COLUMBUS — Hillsboro’s Draven Stodgel and Deon Burns traveled to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on Friday to take part in the 2019 OHSAA Division II State Track and Field Championships in the Boys Shot Put event. Stodgel finished in ninth place and Burns was 11th.
Stodgel earned the right to participate in the State Track and Field Championships for D II in the boys Shot Put event with a runners up finish at the D II Regional Championships at Muskingum University on Saturday, May 25 with a throw of 53 feet nine and one-fouth inches.
Stodgel, who competed in flight two of the Semi-Final round, fouled on his first two attempts but rebounded on his final throw of the semi-finals with a throw of 52 feet three and three-fourths inches.
Stodgel advanced to the Finals in the boys Shot Put event and was the first participant to throw in the Finals and uncorked a throw of 52 feet four inches.
However with fouls on his next two throws, each of which easily eclipsed his first throw of the finals, Stodgel was unable to improve his Finals standing and finished two and one-fourth inches shy of a position on the D II podium.
Burns also competed in flight two of the Semi-Final round and had his best throw of the day on his first attempt when he threw for a distance of 51 feet two and one-half inches.
The second throw of the Semi-Finals for Burns went a distance of 49 feet eight inches and his third throw was 47 feet eight inches.
Burns missed making the Finals in the event and finished in 11th place overall.
Stodgel and Burns each capped spectacular season’s in the boys Shot Put event that saw them finish at or near the top in every meet they competed in.
Stodgel also qualified for the boys Discus Throw event at the State Track and Field Championships when he won the D II Muskingum Regional with a throw of 169 feet.
Adam Riedinger of Springfield Northwestern took home the State Championship in the boys shot-put with a top throw of 59 feet seven and one-half inches.
Noah Koch of Genoa Area was second in the event with a distance of 58 feet two and one-half inches and Austin Clay of Van Wert was third with a throw of 57 feet and one-fourth inches.
Cole LaRoche of Bellaire and J.J. Durr of Ridgewood were fourth and fifth in the state with throws of 56 feet four and one-half inches and 53 feeet six and one-half inches respectively.
JaQuan Bennett took sixth place in the boys Shot Put in D II and had a best throw of 53 feet four and one-half inches at the State Track and Field Championships.
Daniel Heinig of Jonathan Alder and Tyler Carlson of W.S. Northwestern took seventh and eighth place in the event and had throws of 52 feet seven and one-half inches and 52 feet six and one-fourth inches respectively.
Stodgel will be competing in the boys Discus Throw at the State Track and Field meet on Saturday with a start time for the first flight of athletes scheduled for 9:30 A.M.
Ryan Applegate is the Sports Editor for The Times-Gazette. Reach Ryan Applegate at 937-402-2572, or on Twitter @RCApplegate89.
