COLUMBUS: Manchester senior Alyssa Matheny woke at 6 a.m. Friday in Columbus with state championship aspirations.
A few hours later, Matheny accomplished her goal when she stood atop the podium as the Division II girls state high jump champion at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
“This was a great day,” she said. “I am not one to get up early, but I woke up, had a good breakfast and went out there with the determination to get first, and that is what I did.”
Matheny, a Kent State University recruit, and Cambridge junior Lilly Ritz both jumped 5 feet, 8 inches, but Matheny earned the top spot with fewer misses.
Matheny arrived at the stadium around 8 a.m., and by 9:30 a.m., she was competing.
“This is Alyssa’s fourth trip down here and she had broken the school record in indoor [track],” Manchester coach Steve Schaadt said. “Basically, the only thing left that she had not done was win a state title, and she did that today. She jumped 5-8, which is a PR for her. A 5-7¼ was her previous best and the previous school record.
“I don’t think she has reached her plateau yet. She almost had 5-9 today. She has been sitting on 5-8 for about a year and it’s like she sees it and barely nicks the bar each time. ... She is an exceptional kid that is a natural jumper.”
Garrettsville senior Lauren Jones won the girls discus title in Division II (157-9).
Woodridge senior Jacob Mally is set to compete in the 110-meter hurdles, the 300-meter hurdles and the high jump in the Division II boys meet Saturday under coach Les Carney. In preliminary races Friday, Mally posted the second-best time in 110 (14.49) and the seventh-best 300 (39.76).
“I just knew I had to qualify for the finals, so I wasn’t really looking to run anything super special,” said Mally, a Kent State recruit.
Mally said his career high in the high jump is 6-6½ which he set at the Woodridge Wrap-Up. He cleared 6-4 at the Austintown Fitch regional meet last week.
“I want to win the state title and it will take a PR to do it,” Mally said.
Elsewhere in the Division II boys meet, St. Vincent-St. Mary senior DeAmonte’ King advanced to Saturday’s finals in the 800 relay (1:28.84) and the 400 meters (47.80). King ran a leg on St. V-M’s 800 relay that won a state title last year.
“My goal in the 400 was to get Lane 4, and we had the fastest qualifying 4x2 time, so that was exciting,” King said. “I wanted to make it in the 4x4 as well, but I couldn’t run it because I tweaked my hamstring in the 400.”
St. V-M coach Dan Lancianese called King, a University of Toledo football recruit, a “special talent,” and said Meadowdale senior Wayne Lawrence Jr. is a rival in the 400.
“The heat obviously took its toll on the whole group, but DeAmonte’ has been DeAmonte’ for the whole four years as far as his work ethic,” Lancianese said. “His talent shines. He has got another gear that always seems to surprise me.”
The Buchtel girls 800 (1:42.45) and 400 (48.96) relays each advanced to the Division II finals. Dyamond Myers, Shayanna Bratcher and London Green were on both relays. Sara Foster of St. V-M also advanced in the 300 hurdles (43.91) and 800 relay (1:45.38).
Firestone junior Darshun Williams is scheduled to compete in the Division I boys 300 hurdles finals on Saturday after winning his preliminary heat Friday in career-best time of 37.98. New Albany senior Max Frye clocked a 37.64 to win the other heat.
“I came out here after placing third in the regional finals and I thought I had to fix some things,” Williams said. “I did that and the outcome was a first place in my heat.”
Falcons coach Tim Carroll said Williams’ time is a school record, surpassing a 38.29 run by former Firestone standout Dominic Moore.
“Darshun is running one event today and he is a good athlete, so running fresh helped him,” Carroll said. “He is usually running tired because we run him in four events in most meets, but I think on a hot day he was ready to go. He stutter-stepped a couple hurdles and then really killed the hurdles on the curve and the straightaway.”
Marlington senior Lane Knoch advanced to Saturday’s Division I finals in the 110 hurdles (14.02) and the 300 hurdles (38.15), and North senior Dominic Jones also qualified in the 110 hurdles (14.36).
“What got me to run was basically they needed guys and I didn’t have anything to do in the spring so I just decided to step out on the track,” said Jones, who has been running track for 2½ seasons. “I went from the 100, to the 200, to the 400, and Coach was like, ‘You know what? None of that is working, so go run the hurdles,’ and I have caught on.
“It is an honor to run for North and I am ready to compete in this environment tomorrow. I have been training hard and working hard to prepare myself mentally.”
Louisville’s Zach Fresenko, Noah Chaplick, Noah Murray and Nick Chaplick were second in the Division I boys 3,200 final in 7:41.14.
In Division III, East Canton won the 3,200 boys relay title in Division III with Colt Hemphill, Demetrius Snellenberger, James McCullough and Josh Conrad clocking a time of 7:50.68; and Triway’s Curtis Burgan placed second in the shot put (56-1).
St. Thomas Aquinas won the girls 3,200 relay title in Division III with Kacee Soehnlen, Hannah Ohman, Hannah Soehnlen and Kalee Soehnlen clocking a time of 9:11.32.
Also in Division III, Waynedale’s Sam Ice took second in the pole vault (11-6), Rootstown’s Abby Moore was second in the shot put (48-11½) and third in the discus (134-6), and Norwayne’s Kasey Keith finished seventh in the shot put (40-3½).
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the #ABJVarsity high school blog at www.ohio.com/preps.