State track: Colton Clough, Firelands end season on high note

Senior Colton Clough and his Firelands teammates ended their season on a high note at Saturday's Division III track and field state meet at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.Clough finished third in the 400 meters in a personal-record time of 48.59. He took the pace out very hard, especially for the 200, with intent to try and win it, but couldn't quite maintain the way he wanted to all the way to the finish. Glenville senior Jay'vier Kerr defended his state title with a 46.92. Morgan senior Braylon Miller was second (48.48). Clough entered the final as the No. 3 seed (49.31) with Kerr as the No. 1 seed (48.46) and Miller as the No. 5 seed (49.49)."It was bittersweet," Clough said. "I kind of feel like I threw my race plan out the window. I knew if I didn't get out fast there was no way I would have a shot at it. I wanted to give them a challenge and I gave them a challenge. I did what I could and glory to God. My goal was to try and win it. Maybe I could have run a little better if I ran smarter. I knew if I didn't leave it all out there I knew there was no chance of me winning it. It's very bittersweet not to get on top of the podium but just to get on there is still a proud moment."I think our 1,600 relay did very well. I think we left it all out there. We did what we could. We ran very quick. I was able to come back after the 400 and get top four. We did beat Glenville, which was nice."Clough later teamed up with junior Andrew Pawlak, senior Dane Vanderpool and senior Ayden Fortner for the 1,600 relay that finished fourth with a season-best time of 3:22.30. The same four earned All-Ohio last year in Division II for the same event, placing fifth.Alter won the event in 3:16.99, followed by London (3:19.60) and CVCA (3:21.16). Glenville (3:22.57) finished fifth behind Firelands."Colton really nailed the first 200 (in the 400) then toughed it out in the second 200," Firelands coach Steve Lias said. "We've had the opportunity to go against Glenville two or three times this year so it was nice to get the opportunity and to beat them under the lights (in the 1,600 relay) and finish fourth was nice and better than what we finished last year. That's the way to end the season. We had three groups on the podium this weekend and we finished sixth in the state. It was a great year."Firelands finished in a tie for sixth place with London, each with 21 points. Glenville won its 19th state title and third in five years with 41 points, followed by Woodridge (38), Hartley (35), Wheelersburg (33) and Ursuline (25).Brookside senior Avery Davis ended her high school track career on a high note with a pair of All-Ohio finishes in Saturday night's Division III finals. Like with Clough and his Firelands teammates, Davis' two races were pushed back nearly three hours later, after 9 p.m. in the evening, due to several afternoon thunderstorms that halted the competition.Davis finished fourth in the 300 hurdles final with a season-best time of 44.61. Davis' strong placement was particularly impressive as she turned the trick from out in lane No. 9 as the ninth and final qualifying entry.Beechcroft senior Brittany Douglas won the event in 42.43, followed by Genoa Area junior Lindsey Brown (44.04) and Buchtel junior Jada Davis (44.09).Davis was sixth earlier in the 100 hurdles final in a time of 14.88. It was her third time advancing to state for the event, but the first time that Davis made it to the final. She had a tough day at state last year as she finished 18th and last in the 100 hurdles in 17.83. Warrensville junior Kamara Stewart won the event in 14.30 with Douglas in second (14.33)."I'm very happy and proud of myself for today," Davis said. "For the 100, I think that the biggest thing was getting out fast. The start has been my biggest struggle. I think that I accomplished that today. For the 300s, same thing. Racing from out in lane No. 9, I wasn't going to be seeing anyone for a hot minute. Just getting out there and setting the tone is what I wanted to do. I don't think I've ever touched lane No. 9 before tonight. That's how I wanted to end my high school career just laying it all out on the track. I definitely look back with no regrets."The two all-state finishes Saturday gave Davis three All-Ohio finishes for her career. She won the 300 hurdles at the 2024 Division II meet with a time of 42.91 when she became Brookside's first and so far its only state track and field champion."It was outstanding," Brookside coach Brad Barhorst said. "Avery was able to stay focused all day and into the night with all of the delays. She had great starts in the 100s and that made all of the difference. She did a great job managing being way out in lane No. 9 in the 300s, too. Proud is an understatement."Brookside finished in a tie for 28th with eight points. Oakwood (52) won its third title since 2021 with Ottawa Glandorf (41) second.Firelands junior Stella Frederick finished tied for 18th in the Division III girls pole vault (9-6). Oakwood sophomore Mila Gilbert won the event with a mark of 12-10.