Right on track: Cardinals 2nd
West Branch senior Alyssa Bowman set three school records.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
RAVENNA -- A little more than 10 seconds after Mooney senior Mike Mazerik stepped out of his blocks in the 100-meter dash at Saturday's Division II regional meet, and a little less than six inches after he stepped across the finish line, Mazerik raised his fist in the air and smiled.
For the Cardinals, the good times were just beginning.
"We've got a lot of people going on [to Columbus]," Mazerik said. "It's gonna be a lot of fun down there."
Mazerik won the 100 (with a personal best time of 10.65), anchored the winning 4x100 relay (with a regional record time of 42.09) and finished fourth in the 200 to help the Cardinals finish second to Akron Buchtel for the regional title.
Not a bad day.
"Oh definitely," he said. "I knew with the competition that was here, I needed to come out and run my best.
"Luckily, I did."
Seniors Nate Burney, Desmond Marrow and Ken Coleman (who advanced in the long jump on Thursday) joined Mazerik on the winning 4x100 relay, while junior Dom Scarnecchia (high jump) and senior Ryan Joyce (shot put) qualified in individual events.
Dedication
Earlier in the meet, in the high jump, Girard senior Brien Golden jumped 6 feet, 4 inches to place second in the event after finishing an agonizing fifth last season.
When he was done on Saturday, he took off his shoe and held it up.
On March 9, Golden's grandfather, Willie Sr., passed away. To honor him, Golden wrote "To my pops" on his shoe and dedicated this season to him.
As Golden walked off the track on Saturday, he was embraced by his grandmother Jessie (Willie's widow), who said, "I'm so proud, so proud."
His father, Willie Jr., and mother, Cristina, were next in line.
"I think he's the greatest," Jessie said. "He proved that today."
Golden finished fifth at last year's regional meet -- the top four advance to the state meet -- but didn't let the loss linger.
"I felt down about it for awhile, but I picked myself up and said I'd make it [this] year," he said. "I stuck it out this year and I kept praying. I had the confidence that I could do it."
So how does he feel?
"I'm feel magnificent, man," he said. "Magnificent."
Moving on
Struthers seniors Eric Anderson and Justin Penson each advanced in the 4x200 and 4x400 relays and also qualified in individual events. Anderson placed second in the 300 hurdles and Penson (who was battling the flu) finished third in the 200.
Salem senior Aiman Scullion, who qualified for the state meet in the 4x800 relay on Thursday, finished third in the 1600 and 3200.
West Branch senior Eric Balputnis finished fourth in the 100 and was a member of the second-place 4x200 relay and third-place 4x100 relay.
Record day
West Branch junior Alyssa Bowman started Saturday's meet off on the right foot, even if she didn't always keep it planted.
After setting a school record in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.05, Bowman leaned too far forward as she crossed the finish line, somersaulted forward and popped back up -- without even leaving her lane.
"I just fell back on my instincts from gymnastics," she said. "That was the second time this year I've done that."
Over the next hour, Bowman broke two more school records -- in the 300 hurdles (45.22) and 4x100 relay (50.07).
"I wasn't expecting that," she said. "It just happened."
After her second hurdling event, she took a seat on the pavement while her teammates Karen Steiger and Megan Diehl (who are both on the 4x100 relay) held up their hands to provide a little shade.
Did it help?
"A little bit," she said, laughing.
Bowman finished fifth in the 100 hurdles at last year's state meet (she was an alternate as a freshman) and expects a better performance next week.
"I think I'll be able to relax a little bit because I won't be as overwhelmed about just being there," she said.
scalzo@vindy.com