Maplewood rallies

By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
DAYTON -- The Maplewood High 4x800 boys relay doesn't mind chasing an opposing runner or back-to-back Division III state titles.
It did both Friday in the state track and field meet at Welcome Stadium.
In an impressive, soul-searching rally, the Rockets came from behind to overcome Versailles in the second half of the race and successfully defend their state relay title.
Junior John Palmer, sophomore Paul Moser, junior Derek Armstrong and senior Dave Pykare won their second straight title in a school-record time of 7 minutes, 55.74 seconds.
"At Dayton, at the state meet, if you can't dig down deep in your running soul and pull out a personal record, nobody else is going to do it for you," Pykare said.
Gutsy effort
It took a gutsy effort by the Rockets, especially Armstrong and Pykare, who each did his job in the second half to finish off second-place Versailles (8:01.89).
Versailles opened a large lead, but the gap closed when Armstrong took the baton on the third leg.
"When someone's in front of you, it sets the obstacle to go out and chase," Pykare said. "They're not expecting you, they can't see you, but you can see them."
Armstrong put Maplewood in control when he passed Josh Henderson on the closing lap of the third leg.
"We told Armstrong that he'd get the baton four or five seconds down, and he would just have to catch [Henderson]," Maplewood distance coach Ted Rupe said. "When Derek did catch him, he blew that guy to pieces."
Determination
Armstrong simply didn't want to let his team down.
"My team was working for me, so I had to work for them," he said. "My coach said that I'd be chasing the guy, and that's what I did."
Pykare, after dueling with Michael Dammeyer, finished the job and secured back-to-back state titles for the Rockets.
Moser was the only newcomer to the relay, stepping into the shoes filled last season by David Morrison.
"They have a lot of experience from cross country and winning [the 4x800 relay] last year. That means a lot," Rupe said of his team's success. "They know how to rise to the occasion."
For the second straight year, McDonald finished third (8:06.74), in running a personal best. South Range was 10th (8:16.02).
After winning the 4x800 relay, Maplewood wasn't finished. The Rockets' 4x400 relay of Armstrong, Justin Cibik, Palmer and Pykare qualified for today's finals in 3:25.60.
Senior Dan Palm also qualified in the 110 hurdles (15.79).
More standouts
Columbiana senior Derek Garrod qualified in the 100 (11.30) and 200 (22.54) and vowed not to finish sixth today, a result that has haunted him the past two years.
"If I'm coming in and there are five people ahead of me, I'll just pull a hamstring," Garrod said.
Warren JFK junior Ben Nolan prefers to be with his teammates in the qualifying 4x400 relay (3:27.26), but he can't pass up individual successes. He qualified in the 400 (49.79).
"It's better to have more people win with you than just by yourself," Nolan compromised.
The 4x100 relays from Lisbon (44.12), Wellsville (44.52) and Warren JFK (44.56) also qualified for today's finals.
In the shot put, Springfield freshman Nick Panezich placed sixth (53-21/4), followed by Western Reserve senior Rick Barbone (52-111/2), South Range junior Gary Snyder (52-41/4) and Leetonia senior Joe Bruderly (52-11/2).
richesson@vindy.com