On Saturday at Muskingum University and Fairfiel Union High School the 2019 edition of the the OHSAA Regional Track and Field Championships in Division II and D III respectively came to a close and four Highland County athletes; Draven Stodgel and Deon Burns of Hillsboro advanced in D II while Brandtson Duffie and Bennett Hodson of Fairfield moved on in D III; advanced to the State Track and Field Championships at Jesse Owens Stadium on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus Friday and Saturday, May 31-June 1.
Stodgel qualified for the State Meet on day one of the Muskingum Regional Meet when he won the boys Discus Throw Regional Championship with a throw of 169 feet.
On Saturday Stodgel and teammate Deon Burns each qualified in the boys Shot Put event. Burns was fourth in the event with a distance of 52 feet seven and one-half inches and Stodgel qualified as the Regional runner up with a throw of 53 feet nine and one-fourth inches.
Meanwhile in Lancaster at the D III Fairfield Union Regional Meet Brandtson Duffie and Bennett Hodson each qualified for the State Track and Field Championships in the boys 800-meter run.
Duffie took the Regional Championship in the 800-meter race with a time of 1:56.62 and fellow Lions Track and Field athlete Hodson used an outstanding burst over the final stretch to take third place with a time if 2:00.09.
D II
McClain’s Kerigan Pollard reached the D II Regional Championship podium in the girls 300-meter Hurdles and ran a time of 47.85 seconds and finished in fifth place.
The Lady Tigers 4×100-meter relay team of Ashley Hardesty, Iva Easter, Emma Stegbauer and Pollard qualified for the finals in the relay. The team ran a time of 52.05 seconds and finished in eighth place.
Pollard also took part in the girls 100-meter dash but was eliminated in the preliminary race with a tenth place time of 13.25 seconds.
Matt Bliss competed for the Tigers in the boys 100-meter Dash and finished with a time of 12.11 seconds for 14th in the preliminary race.
The Tigers’ 4×400-meter relay team of Alex Snyder, Matt Bliss, Trevor Newkirk and Reece Schluep participated in the preliminary race but were eliminated in 16th place with a time of 3:46.03.
McClain’s Kobe Penwell took part in the boys Long Jump event and finihsed in 13th place with a jump of 19 feet six and one-half inches.
The Lady Indians 4×200-meter relay team of Molly McCreary, Sydney Callahan, Eden Edenfield and Jaeleigh Hart were eliminated in the preliminary race in 13th place with a time of 1:53.25.
The Indians 4×200-meter relay team of Ty Alexander, Keith Doughman, Anthony Richards and Kai Rickman were the final qualifiers in the preliminary race and finished in eighth place in the finals with a time of 1:34.47.
Alexander also competed in the boys 400-meter Dash and was eliminated in the preliminary race with a time of 52.65 seconds in 12th place.
Lady Indians McCreary, Cierra Lively, Callahan and Hart competed in the girls 4×400-meter relay race and finished the preliminary race in 16th place with a time of 4:46.61.
Lively also competed in the girls High Jump and finished in a tie for 10th place with a cleared height of 4 feet eight inches.
Hillsboro’s Quinn Conlon competed in the boys High Jump event but did not record a cleared height in the event.
The Hillsboro boys Track and Field team earned 24 points at the Regional Meet and finished in 10th place.
D III
The Lady Lions 4×800-meter relay team of Ciara Colwell, Sammi Shepherd, Morgan Richmond and Emily Price competed at the D III Regional in Lancaster and finished in 16th place with a time of 11:50.30.
The Lions 4×800-meter relay team of Hodson, Ethan Davis, Gavin Campbell and Duffie finihsed in fifth place with a time of 8:33.27.
Fairfield girls 4×200-meter relay team of Mikayla Griffith, Payton Harvey, Paige Teeters and Ailean Duffie finihsed in 14th place in the finals race with a time of 1:55.82.
The Lions’ 4×100-meter relay team of Bryce Posey, Ethan Saunders , Tristan Victor and Wyatt Fent finished 12th with a time of 47.61 seconds.
Ciara Colwell of Fairfield took seventh in the girls 3200-meter run in the Lancaster D III Regional Championships with a time of 12:04.19.
Chen Frost represented the Lions in the boys 3200-meter run and finished in 10th place with a time of 10:29.52 while teammate Ethan Davis was 11th with a time of 10:32.41.
The Lions’ 4×400-meter relay team of Hodson, Campbell, Blake Haines and Duffie finished eighth with a time of 3:46.59.
Fairfield’s Sammi Shepherd competed in the girls Pole Vault and finished in eighth place with a vault of 9 feet.
Ethan Saunders was ninth in the boys Pole Vault competition with a vault of 11 feet.
The Whiteoak Wildcats 4×800-meter relay team of Zach Deatley, Jacob Campbell, Atlee Carr and Hunter Morgan ran a time of 9:23.08 in 14th place.
The Wildcats were represented by Garrett Miller in the boys 110-meter Hurdles in the preliminary race where he finished with a time of 17.26 seconds in 14th place.
Lady Wildcat Kensley Bailey qualified for the finals in the girls 100-meter Dash and finished in seventh place with a time of 13.06 seconds.
Whiteoak’s boys 4×200-meter relay team of Jacob Campbell, Taylor Newton, Titus Taylor and Bryce Bailey finished in 15th place with a time of 1:46.16.
Hunter Morgan represented the Wildcats in the boys 1600-meter run and finished in tenth place with a time of 4:50.44.
Morgan was also a participant in the boys 3200-meter run and finished with a time of 10:55.87 in 13th place.
Miller also competed in the boys 300-meter Hurdles and finished in 11th place with a time of 43.92 seconds in the preliminary race.
Bailey represented the Lady Wildcats in the girls Long Jump event and finished in sixth place with a jump of 16 feet two and one-half inches.
Hunter Balon represented the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs in the boys 300-meter Hurdles event and finished the preliminary race in 15th place with a time of 44.78 seconds.
Ryan Applegate is the Sports Editor for The Times-Gazette. Reach Ryan Applegate at 937-402-2572, or on Twitter @RCApplegate89.
