Frimpong gains third straight trip to the state meet

She won the long jump and was fourth in the 100 to head several area qualifiers.

BY ERIC HAMILTON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

AUSTINTOWN — Fifth place was not a happy place to be for several Boardman High athletes competing in the Division I regional finals at Fitch High Friday night.

The top four in each event advanced to the state meet next week in Columbus. Unfortunately, for four individuals and one relay team, there’s no room for more.

Boardman’s Matt Moore (800), Corey Linsley (shot put), Breanne Romeo (400), Caleb Matthews (high jump) and the boys’ 4x400 relay team all fell one place short of the state meet, finishing fifth in their respective events.

The news was better for a handful for area hopefuls that did achieve their goals of competing on the state’s biggest stage next week at Ohio State.

Boardman’s Rick Lape took the fourth and final spot in the 800, Warren Harding’s Chris Anzevino was second in the shot put and D’Avery Crawford qualified fourth in the 110 hurdles, Canfield’s Kevin Ricks was third in the 300 hurdles and teammate Audra Frimpong won the long jump and was fourth in the 100.

Frimpong’s third time

This will be the third state meet experience for Frimpong, who finished fourth in the state in the long jump in 2005 and 2006. Anzevino will compete in both the shot put and the discus, the event he qualified for last year.

Crawford was thrilled to be making the trip after three seasons of striving for that goal.

“This was my No. 1 goal,” said Crawford, who posted a time of 14.78 seconds. “My sophomore year I made the district final, my junior year the regional final and now state in my senior year. I’ve just gotten better and better.

“I’m excited to be going down there. I was sixth at regionals last year and I trained all year for this chance. I had a problem finishing last year, so I tried to focus all the way through. It doesn’t do me any good just to get there [to state]; I’m in it to win it.”

Hicks couldn’t have hidden his excitement over his trip to state if he wanted to. After giving hugs and handshakes and celebrating with is teammates, he could barely stop smiling long enough to put it into words.

Dream came true

“This is like a dream of mine,” he said. “This is what I’ve trained for since soccer ended. I was getting myself ready for this moment. I couldn’t have done any of this without my team. They supported me so much all year. And my little brother came to every meet. And my dad was up there yelling in the stands.

“It feels amazing to run against all these great hurdlers. They really pushed me. This was a very challenging region and next week will be really nerve-racking. But I’m glad to have done so well.”

Lape, a senior, prolonged his high school track career one more week after finishing just ahead of teammate Moore in the 800. While he seemed relatively fresh after his race, he made it clear that he was spent.

“I gave it all I had there,” he said. “I’m just running on the adrenaline right now. My legs are tight and I’m not feeling real well right now. But it feels good to finally get to state. All my training paid off.

“I usually make my move with about 500 [meters] left and I definitely did that today. With 200 left I was in fourth and I just wanted to make sure no one passed me. I just went all out in the last 100.”

Cleveland Glenville won the boys’ team title, edging Cleveland Heights. In the girls’ meet, Cleveland Collinwood won the crown.

The meet started about 30 minutes late due first to a lightning delay, then a problem with the track surface. After the events were completed, there was a run-off for the last qualifying spot in the 300 hurdles, due to interference during the finals heat.

XDue to inclement weather, the results of the meet will appear in Sunday’s edition.