orrville), 9-8; 3. Stella Frederick (Firelands), 9-8; 4. Marlee Freeman (Perry), 9-4; 5. Evelyn Helmick (Northwest), 9-5; 8. Bella Diaz (Brookside), 8-6