Class AAA Boys
100 Meter Dash
Jefferson's Dante Price streaked away from the field in the last half of the race to win by
over 0.3 seconds. His 10.66 time is Tied for the 4th Best All-Time State Meet Performance and
is Tied for the 4th Best All-Time Class AAA State Meet Performance. Woodrow Wilson's
Ramon Edwards joined Price under 11 seconds with a 10.99.
RunWV's Current Score: 3 of 6.
200 Meter Dash
Jefferson's Dante Price had the lead coming out of the turn, and Elkins' Cam Viney was
not able to reel him in. Price scored a 21.67, which is good enough to be the 10th Best All-Time
State Meet Performance and the 8th Best All-Time Class AAA State Meet Performance. Viney
would likely have joined him under 22 seconds but let up before the line. As it was, he clocked a 22.05.
Those two were well out ahead of the field. Woodrow Wilson's Nikko Wesley was also under 22.50
in taking 3rd. One of my predicted placers did not end up running the event.
RunWV's Current Score: 8 of 12.
400 Meter Dash
Elkins' Cam Viney had the lead coming out of the turn and just pulled away from everyone down
the stretch to win by over 0.9 seconds. His 49.23 was the only sub-50 time in the field. Bridgeport's
Andrew Archer was easily 2nd with a 50.14. Winfield's Sam Pyles was the only other one
to go under 51 seconds.
RunWV's Current Score: 13 of 18.
800 Meter Run
Cabell Midland's Jacob Burcham led pretty much from the gun and took the first lap in 55
seconds. Winfield's Joe Kirtner and Martinsburg's Nic Bauer weren't far back at
56 seconds. Riverside's Chris Roy was in 4th also at 57. On the second lap, Burcham
ran away from the field from 400 to 600 Meters and easily took the win matching his Class AAA
State Meet Record time from last year of 1:54.01. Bauer made the pass into 2nd on the backstretch
and moved out away from the pack, crossing in 1:56.01. Cabell Midland's Brian Lawhon used
a strong kick for move up to 3rd and joined Bauer under 1:57 with a 1:56.94. Kirtner held 4th
with a 1:57.53. Jefferson's Eric Graf moved up from no better than 10th after one lap
and passed Cabell Midland's Mason Dino just before the line in the race for 5th. The pair
had times of 1:58.48 and 1:58.50, respectively. No one else made it in under 2:00. Burcham's 1:54.01
is Tied for the 2nd Best All-Time State Meet Performance and Tied for the 2nd Best All-Time
Class AAA State Meet Performance. One of my predicted placers did not run.
RunWV's Current Score: 18 of 24.
1600 Meter Run
Cabell Midland's Jacob Burcham took the lead right from the start with Winfield's Joe
Kirtner right behind as the pair took the first lap in 61 seconds. Huntington's Sam Smith
came through in 1:03, with Cabell Midland's Tyler Salmons in 4th at 1:05. I think it was
Fairmont Senior's Nick Trefz in 5th and Jefferson's Andrew Milliron in 6th at 1:06.
After two laps, it was still Burcham and Kirtner together at 2:06. Milliron and Jefferson's
Eric Graf were running 3rd and 4th with Smith in 5th and Jefferson's Ryan Graf
in 6th, all at 2:10. Burcham started to generate a gap early in the 3rd lap as he picked the
pace up, and crossed 3 laps in 3:08. Kirtner remained solidly in 2nd at 3:12. Eric Graf was
in 3rd at 3:16. University's Jordan Brown-Stobbe had moved into 4th, just a tiny bit
ahead of Milliron. Ryan Graf was in 6th as all through crossed in 3:18. On the final lap,
Burcham continued to pull away, finishing in 4:08.91. Eric Graf just got Kirtner with a dive
at the line, 4:17.73 to 4:17.76. Ryan Graf took the 4th spot with a 4:21.90, just a little
ahead of Milliron and Brown-Stobbe who ran 4:22.33 and 4:22.89, respectively. 9 guys ran under
4:30, and 13 ran under 4:35. Burcham's 4:08.91 is the 2nd Best All-Time State Meet Performance
and the 2nd Best All-Time Class AAA State Meet Performance.
RunWV's Current Score: 23 of 30.
3200 Meter Run
This was one of the best races that I've ever watched. First was never in doubt, but the race
for 2nd was fantastic.
Cabell Midland's Jacob Burcham took the early lead with a 1:06 first lap. Preston's
Peter Schwarzenberg was in 2nd at 1:08. George Washington's Matthew Brafford was
in 3rd, also at 1:08. Jefferson's Eric Graf was in 4th, with University's Jordan
Brown-Stobbe and Cabell Midland's Tyler Salmons rounding out the top 6 with them also
at 1:08. By the end of lap 2, it was clear that they had decided to let Burcham go and have a
huge race for 2nd. Burcham came through in 2:15. Schwarzenberg remained in 2nd in 2:20 with
Brown-Stobbe and Eric Graf in 3rd and 4th, respectively, both at 2:21. Salmons was in 5th, also
at 2:21 with Cabell Midland's Avery Campbell in 6th at 2:22. Burcham continued to extend
his lead on lap 3, crossing in 3:23. Schwarzenberg was still in 2nd with Eric Graf in 3rd,
Brown-Stobbe in 4th, Winfield's Joe Kirtner in 5th at 3:31, Salmons in 6th, Campbell in 7th,
Brafford in 8th, Fairmont Senior's Nick Trefz in 9th at 3:32, Jefferson's Ryan Graf
in 10th, Greenbrier East's Levi Snedegar in 11th, and Jefferson's Sam Munnis in 12th
at 3:33 all still in the big race for 2nd. At the half-way point, Burcham had moved out to a 12
second lead in 4:32. The mass pack was still in tact with Eric Graf up to 2nd, Salmons in 3rd,
Kirtner in 4th, Brown-Stobbe in 5th all at 4:44. Campbell was in 6th, Schwarzenberg 7th, Ryan
Graf in 8th, Brafford 9th,and Trefz 10th at 4:45. Snedegar was in 11th and Munnis in 12th at 4:46.
After 5 laps, Burcham's lead was up to 18 seconds as he came through in 5:40. The big pack was
still there with Eric Graf in 2nd, Kirtner in 3rd, Brown-Stobbe in 4th, Campbell in 5th, Ryan
Graf in 6th, Schwarzenberg in 7th, all at 5:58. Trefz was in 8th, Salmons in 9th, Brafford in
10th, Snedegar in 11th, and Munnis in 12th, all at 5:59. After 6 laps, Burcham was at 6:50, and
it looked like sub-9:00 might be in jeopardy. His lead was up to 20 seconds, though. Eric Graf
was in 2nd with Kirtner in 3rd, Brown-Stobbe in 4th, Trefz in 5th, Ryan Graf in 6th, Campbell in
7th, Schwarzenberg in 8th, and Salmons in 9th, all at 7:10-7:11 still in a big fight for 2nd.
Brafford had dropped off just a little with Snedegar just a little off him, and Munnis just a
little off Snedegar. On lap 7, Burcham picked up the pace a little, crossing in 7:57. He needed
to go under 63 on the last lap to crack 9:00. The lead was up to 23 seconds. There was still
a great race going on for 2nd. The camera followed Burcham, so I'm going from notes. I have
Eric Graf and Trefz at 8:20, Kirtner at 8:21, Brown-Stobbe and Ryan Graf at 8:22, Campbell at 8:23,
Salmons at 8:24. Burcham closed in under 60 to break the 9:00 barrier and set a new Class AAA State
Meet Record with his 8:57.73. Eric Graf pulled away for 2nd with a 61 close of his own to finish
in 9:22.10. Trefz held onto 3rd, collapsing across the line in 9:25.40. This was one that left
it all out there. He's fortunate that they weren't running a 3202. Campbell came up to 4th
with a 9:25.70. Salmons used a big kick to move from 8th to 5th in the last 110 Meters, finishing
in 9:26.15, just passing Kirtner and Ryan Graf in the last few meters. Kirtner took the 6th spot
with a 9:26.23 with Ryan Graf getting a 9:26.45. So, we had 7 guys under 9:27, 8 under 9:33, and
11 under 9:45. Burcham's 8:57.73 is the Best All-time State Meet Performance and the Best
All-Time Class AAA State Meet Performance.
RunWV's Current Score: 27 of 36.
110 Meter High Hurdles
Elkins' Cam Viney took the lead at about the half-way mark, and inched his lead forward with each
hurdle. Much of his 0.15 margin of victory of Woodrow Wilson's Travis Merritt came from the
last hurdle to the finish line with Viney scoring a 14.31 and Merritt a 14.46. Jefferson's Lane
Simpson joined them under 15 seconds with a 14.97. Viney also clocked a 14.21 in the trials which
is good enough to be the 2nd Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the 2nd Best All-Time
Class AAA State Meet Performance. One of my predicted placers false started in the finals.
RunWV's Current Score: 30 of 42.
300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles
Elkins' Cam Viney had a slight lead heading into the homestretch, and he pulled away to win by
over 1.5 seconds. His 37.81 clocking is the 7th Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the
7th Best All-Time Class AAA State Meet Performance. Winfield's Luke Martion joined him
under 40 seconds. They were the only ones to break 40. There were 7 under 41.
RunWV's Current Score: 35 of 48.
4x100 Meter Relay
Jefferson's unit of Ashton Lai-Fang, Tyler Lambert, Rynal Newman, and Dante Price took down a
24 year old record in setting the new Class AAA State Meet Record. Woodrow Wilson's crew of Ramon
Edwards, Nikko Wesley, Jacob Meadows, and Zach Tilley also broke the old record. Jefferson was
in 2nd heading into the final leg, but having the 100 Meter Champion as your anchor has its advantages.
Jefferson's 42.20 is the Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the Best All-Time Class
AAA State Meet Performance. Woodrow Wilson's 42.46 is the 2nd Best All-Time State Meet Performance
and the 2nd Best All-Time Class AAA State Meet Performance. Those two teams demolished the field
as Musselman was the only other team under 44 seconds with a 43.76.
RunWV's Current Score: 40 of 54.
4x200 Meter Relay
Jefferson's group of Ashton Lai-Fang, Tyler Lambert, Ashton Hyler, and Dante Price squeaked out
a close win over Woodrow Wilson, taking the win by just 0.05. Price made the pass mid-way through the
homestretch, but a cramp just about let Woodrow Wilson take it back. Those two were well ahead of the
field as their times were 1:30.24 and 1:30.29, respectively. Only Wheeling Park with a 1:31.76 was
under 1:33 among the rest of the field.
RunWV's Current Score: 45 of 60.
4x400 Meter Relay
Martinsburg's group of Nick Bauer, Cedric Brown, James Myers, and Cole Gordon used a 50.8 anchor
leg from Bauer to move from 3rd to 1st, taking the final spot in the last 20 meters. The top 3 spots
were decided by less than a second with Martinsburg hitting a 3:27.02, Hedgesville a 3:27.27, and
Jefferson a 3:27.96. Winfield was also under 3:30 with a 3:28.79 in taking 4th. My predicted winner
of this event got hit with a false start.
RunWV's Current Score: 49 of 66.
4x800 Meter Relay
RECAP FROM VIDEO
As with last year, the quest for the Meet Record didn't occur at Cabell Midland didn't use Jacob
Burcham for the event. But they didn't miss it by a lot without him. Cabell Midland's crew of
David Jobe, Tyler Salmons, Mason Dino, and Brian Lawhon cranked out a 7:55.98, which is the
4th Best All-time State Meet Performance and the 4th Best All-Time Class AAA State Meet
Performance. Jefferson's group of Sam Munnis, Ryan Graf, Andrew Milliron, and Eric Graf was
never too far behind and also cracked the 8:00 barrier with a 7:59.29. That gives them the 9th
Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the 9th Best All-Time Class AAA State Meet Performance.
Winfield didn't miss joining them under 8:00 by much as they hit an 8:01.55. Those three were way ahead
of everyone else as no one else ran under 8:19. Martinsburg had the lead after a 1:58 opening leg from
Nic Bauer. Cabell Midland got a 2:00 opener from David Jobe, and Jefferson got a 2:01
opener from Sam Munnis. Cabell Midland took control on the 1:57.1 leg of Tyler Salmons.
Jefferson got a 2:00 leg from Ryan Graf to keep within striking distance. On the first leg,
Cabell Midland got a 2:00.8 leg from Mason Dino while Jefferson got a 2:01 from Andrew Milliron.
Cabell Midland closed the deal with a 1:57.4 leg from Brian Lawhon. Jefferson got a 1:56.9 from
Eric Graf, and Winfield got a 1:56.20 from Joe Kirtner. Wheeling Park and Hedgesville
ran under 8:20.
RunWV's Current Score: 54 of 72.
Shuttle Hurdle Relay
Jefferson's team of Warren Gray, Ashton Hyler, Curtis Chiswell, and Lane Simpson took apart the
field, and they did it from the 3rd heat. Their 56.80 was over 1.2 seconds ahead of everyone else.
Martinsburg, Parkersburg South, and Parkersburg ran under 59 seconds. One of my predicted placers got
nailed on a false start.
RunWV's Current Score: 59 of 78.
High Jump
Wheeling Park's Errin Baynes, competing for just the 3rd time this year, won for the 3rd year
in a row with a leap of 6'8. That jump along with prior State Meet performances gives him the 8th
Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the 6th Best All-Time Class AAA State Meet Performance.
Parkersburg South's Garrett Lynch and Wheeling Park's Kody Geisel each cleared 6'6 with
Lynch taking 2nd on tie-breakers. No one else jumped higher than 6'0.
RunWV's Current Score: 65 of 84.
Pole Vault
A pair of vaulters topped 14'0 with Hurricane's Alex Howden taking the win on tie-breakers.
Preston's Nash Thomas joined him at 14'0. Cabell Midland's Daniel Parlock and
Parkersburg South's Logan Cox cleared 13'0 to take 3rd and 4th, respectively.
RunWV's Current Score: 69 of 90.
Long Jump
Wheeling Park's Errin Baynes won both jumps for the 2nd straight year. His 22'3.50 jump won
by almost 11 inches. Princeton's Purcell Lash, Bridgeport's Daniel Bleyer, and Wheeling
Park's D.C. Banks topped 21' in taking the next 3 spots, Lash getting 2nd over Bleyer by virtue
of a further 2nd best jump. In a rarity, I had all 6 of the placers correct in the long jump...and it
had to come in a year that I didn't do well elsewhere.
RunWV's Current Score: 75 of 96.
Shot Put
Logan's David Toney won the event by over a foot and a half with his toss of 52'6.50. Wheeling
Park's Dewanya Neal and Hurricane's A.J. White also topped 50' in taking 2nd and 3rd,
respectively. Greenbrier East's Tre' Moore just missed joining them with his throw of 49'7.
RunWV's Current Score: 79 of 102.
Discus
Hurricane's A.J. White led a trio of throwers over 150'. He was the only one to top 160' with
his throw of 161'6, which was enough to win by 6'. Huntington's Deric Gibson thew 155'6 in
taking 2nd. Hampshire's Levi Moreland threw 152'1 to take 3rd. 4th place was over 10 feet
behind.
RunWV's Current Score: 83 of 108.
The final score of 83 of 108 means that 76.9% of the people picked to place did indeed place. Congratulations to those that proved me wrong.
Exceeding Predictions
The following athletes exceed my predictions by 3 or more places and deserve special mention.
Charles Hython, Robert C. Byrd -- 100 M (not picked, got 3rd)
Ryan Graf, Jefferson -- 1600 M (not picked, got 4th)
Nick Trefz, Fairmont Senior -- 3200 M (not picked, got 3rd)
Avery Campbell, Cabell Midland -- 3200 M (not picked, got 4th)
Lane Simpson, Jefferson -- 110 HH (not picked, got 3rd)
Dustin Martin, Lewis -- 300 IH (not picked, got 4th)
Robert C. Byrd -- 4x100 (not picked, got 4th)
(Charles Hython, Jarmodd Garrett, Mason Compton, Tre Cox)
Martinsburg -- 4x400 (picked 5th, got 1st)
(Nic Bauer, Cedric Brown, James Myers, Cole Gordon)
Nicholas Fullmer, Morgantown -- High Jump (not picked, tied for 4th)
Austin Allman, Parkersburg -- High Jump (not picked, tied for 4th)
Daniel Parlock, Cabell Midland -- Pole Vault (not picked, got 3rd)
Tre' Moore, Greenbrier East -- Shot Put (not picked, got 4th)
Deric Gibson, Huntington -- Discus (picked 5th, got 2nd)
Joseph Wickline, Greenbrier East -- Discus (not picked, got 4th)
The following teams deserve kudos for scoring seven points or more higher than I predicted.
Class AAA Boys Jefferson +13 Martinsburg +12.40 Robert C. Byrd +10 Fairmont Senior + 9 Wheeling Park + 8 Greenbrier East + 8