Area athletes qualify for regionals; win district championships
Lead Summary
By
The Highland County Press-
Many Highland County athletes won district championships over the weekend, and in the process, they, along with those who placed in the Top 4, qualified for their respective Division II and Division III Regional Meets this upcoming week.
During the Division II SE District Meet held at Washington Senior High School in Fayette County, the Hillsboro boys, McClain boys and McClain girls all took part in the two-day event.
For the Hillsboro boys team, they totaled two first-place finishes from senior Mackenzie Conlon, winning the 110-meter hurdles with a championship time of 15.11 and the 300m hurdles with a time of 39.19.
The McClain Tigers boys track and field team had two first-place finishes in the Division II district event, with senior Alex Hollar racing to a first-place finish in the 100m dash with a time of 11.07, edging out the second-place time of 11.18.
Also with a first-place time was for the Tigers was senior Cody Hardesty, winning the 800m run with a time of 1:58.79, taking the event by just over two full seconds.
The McClain girls track team had a total of one first-place finish for a district championship as senior Jhaela Coleman was first place in the 100m dash at 12.68. Coleman was second in the 200m dash at 27.18 and second in the long jump with a distance of 17-00.50 to reach regionals in those two events as well.
For the Fairfield Lions, Whiteoak Wildcats and the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs, their boys and girls teams competed at the Division III SE District Championships at Southeastern High School in Ross County in their two-day meet.
Fairfield first-place finishes included their 4x800m relay team of Matthew Mangus, Trent Swisher, Noah Richmond and Brandtson Duffie winning with a time of 8:46.52. Duffie was first in the 800m run with a championship time of 2:02.95.
Derrick Ison of Whiteoak won the 200m dash with a time of 52.87, and he was second in the 200m dash at 23.87.
Also qualifying for the Division III regionals were the LC Mustangs in the 4x800m relay event with a time of 9:13.77, by the team consisting of Brandon McCammon, Ben Bales, Bobby Merry and Hunter Underwood.
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The FHS Lions were second in the 4x200m relay with the team of Dustin Huff, Wyatt Fent, Nick Price and Devon Haynes tallying a time of 1:39.47. Also for the Lions, Noah Richmond was third (4:41.74) and Andrew Davis was fourth (4:57.60) in the 1600m run. Fairfield’s 4x100m relay team of Yancy Wisecup, Haynes, Price and Fent was third with a time of 47.72.
Nate Buchanan of FHS was third in the 300m hurdles at 46.92. The Lions had a second-place finish in the 800m run wth Swisher having a time of 2:06.20. LC’s Bobby Merry was third in the same race at 2:07.49 to also qualify for regionals.
Also in Div. III, the 100m dash saw two Highland County runners reach regionals with LC’s Zac Carter placing second at 11.83 and Derrick Ison of Whiteoak in third at 11.90. Matthew Mangus was third in the 3200m run for the Lions at 10:09.14.
Johnny Lewis of LC was the district runner-up in the discus throw with a distance of 140-11. Carter was third in the high jump for the Mustangs at 5-08.00 and also second in the long jump at 20-10.25.
FHS was also third in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:47.20 to reach regionals with the team of Wyatt Evans, Fent, Bennett Hodson and Swisher.
For the Division II districts, Chayden Pitzer was second for the Lady Tigers in the 100m hurdles with a time of 15.94 to earn a district runner-up spot and a trip to regionals. Pitzer was also second in the 100m dash at 12.74, also qualifying for regionals in that event as well. The MHS sophomore, Pitzer was also third in the 300m hurdles to gain her third qualifying spot at regionals, finishing with a time of 50.00.
McClain’s 4x100m relay team of Tyler Jackson, Hollar, Tristan Pitzer and Hardesty placed second, earning district runners-up honors and a trip to regionals with their time of 44.47. Hollar was also fourth in the 200m dash, qualifying to regionals with a time of 23.02. Pitzer had a fourth-place distance in the long jump to reach regionals, as his distance was measured at 20-05.00.
The Indians also had a third-place finish from their 4x200m relay team of Anthony Anderson, Conlon, Braden Wildey and Luke Gallimore with a time of 133.13 and sophomore Austin Goolsby placed second in the pole vault to qualify for regionals as a district runner-up with a height of 14-00.00.
In the Division III 4x200m relay, the LC team of Alexa Cochran, Angela McLaughlin, McKayla Binkley and Taiyler Marcelino placed third with a time of 1:51.79. The LC 4x200m relay team did one spot better, finishing as district runners-up with a time of 4:20.36. The team consisted of Cochran, Abby Blankenship, Binkley and McLaughlin.
McLaughlin qualified for regionals with a fourth-place finish in the 200m dash at 27.53. In the discus throw, LC’s Bailey Leininger was a district runner-up with a distance of 116-01.
During the Division II SE District Meet held at Washington Senior High School in Fayette County, the Hillsboro boys, McClain boys and McClain girls all took part in the two-day event.
For the Hillsboro boys team, they totaled two first-place finishes from senior Mackenzie Conlon, winning the 110-meter hurdles with a championship time of 15.11 and the 300m hurdles with a time of 39.19.
The McClain Tigers boys track and field team had two first-place finishes in the Division II district event, with senior Alex Hollar racing to a first-place finish in the 100m dash with a time of 11.07, edging out the second-place time of 11.18.
Also with a first-place time was for the Tigers was senior Cody Hardesty, winning the 800m run with a time of 1:58.79, taking the event by just over two full seconds.
The McClain girls track team had a total of one first-place finish for a district championship as senior Jhaela Coleman was first place in the 100m dash at 12.68. Coleman was second in the 200m dash at 27.18 and second in the long jump with a distance of 17-00.50 to reach regionals in those two events as well.
For the Fairfield Lions, Whiteoak Wildcats and the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs, their boys and girls teams competed at the Division III SE District Championships at Southeastern High School in Ross County in their two-day meet.
Fairfield first-place finishes included their 4x800m relay team of Matthew Mangus, Trent Swisher, Noah Richmond and Brandtson Duffie winning with a time of 8:46.52. Duffie was first in the 800m run with a championship time of 2:02.95.
Derrick Ison of Whiteoak won the 200m dash with a time of 52.87, and he was second in the 200m dash at 23.87.
Also qualifying for the Division III regionals were the LC Mustangs in the 4x800m relay event with a time of 9:13.77, by the team consisting of Brandon McCammon, Ben Bales, Bobby Merry and Hunter Underwood.
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The FHS Lions were second in the 4x200m relay with the team of Dustin Huff, Wyatt Fent, Nick Price and Devon Haynes tallying a time of 1:39.47. Also for the Lions, Noah Richmond was third (4:41.74) and Andrew Davis was fourth (4:57.60) in the 1600m run. Fairfield’s 4x100m relay team of Yancy Wisecup, Haynes, Price and Fent was third with a time of 47.72.
Nate Buchanan of FHS was third in the 300m hurdles at 46.92. The Lions had a second-place finish in the 800m run wth Swisher having a time of 2:06.20. LC’s Bobby Merry was third in the same race at 2:07.49 to also qualify for regionals.
Also in Div. III, the 100m dash saw two Highland County runners reach regionals with LC’s Zac Carter placing second at 11.83 and Derrick Ison of Whiteoak in third at 11.90. Matthew Mangus was third in the 3200m run for the Lions at 10:09.14.
Johnny Lewis of LC was the district runner-up in the discus throw with a distance of 140-11. Carter was third in the high jump for the Mustangs at 5-08.00 and also second in the long jump at 20-10.25.
FHS was also third in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:47.20 to reach regionals with the team of Wyatt Evans, Fent, Bennett Hodson and Swisher.
For the Division II districts, Chayden Pitzer was second for the Lady Tigers in the 100m hurdles with a time of 15.94 to earn a district runner-up spot and a trip to regionals. Pitzer was also second in the 100m dash at 12.74, also qualifying for regionals in that event as well. The MHS sophomore, Pitzer was also third in the 300m hurdles to gain her third qualifying spot at regionals, finishing with a time of 50.00.
McClain’s 4x100m relay team of Tyler Jackson, Hollar, Tristan Pitzer and Hardesty placed second, earning district runners-up honors and a trip to regionals with their time of 44.47. Hollar was also fourth in the 200m dash, qualifying to regionals with a time of 23.02. Pitzer had a fourth-place distance in the long jump to reach regionals, as his distance was measured at 20-05.00.
The Indians also had a third-place finish from their 4x200m relay team of Anthony Anderson, Conlon, Braden Wildey and Luke Gallimore with a time of 133.13 and sophomore Austin Goolsby placed second in the pole vault to qualify for regionals as a district runner-up with a height of 14-00.00.
In the Division III 4x200m relay, the LC team of Alexa Cochran, Angela McLaughlin, McKayla Binkley and Taiyler Marcelino placed third with a time of 1:51.79. The LC 4x200m relay team did one spot better, finishing as district runners-up with a time of 4:20.36. The team consisted of Cochran, Abby Blankenship, Binkley and McLaughlin.
McLaughlin qualified for regionals with a fourth-place finish in the 200m dash at 27.53. In the discus throw, LC’s Bailey Leininger was a district runner-up with a distance of 116-01.