TRACK AND FIELD Sprinter Fetuah has good chance to win state title

The Wilson standout again will run in the 200 and 400 dashes at state.
& lt;a href=mailto:scalzo@vindy.com & gt;By JOE SCALZO & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- It's early in the season. Woodrow Wilson High senior Ed Fetuah is getting ready to run in a triangular meet against Warren Harding and Cardinal Mooney.
It's cold. It's dank. It's spring in Ohio.
Fetuah doesn't spend enough time stretching beforehand and, in the middle of his race, he feels a pain in his hamstring.
He pulls up. Does he finish?
"Yeah, I finished," he said.
How did you do?
"Pretty good," he said. "I think I finished second overall."
That's all you need to know about Fetuah. He's more than just a good athlete or a talented runner.
"He's special," Wilson coach Chris Patrone said. "He's got something some other kids on the team don't have -- self-discipline. He's the first in line. He's always prepared. He works hard. He's the team leader.
"If you had a team full of Ed Fetuahs, you'd be really fortunate."
In state meet again
Fetuah will run the 200- and 400-meter dashes in this weekend's Division I state championship at Dayton's Welcome Stadium. It's his second year running the two events -- he ran in Div. II last year -- and he's the only area athlete to qualify for two individual events in Div. I.
"I'm more experienced this year; it's not gonna be new to me," Fetuah said. "I'm more focused and I have more knowledge of what to do and where to go."
"He's still peaking," Patrone added. "I think he has a chance to win a state title. He'll definitely be in the top eight on Saturday. From there, anything can happen."
Fetuah also has a bright future beyond this weekend. He's earned a partial scholarship to run track at Ohio State. Almost all track scholarships are partial.
"I've always wanted to go to Columbus," Fetuah said.
And he knew it wouldn't be for football. Fetuah caught just two passes at wide receiver last fall for the winless Redmen.
"A lot of sprinters get looked at because of football," Patrone, an Ohio State graduate, said. "But he caught two passes for a team that went 0-10 and gave up 50 points a game. You're not going to get many looks for that, which makes his scholarship all the more impressive."
Seventh last year
Fetuah finished seventh in the state in the 200 last year and did not qualify for the finals in the 400.
"Hopefully, I'll do better this year," he said.
It's a safe bet. Fetuah won the 400 at last weekend's regional and placed second in the 200 behind the probable state champion, Cleveland Glenville's Theodore Ginn.
"I hope to use him as an example for the rest of my team," Patrone said. "You see the medals and the awards and MVPs. You see what it takes to be a champion, the work you have to put in."
Patrone then stopped and smiled.
"He's a great kid," he said. "I'm gonna miss him."
& lt;a href=mailto:scalzok@vindy.com & gt;scalzo@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;