MARION — It took the best time posted in the state this year from the defending Division I state champions to beat Ridgedale in the boys 4×800-meter relay.
Not a bad showing for the Division V school few in the field knew existed.
“There are people out there asking my while on the line if we’re a private school because we’re D-V and there’s not many kids who go to it,” RIdgedale junior Breyton Richmond said. “(I said) we’re a public school. We just have a great group of guys who can run the 800.”
Indeed they do.
The Rockets teamed to post a time 8 minutes, 2.49 seconds to finish second in the race that kicked off the 76th annual Marion Night Invitational May 1 in Harding Stadium. That is the top Division V time in Ohio this year according to Athletic.net. It would be the second-best time in Division II and IV and the best time in Division III. It is eight seconds faster than Maplewood who sits second in D-V.
“I feel like we’re the underdog. We’re the little, tiny school among all these big D-I and D-II schools,” Ridgedale senior Brogan Weston said. “Was there excitement? Yes. Was there a little pressure? Yes. We were just here to prove what we have. We knew we could hang with these guys, and we did just that today.”
Lexington returns Latrell Hughes and Nathan Reed from last year’s D-I state title squad that ran a 7:37.65. Adding Drew Hooper and Clay Hooper, the Minutemen — now in Division II with the OHSAA expanding track divisions from three to five — ran a 7:55.28 in Marion. That is the best time by an Ohio 4×800 relay in 2026.
Third-place Ashland was 12 seconds behind the Rockets on Friday night. There were 14 schools in the race including Buckeye Valley, Ontario, Worthington Kilbourne, Fremont Ross and others
“This is a great opportunity for us,” Ridgedale sophomore Elliot Weston said. “Going against these big teams pushed us to be better. It feels great that we can compete against these bigger teams.”
Ridgedale senior Isaac Lust opened the race by sitting comfortably in fourth place but easily hanging with the leaders. Brogan Weston then took the baton to the lead on the second stint, and his brother finished side-by-side with Lexington after the third stint. Richmond brought it home as they set another record for the school.
“A lot of people here see we’re D-V and think they probably can’t put together four good people,” Lust said. “It shows that when you show up every day and work as hard as you can, you can achieve whatever you want to. Our goal for this year is sub-8 (minutes). We’re right there.”
And the Rockets did it with Lust and Brogan Weston just returning from an overnight stay at the Future Farmers of American state convention, so they weren’t in optimal condition Friday.
“We stayed up until two in the morning and ate straight junk food,” Lust said with a laugh. “I think it shows once we get to states, we can do big things.”
Ridgedale took eighth in last year’s D-III state finals with a time of 8:08.72, so it is well ahead of the pace. The D-III state champs from Seneca East won in 7:57.32, which means the Rockets know what needs to be done over the next month.
“The way this team has come together, it’s like my family outside my home,” Brogan Weston said. “It’s such a great group to be with. It’s so much fun. We push each other and encourage each other on days where we’re down. That’s really what it’s about.”
Check back at MarionStar.com on Monday for more results from the Marion Night Invitational in the best of the week columns.
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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Ridgedale’s boys 4×800 relay takes on the state’s best
Reporting by Rob McCurdy, Marion Star / Marion Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
