COLUMBUS — Two long weather delays threw everything into chaos June 6 at the OHSAA state track meet.
By the time the Division III runners hit the track, it was past 9 p.m.
It was another mental hurdle for the Woodridge boys team to overcome. And the Bulldogs did just that to win another state trophy.
Woodridge finished second in the Division III boys race with 38 points.
The Bulldogs held the lead heading into the final race, but a fifth-place finish in the 1,600 relay by Cleveland Glenville gave it the title with 41 points.
Woodridge coach Scott Mercer acknowledged the Bulldogs didn’t have a perfect meet, but said he was satisfied with the effort.
“They did as good as I guess we could have,” Mercer said. “We left a lot of points out there. Our goal was to win the state meet. I think we had the team to do it, but we didn’t get it done. Glenville is always good. They deserve it.”
Ben LeBay did his part for Woodridge by winning an individual state title.
After being close to the lead in the 1,600 meters all season, LeBay put together his best race and won the state title in a personal-best time of 4:13.5. The 1,600 was a huge source of points for the Bulldogs, as Xavier Griffiths also finished fourth in 4:17.08.
“We had a lot of things going on,” LeBay said. “It’s 9 p.m. and we were supposed to race at 6 p.m. There were a lot of great guys out there. I think i just wanted it more tonight. I’ve been thinking about this all season, and it worked out well.”
“Ben winning the 1,600 was outstanding for us,” Mercer said. “It was the perfect race.”
LeBay was unable to duplicate his feat in the 800, finishing 14th in 1:57.17, but Woodridge picked up points in several other events.
Connor Hons finished seventh in 14.36 seconds in the 100 hurdles and then anchored the Bulldogs 800 relay, which was sixth in 1:28.92.
The Bulldogs boys 400 relay also finished sixth in 42.66, and Jalen Berry added a seventh-place finish in the 300 hurdles, finishing in 39.18.
Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy closed out the Division III boys meet in style. The Royals 1,600 relay recovered from a so-so preliminary to finish third in 3:21.16.
“It was definitely a little difficult after thing got stretched out hour by hour,” CVCA anchor Isaac Solomon said. “We just tried to relax our legs and enjoy our time with each other. It was really important coming from lane nine, because people didn’t even think were were going to be in the mix.”
Buchtel girls win OHSAA state title in 800 relay
The state record in the Division III 800 relay belonged to Buchtel coming into the state meet.
This year’s Griffins made it clear they wanted that record for themselves.
Buchtel’s Jada Davis, Joslynne Bushner, Devonnah Smith and Miniya Mitchell didn’t quite get the state record, but winning the state title still made them smile. The Griffins won the 800 relay in 1:39.28, less than .2 seconds off the state record.
“I feel we did a good job coming together after some complications,” Mitchell said. “We wanted it bad. We’re coming back next year for it.”
The relay win was part of the big night for Mitchell and Davis, each of whom earned three All-Ohio spots.
Mitchell finished fifth in the 400 in 57.12 and fifth in the 200 in 25.36.
Davis was third in the 300 hurdles in 44.09 and fifth in the 100 hurdles in 14.68.
Michael Leonard can be reached at mleonard@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Woodridge boys finish second at OHSAA state track meet
Reporting by Michael Leonard, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Michael Leonard, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
