Fitch's Tate ready to run at state meet

The last two years he sat in the stands as a spectator.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- For the past two years, Davanzo Tate has traveled to Dayton for the state track and field tournament.
Problem was, the Fitch junior was sitting in the stands.
Now he's running.
Tate finished second in the 200-meter dash at Saturday's Division I regional at Fitch High's Falcon Stadium. The top four in each event advanced to state.
"I was hoping to make it in the 100, but the 200 worked out good," Tate, who placed sixth in the 100, said. "Once I broke around the turn [to the final 100 meters] and I was in third, I knew I made it.
"Now I can bring a couple people down to watch me."
Beard second in shot
Boardman senior Evan Beard finished second in the shot put to lead the Spartans to a second place finish overall.
"Last year, I didn't take track very seriously," Beard, who won the discus on Thursday, said. "Then I realized I was just as strong as any of the other guys and sort of took a liking to it. I guess it paid off."
Beard, who will play football at the Naval Academy in the fall, isn't the biggest thrower, but he has an edge -- technique.
"If you look, every guy out there is bigger than I am," he said. "But none of them have good technique. I have good technique. That's the difference."
Harding duo split
Warren Harding junior Tjawonkher Davis finished third in the 100, but it was a bittersweet day since his teammate, junior Rob Massucci, finished seventh in the 100.
Massucci and Davis were part of the second place 4x100 relay team with Travis Stanford and Mike Simpson. Davis was also part of the third place 4x400 relay team with Antwaun Molden, Simpson, Stanford and Treymayne Warfield.
"It's always been me and Massucci," Davis said. "Our goal at the beginning of the season was to get to state together. But at least he's still coming."
Davis did manage to crack a smile when asked how it feels to advance.
"It's something special," he said, "and I've got a lot more left."
Also qualifying
Molden finished fourth in the 300 hurdles after winning both hurdling events last week at the district meet. Warfield took second in the 400 after winning the district title last week.
"I was tired -- I couldn't feel my legs halfway down the stretch," Warfield, whose father is Paul Warfield's first cousin, said. "I just tried to stay back so I'd have a little bit left at the end."
Warfield was a right-fielder on Harding's baseball team last year but focused solely on track this spring.
"I worked a lot harder in practice this year," said Warfield, who struggled with a hamstring injury earlier this year, "and it's easier because I had more time to practice. I just wanted to qualify for state and I just want to go down there and run well."
scalzo@vindy.com