GRANVILLE ― Seniors Bode Shoaps of Granville and Watkins Memorial’s Ray Hardiman had just competed in a near photo finish for the 100-meter title at the Licking County League-Buckeye Division track meet.
Yet, as the two sat on the podium waiting for the awards presentation, they were engaged in good-natured conversation. After all, this meet marked the last time the friends would go head-to-head because the Blue Aces compete in the Division II postseason while the Warriors stay in Division I.
Shoaps won this battle by an eyelash (:10.724 to :10.725) and the 200 (:21.82 to :22.22), while Hardiman fought off as Shoaps as they anchored the 4×100 relay (Carter Armitage, Koehn Conchea, Eduardo Martinez and Hardiman won in :43.01 to Granville’s :43.11). However, the Blue Aces seemed to have the edge all day on their home track as they swept both the boys and girls team titles.
“[The 100] was the complete opposite today from the way it usually goes,” Hardiman said. “He usually gets out way better.”
Explained Shoaps: “I’m good out of the blocks, and he catches up with those long legs. Today, I had to catch him. This was a good setup for the district and regional.”
Hardiman is going to miss the competition. And friendship.
“If we don’t have each other, it’s going to be different,” he said.
The boys meet came down to the last few events between Granville, Watkins and Mount Vernon, which has been a formidable addition to the league. But after Shoaps took the 200, Logan Miller won the 3,200 in 9:40 with teammate Callum Sproul third. Then the 4×400 relay (3:24.4) team of Liam Duffey, Grady Johnson, Will Ebner and Nolan Cheney helped wrap up the title with their win. Sproul was second in the 800 (1:57.9).
The Blue Aces totaled 134 points to 117 by Mount Vernon and 116 for Watkins. Then came Licking Valley (61), Licking Heights had 45 and Zanesville 42.
Senior Cade Roberts cleared 6-foot-2 to win the high jump. While he couldn’t equal his school record 6-4, it was still a memorable day.
“This is my second title, but first since freshman year, and we also haven’t won this meet since my freshman year,” he said. “[Ethan Martinez from Watkins] beat me last year, but I had torn my hamstring, had to give up football and was still recovering. Doing indoor, I was able to come back and do my best.”
Benjamin Rose (4:23.5) ran second and Connor Boissy third for valuable points in the 1,600.
Watkins started the meet with a stellar performance in the 4×800. Pierce Lott, Chase Marcum, Connor Black and Ethan Martinez blazed a victorious 7:57.68. Despite not being pushed and winning by nearly 26 seconds, they missed the school record by just six hundredths of a second.
“A lot of work went into this today, and a couple of us were coming off injuries,” Black said. “I’ve had tendinitis in my knee and Ethan had an issue with his foot. This year, the goal is to run as fast as we can in the district and regional, get to the state and see how far we can go with it.”
Eduardo Martinez was second in the 300 hurdles (:41.07) for the Warriors.
Licking Heights set a school record in the 4×200, as Samolu Cooper, Abel McGowan, Yannick Trion and Cayden Cross ran 1:29.58. McGowan (21-1.25) was also second in the long jump.
“I really appreciate that second leg run by Abel,” Cross said. “He was able to leave us in good shape, get it to Yannick, then he got it to me. We were just trying to win. We’ve put in the time and were going to run as hard as we could, win it for ourselves, win it for God.”
Watkins Memorial’s Micah Anderson (first) and Matthew Biedron (second) and Granville Silas Tritico (third) all cleared 11-6 in the pole vault, and Licking Valley’s Hunter White (48-1) won the shot put by over two feet.
“I’m excited. I’ve put the work in, and now it’s just a matter of going out and showing it,” White said. “Technique-wise and in the weight room, trying to get more explosive. I definitely have a bigger throw in me. I just have to go out and do it.”
Teammate Liam Zellner was second in the 400 (:50.78).
Meanwhile, Granville’s girls won nine events, piling up 153 points to 124 by Watkins and Mount Vernon’s 120. Heights had 61, Zanesville 42 and Valley 25.
No one was more excited than Blue Aces’ senior Audrey Ames, who came in with slower times than Licking Heights junior Sabrina Bauer in both hurdles, but swept the 100s (:15.26) and 300s (:47.9). Bauer ran second in :15.6 and :48.3. Ames also ran on the victorious 4×100 relay (:50.71).
“It was a lot of repetition, the same drills, over and over,” Ames said. “This was my real opportunity to prove myself and not take it for granted. We’ve been practicing for this for three weeks, and pre-meet, we talked about how excited we were for this competition. It was really a good showing.”
Sophomore Tory Reynolds swept the long jump (17-1) and high jump (5-2), with classmate Sophie Price second at 5-0. Elsa Tonnessen (11:43) and Olive Dorman (11:58) ran 1-2 in the 3,200, with Tonnessen also taking second in the 1,600 (5:14.46). Annie McCracken continued her stellar season, clearing 13-0 to win the pole vault.
The 4×800 relay of Kenzie Hadley, Sadie Tritico, Claire Weaver and Lily Kronk started the day in dominant fashion, winning by 21 seconds in 10:03. Kronk ran a 2:25 final leg.
“We were about where we have been, but we’re excited about it,” Kronk said. “Just push as hard as we can, and there was no holding back.”
Watkins junior Megan Keating was going to go all out to help her team contend for the title, and the results reflected it. She swept the 100 (:12.81), 200 (:25.78) and 400 (:59.05), with classmate Kadence Gorrell right behind in :59.19.
“I was fairly confident going in,” Keating said. “When I come in like that, knowing I can win and that losing was not a possibility, I’m usually successful. If we were going to have a chance, I knew I couldn’t lose and that I have to perform for my team.”
The Warriors ended the meet on a high note as the 4×400 of Ellah Bigham, Anna Stewart, Kamryn Caldwell and Kate Michael won in 4:05. Bigham, Caldwell and Gorrell also teamed earlier with Raegan Miller to take the 4×200 (1:45.4).
Michael was second in the 800 in 2:24.54, while Licking Valley’s Allison Osborn (108-11) was runner-up in the discus and Phoebe Sayre of Licking Heights placed second in the shot put.
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: There’s no place like home as Granville teams rule LCL-Buckeye track
Reporting by Dave Weidig, Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
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