Class AA Boys
100 Meter Dash
Bluefield's Carlos Reed got out well and dominated the field to repeat as champion
with an 11.03. Weir's Donovan Spencer got 2nd in a close battle that saw 2nd
through 4th decided by just 0.04 and 2nd through 5th decided by just 0.10. Spencer also
clocked a 10.88 in the trials, which is fast enough to be the 4th Best All-Time Class
A-AA State Meet Performance. His 11.27 finals time was 0.03 better than Bluefield's
D.J. Stewart and 0.04 better than Wayne's Kade Sebastian.
RunWV's Current Score: 6 of 6.
200 Meter Dash
Scott's Zack Marcum pulled away in the stretch to win by over 0.3 seconds in 22.98.
He was the only one under 23 seconds. Weir's Donovan Spencer and Bridgeport's
Dylan Tonkery were the only other ones under 23.50 in taking 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
One of my predicted placers qualified 3rd, but elected not to run the final to conserve
for the 4x400. Another of my predicted placers did not qualify for finals.
RunWV's Current Score: 10 of 12.
400 Meter Dash
Scott's Zack Marcum powered away in the final 80 meters to take the convincing
win in 48.86 seconds. That was strong enough to be the 4th Best All-Time Class A-AA
State Meet Performance. He was the only one to make it in under 50 seconds. Roane's
Troy Fisher just missed the mark with a 50.09. Robert C. Byrd's Corey Carvelli
moved into 3rd in the last 10 meters to finish at 51.10. Roane picked up two more places
with Steven McGinnis and Alex Pavalok going 51.41 and 51.74 for 4th and 5th,
respectively. Nicholas' Oliver Amick was 6th in 51.78. The top 7 were under 52 seconds.
One of my predicted placers did not run the event.
RunWV's Current Score: 15 of 18.
800 Meter Run
Roane's Troy Fisher led pretty much from the gun. He had established a solid gap
by taking the first lap in 57 seconds. Fairmont Senior's Matt Strand was in 2nd
at 58 seconds. PikeView's Jason Weitzel had a narrow lead over Robert C. Byrd's
Austen Zorick for 3rd with Ritchie's Daniel Cooper in 5th, with each also at
58 seconds. Keyser's Timothy Biser was in 6th at 59 seconds. Fisher dominated the
event, taking the win by over 2 seconds at 1:58.46. Weitzel was the only other one under
2:01 with his 2:00.79. Zorick put on a late surge, but couldn't quite make it to Weitzel
and finished at 2:01.37. Bridgeport's Michael Duez used a strong finish to move from
6th to 4th in the final 100 to finish at 2:02.62. Cooper finished 5th at 2:02.81. Berkeley
Springs' Steven Shetler came up for 6th at 2:03.27. The top 8 were 2:04.00 or better.
No one else was under 2:08.
RunWV's Current Score: 19 of 24.
1600 Meter Run
As with last year, the field was very aggressive. PikeView's Jason Weitzel led the
group at 1:02. The time was matched by Keyser's Leland Henderson and Ritchie's
Hunter Deem. Roane's Caleb Pell was in 4th at 1:03, with that time matched
by Fairmont Senior's Matt Strand and Webster's Brettley Harris in 5th and
6th, respectively. On the 2nd lap, Weitzel opened a gap on the field, coming through in
2:10. Harris had moved into 2nd at 2:12 with Deem right behind in the same time. Bridgeport's
Jimmy Lacaria had moved into 4th at 2:13 with that time mtached by Robert C. Byrd's
Austen Zorick and Berkeley Springs' Steven Shetler in 5th and 6th, respectively.
Weitzel extended his lead a little on lap three, coming through in 3:19. Deem justed edged
into 2nd over Harris right before the line with both at 3:23. Shetler was up to 4th, also
in 3:23. Zorick was in 5th at 3:24 with that time matched by Lacaria in 6th. Weitzel was
not challenged on the final lap and took the win by nearly 4 seconds at 4:25.41. Harris
closed well to move back into 2nd by over 2 seconds with a 4:29.40. Shetler had moved into
2nd coming into the final stretch and held on for 3rd at 4:31.60. Webster's Austin
Hayes closed in 64 to move from 7th to 4th, and almost 3rd, in the final lap to finish
in 4:31.92. Zorick was 5th in 4:33.12. Lacaria finished 6th in 4:33.91. Only two others
made it in under 4:40.
RunWV's Current Score: 24 of 30.
3200 Meter Run
A close first lap saw the entire field packed within 3 seconds of each other. Scott's
Nikoles Mulligan led at 1:08. Webster's Brettley Harris and PikeView's
Jason Weitzel were at 1:09. Ritchie's Daniel Cooper, East Fairmont's
Mark Ellis, and Roane's Caleb Pell held the 4th through 6th positions,
respectively, with each at 1:10. Things remained very bunch up on the 2nd lap with the
top 15 all in one pack. Mulligan continued to lead, but Weitzel was on his shoulder with
both at 2:25. Keyser's Leland Henderson had moved into 3rd at 2:26 with Harris
matching that time in 4th. Berkeley Springs' Steven Shetler and Ellis also matched
that time in 5th and 6th, respectively. 15 of the 16 were within about 2 seconds of the
lead and all in the field were within about 3 seconds. The pack finally started to spread
out on lap 3. Weitzel had moved to the lead at 3:39 with Harris right behind with the
same time. Henderson was in 3rd at 3:40 with Mulligan right beside at the same time.
Bridgeport's Jimmy Lacaria had moved into 5th at 3:41 with Pell matching that time
in 6th. Even though the pack had spread, there were still 14 in the group. At the halfway
point, Weitzel remained in the lead at 4:52 with Harris right behind, matching that time.
Henderson remained in contact just one second back in 4:53. Lacaria was up to 4th in 4:55.
Ellis was back into 5th, also in 4:55. Cooper was back up to 6th, also at 4:55. Lap 5 saw
Harris move to the lead on the backstretch and carry it through the line at 6:06. Weitzel
remained right there, though, matching that time. Henderson was starting to fall back,
but was still less than 2 seconds back at 6:07. Lacaria remained in 4th at 6:12, with Ellis
right on his heels with the same time. Cooper remained in 6th at 6:13. Harris carried the
lead through lap 6, but Weitzel remained right on his back with both coming through in 7:20.
They had gotten fully away from Henderson, who was in 3rd at 7:24. Lacaria gained further
control of 4th in 7:29. Cooper was up to 5th in 7:31 with Ellis in 6th at 7:32. After 7
laps, Harris maintained his slim lead over Weitzel with both at 8:30. Henderson remained
in 3rd at 8:42, but Lacaria had closed to within 3 seconds at 8:45. I don't know who was
in 5th and 6th, but I had 8:52 written down for Ellis, Pell, Cooper, and Ritchie's Hunter
Deem, so I'm sure it was two of those four. On the final lap, on the backstretch Weitzel
made a push for the lead, but Harris responded. Harris opened a slight gap in the first
half of the final turn, but Weitzel responded and began to push at 150 meters to go. He
made the pass with about 40 meters to go and was able to carry it through to the finish
line to take the win with a 9:35.37. Harris finished at 9:35.80 for 2nd. They ended up
putting nearly 20 seconds on the rest of the field. Henderson fended off the challenge
of Lacaria to take 3rd in 9:55.70. Lacaria was the last of the field to be under 10:00 with
his 9:57.52. Ellis kicked home for 5th in 10:03.97 with Pell taking 6th at 10:06.51.
RunWV's Current Score: 29 of 36.
110 Meter High Hurdles
Ritchie's Jayden Allender edged out teammate Clayton Satterfield and
Liberty Raleigh's TreShawn McDowell in a fairly sloppy race that saw several
competitors club several hurdles. Allender scored a 15.29 to the twin 15.37's ran by
Satterfield and McDowell. Robert C. Byrd's Corey Carvelli was challenging for the
lead before clubbing the 7th hurdle. He recovered well enough to hold 4th at 15.54.
RunWV's Current Score: 35 of 42.
300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles
Ritchie's Jayden Allender decimated the field with a strong 38.60, which was good
enough to be the 3rd Best All-Time Class A-AA State Meet Performance. No one else
was under 40 seconds. Ritchie's Clayton Satterfield grabbed 2nd for Ritchie in
40.01. Roane's Ryan Bates and Keyser's Deavonta Johnson were both under
41 seconds with a 40.32 and 40.56 in taking 3rd and 4th, respectively. Everyone else
was at least one second behind that. One of my predicted placers elected not to run the
event.
RunWV's Current Score: 40 of 48.
4x100 Meter Relay
Blufield won the event for the 2nd year in a row with the foursome of Elijah Green,
Carlos Reed, Marqi Dowell, adn D.J. Stewart going 43.95. Carlos Reed ran a
great 2nd leg to put them into the lead that they would not relinquish. Keyser ran a
strong 2nd at 44.19 with Bridgeport a strong 3rd at 44.29. Only Fairmont Senior was able
to go under 45 seconds among the rest of the field with their 44.94. Only Ritchie was
under 46 seconds among the rest of the field in taking 5th.
RunWV's Current Score: 46 of 54.
4x200 Meter Relay
Bluefield repeated as champion in this event as well as the same squad of Elijah Green,
Carlos Reed, Marqi Dowell, and D.J. Stewart dominated the field to win by over 1.4
seconds with a 1:31.02, which stands as the 10th Best All-Time Class A-AA State Meet
Performance. Keyser was 2nd in 1:32.46 with Bridgeport also coming in under 1:33
at 1:32.84. No one else was under 1:34. 4th through 6th was separated by just 0.19 seconds.
RunWV's Current Score: 50 of 60.
4x400 Meter Relay
Roane took control early with a lead leg of right about 51 seconds from Steven McGinnis.
After the first leg, they had a lead of around 30 meters. After two legs, they led by about
4 seconds with East Fairmont taking control of 2nd. Lincoln was in 3rd and Fairmont Senior
in 4th with Ritchie in 5th adn Keyser in 6th. However, Robert C. Byrd had run very well
in the first heat, so times were going to matter. At the end of three legs, the race was
over. All that needed to be determined was if the State Record would go down. East Fairmont
remained in 2nd. Fairmont Senior was in 3rd with Lincoln 4th. Bridgeport was 5th with Ritchie
6th, but again, RCB had run very well in the first heat and was positioned to place well.
With Troy Fisher on the anchor leg, and needing only about a 51.5 to take the record,
it was likely that Roane would take the record.
Fisher did not disappoint, giving Roane a 50.1 anchor leg to give the foursome
of Steven McGinnis, Alex Pavalok, Ryan Bates, and Troy Fisher a time of 3:24.78 and
a new State Meet Record and Best All-Time Class A-AA State Meet Performance.
The won the event by over 8 seconds in a dominating performance. East Fairmont easily held
the 2nd spot at 3:32.83. Robert C. Byrd's 3:34.80 from the first heat held up for 3rd.
Fairmont Senior held 4th at 3:35.45. Lincoln was 5th at 3:36.51. Bridgeport took the 6th
spot at 3:37.84.
RunWV's Current Score: 54 of 66.
4x800 Meter Relay
Webster took the early lead with a 2:01 leg from Austin Hayes. Bridgeport was in
2nd at 2:03. Oak Glen was 3rd in 2:05. Ritchie was in 4th at 2:06. Keyser was in 5th at
2:07. I think it was either East Fairmont or Nicholas in 6th at 2:11. On the 2nd leg,
Bridgeport moved to the front at 4:07. Ritchie was also in the 4:07's after a 2:01 leg from
Daniel Cooper. Oak Glen remained in 3rd at 4:09. Webster was holding 4th at 4:12.
Keyser was in 5th at 4:16. I beleive it was East Fairmont in 6th at 4:21. Bridgeport took
control late in the 3rd leg coming through at 6:12. Ritchie remained in 2nd at 6:16. Oak
Glen continued to hold 3rd at 6:19. Keyser moved up to 4th in 6:21. Berkeley Springs
used a 2:01 leg from Steven Shetler to move into 5th at 6:26. Webster was holding
6th at 6:27. On the final leg, Bridgeport was not challenged as the group of Jimmy Lacaria,
Arryn Tennant, Tim Kinney, and Michael Duez took the win by over 5 seconds in 8:15.56.
Ritchie easily held the 2nd spot in 8:21.06. Keyser made the pass on Oak Glen just before
the start of the final lap and held it to take 3rd in 8:27.83. Oak Glen held 4th at 8:28.93.
Berkeley Springs kept the 5th spot at 8:29.79 with Webster keeping 6th at 8:30.90. Only
one other team was under 8:40.
RunWV's Current Score: 60 of 72.
Shuttle Hurdle Relay
Ritchie used a huge 2nd leg from Jayden Allender to get back in contention and then
a big anchor leg from Clayton Satterfield to take the win for the foursome of
Jayden Allender, Austin Strickland, Austin Garrett, and Clayton Satterfield in 59.25.
Fairmont Senior picked up 2nd place from the 3rd heat in 59.83. Robert C. Byrd was also
under 60 seconds at 59.87 in taking 3rd. Only Keyser was under 61 seconds among the rest
of the field, and only Poca under 62 out of everyone else. This event, along with the
110HH and 300IH gave Ritchie 46 points in the three hurdle events.
RunWV's Current Score: 66 of 78.
High Jump
As with last year, Ritchie's Jayden Allender was the only jumper to clear 6'4 in
repeating as champion. East Fairmont's Jacob Nuzum was the only other jumper to
clear 6'2. Poca's Shawn Arthur and North Marion's Franklin Thomas cleared 6'0
to tie for 3rd. East Fairmont's Michael Gaskill also cleared 6'0 in taking 5th.
RunWV's Current Score: 71 of 84.
Pole Vault
Ritchie's Austin Garrett had the highest vault of all classes over the weekend with
his 15'0 clearance. That vault, along with prior State Meet Performances gives him the
6th Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the 2nd Best All-Time Class A-AA
State Meet Performance. He had to go that high, though, because Braxton's Bryson
Dennison cleared 14'6 in 2nd place. That, along with his prior State Meet Performances
gives him the 4th Best All-Time Class A-AA State Meet Performance. No one else went
higher than 12'0 with Roane's Caleb Pell and Robert C. Byrd's Zach Hoskinson
clearing that height in 3rd and 4th, respectively.
RunWV's Current Score: 76 of 90.
Long Jump
Poca's Hayden Webb won a close battle that saw the top 4 spots separated by just 8
1/2". Webb's jump of 20'08.75 won the event by over 5 inches, but the next three spots
saw less than 3 inches of separation. East Fairmont's Michael Gaskill went 20'3
for 2nd. Keyser's Amonte Turner jumped 20'2.75 for 3rd, and Braxton's Bryson
Dennison went 20'0.25 for 4th. 4 others were over 19'6. Two of my predicted placers
did not make the final.
RunWV's Current Score: 80 of 96.
Shot Put
Poca's Christian Buckley set a new State Meet Record by hurling the shot
61'1.50. That also stands as the 2nd Best All-Time State Meet Performance and
the Best All-Time Class A-AA State Meet Performance. It was strong enough to win
the event by over 11'. Teammate Chase Dotson took the 2nd spot at 49'7, which
was over 3' further than anyone else. Robert C. Byrd's Juwan Jones-Wright was
the only other thrower over 46' with his throw of 46'3.50. Keyser's Cole Weaver
was the only other thrower over 45' with his throw of 45'1.25. No one else threw 44'0.
One of my predicted placers didn't make the final.
RunWV's Current Score: 85 of 102.
Discus
Poca's Christian Buckley again set a new State Meet Record by tossing the
discus 180'9. That was also good enough to be the 2nd Best All-Time State Meet Performance
and the Best All-Time Class A-AA State Meet Performance. It was also strong enough
to win the event by over 37 feet. Liberty Raleigh's Jacob Stump was the only other
thrower to top 140' with this throw of 143'2. Oak Glen's Noah Mills threw 139'0
for 3rd place. No one else topped 135'.
RunWV's Current Score: 90 of 108.
The final score of 90 of 108 means that 83.3 % of the people picked to place did indeed place. Congratulations to those that proved me wrong.
Exceeding Predictions
The following athletes exceed the predictions by 3 or more places and
deserve special mention.
Dylan Tonkery, Bridgeport -- 200 M (not picked, got 3rd)
Michael Duez, Bridgeport -- 800 M (not picked, got 4th)
Lelan Henderson, Keyser -- 3200 M (not picked, got 3rd)
Fairmont Senior -- 4x400 M (not picked, got 4th)
(Brian Curry, Joseph Bundy, Benjamin Stewart, Matt Strand)
Fairmont Senior -- Shuttles (picked 6th, got 2nd)
(Matthew Brophy, Michael Nuzum, Benjamin Stewart, Brian Curry)
Franklin Thomas, North Marion -- High Jump (not picked, tied for 3rd)
Zach Hoskinson, Robert C. Byrd -- Pole Vault (not picked, got 4th)
Bryson Dennison, Braxton -- Long Jump (not picked, got 4th)
The following teams deserve kudos for scoring seven points or more higher than I predicted.
Class AA Boys Fairmont Senior +12 (2nd Straight Year on this List) PikeView + 8 (2nd Straight Year on this List) Robert C. Byrd + 7.50 (2nd Straight Year on this List)