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Quaker runners advance to finals

COLUMBUS – Salem junior Cameron Turney was trying his best to get freshman Ethan Bailey’s attention.

Bailey was running his third leg of the Division II 1600-meter relay down the stretch on the inside of the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium track, while Turney was waiting in the fourth-place spot.

“He may have been caught up in the excitement of an intense race,” Turney said. “He figured it out and got me off to a good start.”

The Quakers, making their third straight state appearance in the relay, are finally going to get to run at the state title. Seniors Dan Rumsey and Marcus Crittenden joined Turney and Bailey on the Quaker squad that was fourth in its heat and sixth overall in 3 minutes, 23.19 seconds.

The top two in each heat and the next five fastest times advance to today’s state finals.

South Range senior Adam Meloy was the only other area runner to advance as he did in the Division III 200-meter dash.

“Our main goal was to make it to finals,” Turney said. “We knew we were ranked sixth and had an excellent chance to advance.”

The Quakers edged out Orrville for the sixth-fastest time by 5/1,000th of a second.

“We are going for the school record,” Turney said. “We were close last weekend.

“If we prepared well today, we can get it (Saturday).”

Salem started the race beside East Liverpool. They finished one-two at the Columbiana County Meet last month.

“I know two of them and we exchanged ‘Good luck’ and wished each other the best,” Turney said.

The Potters team of seniors Jake Allen, Shae Long and Zack English and junior Chase Mahon were seventh in their heat and 14th overall (3:30.37). They ran the fastest time by a Potter relay team in three decades last week to get to state.

Eastmoor Academy had the top time Friday (3:21.53).

Meloy thought he might have a chance of getting to the state finals, only he figured it would be a different event.

“My coach thought the 200 last year,” Meloy said. “I thought it would be the 400, but here I am in the 200.”

He was third in his heat and seventh overall (22.67).

“I dropped the 400 originally to be in the 4×1 relay,” he said.

Covington senior Lane White posted the top time (21.85). Warren JFK senior Carl Zallow was fourth in his heat and sixth overall (22.40).

“I want to run my fastest time since it’s my last time running in high school,” Meloy said.

“I’m looking for a better start. These are different blocks than I’m used to.”

Meet notes

Louisville sophomore Devin Kring was fourth in her heat and 11th overall in the Division I girls 300 hurdles (46.48). Her mother, Tami, was a school-record holder at Lisbon and sister, Taylor, was a state champion at West Branch.

The Carrollton girls 3200 relay team knocked another 10 seconds off their school record for a third-place finish in Division II.

Seniors Stephanie Donley and Naomi Young, sophomore Kady Davis and freshman Maddie Dunlap finished in 9:27.97.

In the first race Friday, the Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas girls 3200 relay team of senior Molly Pusateri, sophomore Athena Welsh and freshmen Kalee Soehnlen and Kacee Soehnlin won in a Division III state-record time of 9:11.66.

McDonald seniors Jai’Lyn Mosley and Tory Ross both earned high finishes in the Division III discus and shot put.

Mosley won state titles in the discus (157-5) and shot put (42-11 3/4), while Ross was fourth in the discus (143-3) and fifth in the shot put (41-0).

Liberty Center senior shot putter Nick Demaline put on a show. A week after setting a Division III state record with a toss of 68-feet-10 1/2, Demaline won the state title with a toss of 66-3 1/2.

His shortest toss of 62-2 Friday would have won by 3 feet.

Friday’s meet got over around 7:40 p.m. Action will resume at 9:30 a.m. today.

One of today’s highlights will be the Division II boys 100-meter dash.

St. Clairsville senior and Youngstown State football recruit Jaylon Brown posted the top time (10.70), followed by Streetsboro freshman sensation Dakari Carter (10.71), Cleveland Benedictine senior Marqueee Montgomery (10.74) and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary senior and Ohio State prized football recruit Parris Campbell (10.75).

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