Fitch, Boardman athletes find ways to podium

Breanne Romeo, Adam Kagarise and Ross Lenehan were among the district champs.
By MARK W. MILLER
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- Breanne Romeo of Boardman High said Adam Kagarise of Fitch talked her into going out for track.
Friday, they shared first place on the podium.
Romeo, a junior, won the girls 400-meters in 59.66 seconds, and Kagarise, one of her best friends, won the boys 400 (49.28) at the Division I district track and field finals Friday at Falcon Stadium.
Four individuals and four relays in each event qualified for the regional meet at Fitch next Wednesday at 4 p.m. and Friday at 5 p.m.
Fitch's boys won the district meet with 113 points. Warren Harding was second with 90.
Twinsburg was girls' champion with 112 and Boardman placed second with 104.
"Boardman coach Denise Gorski told me to do the best I can in the 400 and to bring it home. I just kicked it in the last 200 meters," Romeo said.
"I came out for track the first time at Fitch last year. Adam [and I] used to be next door neighbors before our family moved to Boardman. Adam and I used to take our dogs and go for runs."
Short sprints
Romeo said she used to run short sprints and Kagarise urged her to run the 400.
"My coaches at Boardman wanted me to give the 400 a try and being a newcomer, I did what they said," Romeo said.
Kagarise said he thought Romeo had "a lot of potential."
"We support each other even though we are from rival schools," Kagarise said.
The Falcon runner said he slipped coming out of the blocks in the 400 but ran his best race this season.
"I got the lead with 150 [meters] left and cruised in," Kagarise said. He also anchored the Falcons' winning 4x400 relay (3:29.07).
Ross Lenehan, a junior at Fitch, won the 3200 (9:45.84) and was second in the 1600 (4:27.38).
"I really focused on the mile," Lenehan said, "then the 3200 was a bonus. I relaxed in the first mile, just tried to get into contention for the regional, then the last lap was there and I just took it in."
Late surge
Lenehan said he was in sixth place going into the final 400 and with 200 meters left he took it all in and enjoyed it.
"One of the keys for us today was going first and third in the 400," Fitch coach Rich Kempe said. "I knew the meet was over when Lenehan won the 3200.
"This was a total team effort, the kids came through. It was our first district title since 1999," Kempe said.
Boardman seniors Brandon Rader (52 feet, 11 inches) and Jeremy Morales (51-73/4) finished one-two in the shot put.
"We help each other at practice and meets," said Rader, who's thrown the shot four years for the Spartans. "We tell each other what we are doing wrong all the time."
Morales said, "Next week all the Federal League guys are coming here. We finished one-two in duel meets with them during the season."
Other winners
As expected, J'Abneb Provitt of Warren Harding took first place in the 100 (10.93) and the 200 (22.49) and he was a member of the Raiders' winning 4x200 and 4x200 relays.
Poland's Sarah Anderson (2:22.15) and Lauren Fithian (2:22.53) placed one-two in the 800.
"I set the tempo for the race," Anderson said. "We known what we are capable of doing.
Freshman Nichole Pachol of Howland took the 300 hurdles (46.54).
"I was concerned about the competition with seniors [Poland's Amber Ferraro and Boardman's Jenna Higbee] on both sides of me but I just sprinted all the way and was just going after it."
Ferraro won the 100 hurdles (15.8) and Pachol was second. Higbee (47.5) was also second in the 300 hurdles.
Aareon Payne of Akron Ellet set a record in the 200 (24.48) bettering the old mark of 24.6 set in 1981.