COLUMBUS Falls' Barnes falls short of state title

He capped a "tremendous" year with a runner-up finish in the long jump.
By KURT SNYDER
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
COLUMBUS -- Newton Falls senior Anthony Barnes is not exactly a veteran on the track. He did not compete in the sport until last year.
But Barnes has become a veteran of the state meet.
After finishing sixth in the Division II long jump last year, Barnes jumped to a second-place finish Friday with a leap of 22-11/2 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Barnes tied New Lebanon Dixie's Doug Overholtz for the top jump, but Barnes was awarded second place because Overholtz had a better second-best jump.
"I'm still happy, but it wasn't my goal," Barnes said of falling just short of the title.
Constant changes
Newton Falls coach George Tomaino said Barnes probably could have won the championship on another day, but he said the long jump is a tough event to predict.
"He's had a tremendous year," Tomaino said. "He's disappointed in the fact that he mentioned there's three meets he would have won with what he jumped. It's just an event you never know from one meet to the next."
Barnes had previously jumped 22-10, but the distances were limited Friday as a strong wind blew in the face of the competitors throughout the afternoon.
"The wind was blowing so hard; it was affecting the runway," Barnes said.
Barnes also ran in the 100-meter dash and was a member of several sprint relays during the season for Newton Falls.
Tomaino said Barnes' short career has been surprising because of Barnes' inexperience in the sport. He said he hopes as Barnes becomes more experienced, Barnes will make an even bigger impact at the collegiate level.
Barnes said he was leaning toward heading to Youngstown State in the fall.
"It's unbelievable," Tomaino said. "He's not only a great jumper, but he got into the sprints this year and was running 11 flat in the 100. He ran a 50 split in the 400 for us. He has a lot of untapped talent."
Area standouts
Hubbard senior Shaun Lane finished sixth in the long jump with a leap of 21-51/4.
Lakeview senior Justin Rush advanced to the finals in the 110-meter high hurdles with a time of 14.76.
Campbell senior Darrin Campbell reached the finals of the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.11.
Struthers will have a pair of relays in today's finals. The time of 43.11 for the 4x100 team was the best time of the day.
The 4x200 team turned in a 1:29.52, which was the second-best time of the preliminary heats.
The Lakeview 4x100 team also qualified for the finals with a time of 43.64.
Ursuline junior Derrick Stewart qualified for the finals of the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 39.59.
In the Div. II shot put, Southeast senior William Harner finished 12th with a throw of 52-63/4, and Champion senior Steve Burkholder finished 13th with a throw of 50-111/2.
In the Div. I shot put, Howland junior Dustin Rose finished 16th with a throw of 47-31/2.
ksnyder@vindy.com