VINDICATOR ALL-STARS Stonestreet soars to Air Force Academy

By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
MCDONALD -- Just when Kevin Stonestreet thought his day couldn't get any better, a letter arrived at his home.
The McDonald High track and field standout had won the state title in the 800-meter run earlier in the day -- on June 7 -- and was returning from Dayton when his parents called with the news.
Stonestreet had applied to the United States Air Force Academy, from where the letter had been sent on that memorable day.
He had been accepted.
"It just put a cap on the night," said Stonestreet, The Vindicator boys track and field athlete of the year.
But, what a day it had been.
Sweet victory
Throughout his high school career, Stonestreet was no stranger to the state meet, having qualified each year as part of McDonald's relay teams.
Still, he had never won an individual title. The closest he came was last year's fourth-place finish in the 800.
"I wanted to place better than I did last year, but I never really thought I could win it," Stonestreet said. "My goal was to get better than fourth."
Goal obtained. Stonestreet outdueled Maplewood's John Palmer in the 800 to win the state title.
"He's just a strong, strong kid. That was one of the most important things going for him," McDonald coach Louis Domitrovich said of Stonestreet. "I've never been around someone as intense or with as much heart as Kevin."
While finishing the 800 first in 1 minute, 54.35 seconds, Stonestreet executed a different kind of strategy to perfection.
"Every other time I raced John, I let him take the lead and then I tried to out-kick him," said Stonestreet, who had run against Palmer numerous times during the season.
"But this time, I thought that I didn't have anything to lose," Stonestreet added. "I tried to keep the lead and not settle in behind him."
Band of brothers
The plan worked, and it provided Stonestreet with a championship medal in front of his three brothers -- Ed, Dave and Matt, former McDonald athletes who had attracted statewide attention in the sport.
"He always lived in the shadow of David and Ed, but he didn't let that bother him," Domitrovich said. "He is his own athlete, and he excelled in a lot of different things."
Ed and Dave went on to run in college, at Bowling Green State and the University of Texas at San Antonio, respectively.
"When I was little, it was a lot of fun watching Ed and Dave run. I wanted to be as good as them," Kevin Stonestreet said.
"People think that if you're a Stonestreet, you're [automatically] good, and it can put unneeded pressure on you," he added. "It also works to your advantage, to have brothers like that to push you."
Just as he approached the 800 run at state, Stonestreet figured he had nothing to lose by applying to the Air Force. He was nominated by U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles and selected by the academy, located in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Stonestreet hopes to continue his running career while working to become a pilot.
richesson@vindy.com