Corey Linsley

Corey Linsley

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The Vindicator's boys field athlete of the year and Athlete of the Year: Corey Linsley of Boardman

State discus champ; runner-up in shot put

Boardman senior Corey Linsley started his throwing career with Ed Lewis, but he wasn’t always sure he’d finish it with him.

“I can’t believe he stuck that long with me, that he didn’t throw me out on the street with how stubborn I was,” said Linsley.

When told of that comment, Lewis laughed.

“Corey thinks he’s been difficult to coach,” he said. “He’s been very easy to coach.

“It’s not hard to coach good.”

Linsley got into track because of his good friend and classmate Alex Lipinsky, whose step-brother was an All-Ohio hurdler. Eventually, they’d both be state qualifiers.

“I got really into track and football as a freshman,” said Linsley, an Ohio State offensive line recruit. “I’d stay up at night watching films on YouTube, getting as much knowledge as I could about both sports.”

Linsley was a raw ninth-grader throwing 40 feet in the shot put when Lewis tinkered a little with his form, then watched him flourish.

After missing the Division I state meet by inches as a sophomore, he finished third in the state in the shot put as a junior and won an indoor title this winter as a senior.

He added an outdoor title in the discus and a runner-up finish in the shot at this month’s state meet.

“As he grew older and better, we actually practiced a lot less,” said Lewis. “We didn’t need to practice a lot. Some guys need two hours a day every day for five days in a row.

“Corey didn’t need that.”

Linsley’s gold medals were the only state titles for Lewis, who retired this spring after 39 years of coaching and several All-Ohioans.

Minutes after capturing the discus title, Linsley said he was motivated to win it for his coach.

“I know it meant a lot to him” Linsley said, “and I know it meant a lot to me.”