SALEM — Beaver Local junior high jumper Landon Wheatley and Salem senior long jumper Lucas Adams were at the top of their game at the 122nd Columbiana County Track and Field Meet on Thursday.

The two indoor state champions repeated as county champions in their specialties.

“It’s nice to have this meet later in the season and going against a jumper like Lucas,” Wheatley said.

Wheatley cleared 6-foot-6 on his way to victory.

“I’ve changed a few things with Erika and Dan Kinsey as coaches,” he said. “I had a few sluggish meets in the jumps, but now I’m feeling great.”

He also finished second in the 300-meter hurdles and third in the 110-meter hurdles.

“The hurdles warm me up for the jumps,” he said.

As a sophomore, he became the second Beaver Local high jumper to score at the state track and field meet, finishing sixth in Division II by clearing 6-4.

He has been chasing the marks by a pair of state champions — Beaver Local’s Pat Woods and Crestview’s Jakob Leon.

Wheatley attempted to match Leon’s county meet record of 6-9 on Thursday, but fell short.

Another goal is Woods’ school record of 6-11.

Woods was the 2004 Division II state champion and Leon the 2009 Division III state champion with both having winning jumps of 6-10.

(6-10).

Wheatley did not compete in the long jump on Thursday because he will be in his four events at the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday.

His favorite event is the high jump.

“Of course,” he said. “When I started track it was the event I was best at. I think it’s the most fun event.”

Adams set the lone boys meet record with a winning long jump of 22-feet-10, breaking a 1950 record of 22-4 3/4 by East Palestine’s Glenn Young.

“So close,” Adams said. “Twenty-three feet in always in my mind. I know it’s there, I just have to get perfect contact on the board.”

He also finished second in the high jump (6-4).

“I struggled a little bit the last couple of weeks in both jumps,” Adams said. “But I’ve turned it around.”

He took boys high-point in the field events with 18 points.

“The high jump is a thing for me,” Adams said. “I wasn’t too confident coming into the season. Landon Wheatley got in the way today.”

Record setter

Salem freshman Chaya Murray had a record-setting county meet debut with four victories and three meet records.

Her time of 24.85 seconds is the best among county athletes this century and broke the meet and school records. Her time of 12.20 seconds was not recognized as a meet record because it was wind-aided.

No county girl has run under 25 seconds this century until Murray did Thursday.

“The 200, to do that after three events, is impressive,” said Salem boys coach Austin Noel, who coaches the sprinters.

In the 100, East Liverpool’s Mallory Schell had a hand-timed 12.2 in 2004. She went on to finish 14th at the Division I state meet.

The top fully automatic timing before Thursday was 12.38 by Wellsville’s Shartece Taylor in her Division III state runner-up finish.

Murray also was the anchor on the Quakers’ 400- and 800-meter relay teams that set meet records in 50.49 and 1:45.88, respectively.

Home field

The Quakers always have something extra in their step when the county meet is held at Sebo Stadium, formerly known as Reilly Stadium.

The boys have won 11 straight county titles and the girls seven in a row while serving as the host.

“We love running here and winning in front of our fans,” Noel said.

The Salem boys have won 21 of the last 22 meets held at Sebo Stadium — dropping on a 10-point decision to East Liverpool in 2002.

“I always like to look at that stuff, but usually I’m focused on the next meet,” Adams said.

EBC action

Salem hasn’t had rain in its seven home meets this season. The last one will be Friday with the Eastern Buckeye Conference Meet, which is like a smaller state meet.

“It’s going to be another battle like it always is,” Noel said.

“It’s going to be an absolute battle,” Salem girls coach Ted Yuhaniak said. “That’s one on their goal sheet.

“You always want to win your league and we’re in such a great league.”

The EBC will have one last championship meet next year before Minerva, Marlington and Carrollton leave for the new Northeast Senate League.

“It’s a shame it’s going away,” Yuhaniak said.

Meet notes

¯ Beaver Local junior Luke Warrick was the high-point award winner in the boys running events with 25 points. He won the 800 and 1600 runs and ran on the winning 800 and 1600 relay teams.

¯ Heartland Christian senior Rebecca Geiss captured the high-point award in the girls running events with 38 points. She had first places in the 1600 and 3200 runs and a second in the 800 run.

¯ Southern senior Maddy Jones repeated as the girls high-point winner in the field events by sweeping the discus and shot put.