PLAIN TWP. — Justus Detter will have a postseason shot this year. He and his Perry track and field teammates hope to make the most of it.
Detter had a big hand in the Panthers winning a team title at the Federal League Championships on May 13. The junior won the 800 and 1,600 to help lead Perry to a 46.5-point victory.
You can bet Detter will be thirsting to compete in the OHSAA’s new Division I super regional preliminary round on May 19 at North Royalton High School. He won a cross country league title last fall, but a stress fracture ruined his postseason hopes.
“I have had many injuries in the past and it has really beat up on me,” Detter said. “My teammates, they only lift me up, and it has helped me to get back.”
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Detter’s wins in the 800 and 1,600 were among 11 on the night for Perry’s boys.
Evan Laubacher won the 110 hurdles and long jump. Jayden Wilson finished first in the 400. Evan Spurrell captured the 300 hurdles. Connor Shephard took home the discus title. Christopher Good swept the four seated events.
Perry’s team title comes on the heels of an unbeaten season in league dual meets and a Stark County championship.
“We knew coming in we had a chance to win it,” Detter said. “That was the big goal. We had a great regular season through all the dual meets. We knew that we wanted to win and knew we could.”
Now Detter and some of his teammates will be diving into the unknown.
The expansion of the track and field postseason from three to five divisions has eliminated district meets for Division I teams. All field event athletes will automatically advance to the super regional at North Royalton on May 28 and 30. Some track races will be held at next week’s preliminary round if there are enough teams to compete in the event.
All indications are that Detter will be racing next week.
“I’ll be in the 4-by-4 for sure,” Detter said. “I’ll try the 1,600 and 800, but I’ll probably have to choose one of those. The way it’s set up, there’s not much time between each event.
“I kind of like competing next week. With it being prelims, hopefully it’s just going to be a little bit easy to get to the final. I think it’s a good setup for regionals and beyond.”
Jackson wins girls team title at Federal League Championships
Abby Parsons’ win in the 3,200 clinched the girls team title for Jackson.
Cameron Lusk won the 1,600, Taylor Brownsword finished first in the high jump and Gabby Whalen captured the pole vault for the Polar Bears, who won the team title by 14 points. Defending state champion and state record holder Abigail LaPole also won the seated shot put.
“We came here wanting to win,” Jackson sprinter Brooklyn Jones said. “We came here pushing hard. We just did what we had to do and left with the title. It gives us momentum and confidence for regionals.”
Jones did not win an event, but she and Morgan Giordano provided valuable points in the sprints to help push the Polar Bears over the top.
Jones finished runner-up and Giordano came in fifth in the 200. In the 100, Jones and Giordano took third and fourth, respectively.
“We’re always head-to-head,” Jones said. “We’re always pushing each other. She’s someone I look up to. It’s great to have someone push you and who is always there for you.”
Winning the 100 and 200 was going to be an uphill climb solely because of Emerson Karrenbauer. The Perry senior lowered her school record to 11.80 seconds in her 100 win. She also won the 200 in 24.44, just one one-hundredths of a second off her season best.
Jones described racing against Karrenbauer as “a little scary.”
“She’s fast … really fast,” Jones said. “She’s great. I’m proud of her. She has come a long way.”
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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Perry, Jackson win team titles at Federal League track and field meet
Reporting by Mike Popovich, Canton Repository / The Repository
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