Gibson jumps past Howell

Michael Gibson finally jumped out of his Chaney teammate's shadow.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- Michael Gibson first tried the long jump last summer after watching his Chaney High teammate, Cameron Widget, win a Division I state title last year.
Gibson's first jump went past 20 feet. That's pretty good.
"I was just like, 'Maybe I should do this,' " Gibson said. "I thought it might be kind of easy."
Still, he needed work. Gibson spent most of this season jumping in the shadow of his teammate, Clarence Howell, who spent most of last season in Widget's shadow.
"At the beginning of the season, I was watching him, trying to see how he did it," Gibson said of Howell. "I tried to beat him in every meet, but he always got the best of me."
Until Thursday. Gibson jumped 20 feet, 43/4 inches at the district meet at Fitch High, besting Howell by an inch to win the district title and earning a trip to next week's regional meet at Fitch.
The top four in each event advanced.
"I'm very pleased," Gibson said. "It's been very helpful this season to have him pushing me and he needed someone to push him. I wasn't doing that at the beginning of the season, but now I am."
Medicus wins pole vault
Fitch senior Dave Medicus, who won last week's Federal League meet, was the only other area boy to win a district title, placing first in the pole vault by tying his career best with a jump of 14-0.
His teammate, Fitch sophomore Sam Cassano, placed second in the discus behind Crestwood senior Ed Collins, who broke the meet record with a throw of 182-2 -- almost 6 feet beyond the previous record.
On the girls side, Boardman's 4x800-meter relay of Brittany Durkin, Michelle Bistrica, Jenna Agnew and Jessica Moore placed first in the day's only running final. The Spartans placed third in the event at last year's state meet, but after losing standout Monica Cuevas, they're not looking to duplicate last year's success.
"It's a different year," Durkin, who also qualified for the 1600 at last year's state meet, said. "Last year was so sweet and I don't think we'll ever top that. I'd really like to make it back in a relay and an individual event, but I think the relay is a little more fun because you're doing it all together. You get to celebrate with other people."
Unlike last season, Boardman probably won't win a regional title, but the Spartans are using their past success as motivation.
"It just makes us want to get back that much more," said Moore of the state meet. "It'll be our own thing."
Lauer, Katzman win
Boardman senior Kristen Lauer, who also won last week's Federal League title, finished first in the high jump, and junior Brooke Katzman won the shot put as the Spartans swept Thursday's three final events.
"I knew my competition and I knew I'd be up there," Katzman, who finished third at last year's district, said. "I was hoping I'd be first."
Katzman, who had her second-best throw of the season on Thursday, will have to have a career day to get out of next week's regional.
"There's pretty tough competition," she said. "The first two spots are pretty well taken, but the next two are up for grabs."
The meet continues on Saturday at Fitch. Field events begin at 11:30 a.m. with running finals at 12:30 p.m.
scalzo@vindy.com