Fitch's passionate Cassano sets personal best

Boardman distance runner Brittany Durkin qualified for state.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- Austintown Fitch High sophomore Sam Cassano may not look like an elite discus thrower, but he sure performs like one.
On Thursday, he proved as much.
"If you line up the eight guys who made the finals today, he's by far the smallest," Fitch coach Joe Brooks said. "He's not a big guy. He's just got a passion for the sport."
And more than a little bit of talent.
Cassano threw a personal-best 175 feet, 7 inches in the discus at the Division I regional track and field meet at Fitch High, finishing second in the event to qualify for next week's state meet at Ohio State University.
Cassano was the only area athlete to advance in Thursday's four boys finals. The top four in each event advanced to Columbus.
"I came in confident, but not too confident," said Cassano, who entered with the second-best qualifying throw from districts. "I knew what I had to do."
Improvement
Cassano, who finished ninth at last year's regional, spent the off-season getting stronger, going to camps and working on his technique. He even works on throwing in his backyard.
As a result, he's improved about 20 feet on his throws each of the past two years.
"He's getting up into the elite status," Brooks said. "He's probably in the top 100 nationally, which is tremendous for a sophomore. He's worked extremely hard and he's really made himself into a good thrower. He deserves this."
Cassano credited Brooks and his other coach at Fitch, Anne Marie Martin, for helping him develop so quickly. The Falcons have had a thrower advance to the state meet six of the last seven years.
"We've got good kids here," Brooks said. "They're a pleasure to coach. It's a fun way to make a living."
Fitch senior Dave Medicus, who will jump at Youngstown State University next season, finished fifth in the pole vault.
Chaney junior Michael Gibson placed sixth in the long jump and his teammate, junior Clarence Howell, placed eighth.
Girls
Boardman senior Brittany Durkin, who has run with a torn ACL all season, qualified for the state meet for the fourth straight year, running the first leg of the fourth-place 4x800-meter relay.
Junior Jessica Moore anchored the relay, helping the Spartans go from sixth to fourth over the last 800 meters. Boardman, which lost two runners from last year's relay which finished third in the state, also got solid contributions from newcomers Michelle Bistrica and Jenna Agnew.
"There was a lot of pressure," Agnew said. "They've had Monica [Cuevas] and all those other good people who have run the past few years. You just tell yourself to go out fast and it'll be OK. You think you're going to die, but you won't."
Was she worried when she handed off the baton in sixth place?
"Yeah, but it was Jesse Moore," she said. "She's a beast. She can do anything."
Bistrica, who nearly passed out from heat exhaustion after running the 3200 at last week's district meet, has only been running with the team for a few weeks. But it's been an easy transition.
"They've made me feel like part of the team," she said. "But I'm used to running the 2 mile and the 800 is a lot different. It's like a sprint. But after last week, I like [the 800] better."
Bistrica, who was an alternate on last year's relay, won't have to be a spectator this year.
"It's going to be a lot of fun," she said. "I can't wait."
Two other Spartans just missed qualifying. Junior Brooke Katzman placed fifth in the shot put and senior Kristen Lauer finished eighth in the high jump.
scalzo@vindy.com