Top notes, quotes, stories

There’s a moment at the end of every state track meet when it’s late at night and I have just finished writing all my stories and I find myself all alone inside the stadium, walking down the steps toward my car.

It’s right then, in the cool of the evening, when a thought hits me: I am never going to get rid of this farmer’s tan.

Happens every year. After the Division II regional meet, you could have put on a red turtleneck, cut out the torso and still not looked any more ridiculous than I did. I might as well have moved to Nebraska and started watching NASCAR.

Still, whenever I am asked my favorite sport to cover, I always say track. (That’s the second-most common question I get from high schoolers. The first is, “How much do you make?” A lot of them decide to go into engineering after they hear the answer.)

Track starts with cold, snowy weather and ends with ... well, it ends with me getting a sunburn. But I’m continually amazed that, after all the athletes’ hard work and all the input from coaches and all the investments from parents, I’m the first one who gets to talk to them after they win a state championship.

And afterward, when they’ve had their brief brush with celebrity, I’d like to think those athletes reflect on those interviews and think to themselves, “Why doesn’t that guy put on some sunscreen?”

Five favorite athletes to watch

Warren Harding senior sprinter DeAver Williamson. Runs his best in the biggest meets. Maplewood junior Jordan Moxley. I love watching good high jumpers. Poland sophomore third baseman Jenna Modic. I didn’t get to see Erin Gabriel pitch this spring, so I had to settle for seeing Modic throw a one-hitter. Columbiana senior sprinter Nick Melone. He might have the best hair AND the best socks of any athlete I covered. And Lakewood St. Edward pitcher Stetson Allie. I know he’s not from the Valley, but how often do you get to see future first-round picks strike out 17 guys in a seven-inning game?

Five favorite athletes to interview

Maplewood senior runner Eric Rupe. The guy had some pretty heartbreaking runner-up finishes in his career and never failed to be gracious and interesting afterward. Lakeview sophomore sprinter Lauren Schattinger. She’s really friendly and speaks in almost perfect soundbites. Poland senior runner Luke Wollet. The first athlete to earn this honor in three sports. Canfield senior thrower Dustin Brode. Here’s all you need to know: After one reporter interviewed him at the state meet, the writer told me, “I think I’d like to have a beer with that kid.” I’ll give the fifth spot to Mooney senior softball players Margo and Macy Ucchino. After all, you can’t split up twins, right?

Best story I didn’t have space to use

Entering this season, Lowellville’s track coach, Bob Ballone, had qualified an athlete or relay for the state meet in every event over his 25-year coaching career except one: the 4x800-meter relay.

“That hit me at 9 o’clock the night before the regional,” said Ballone, who doesn’t count pole vault in that list since the Rockets don’t offer it. “So I sent the girls a text saying, ‘Tomorrow, you guys are going to make it.’

“And they wrote back, ‘Why would you tell us that?’ And I wrote, ‘Because I have confidence in you!’”

Ballone sent them another message predicting they would run a time of 9:42. Sure enough, they ran a 9:42.57 to finish third and qualify for the state meet, where they eventually finished sixth.

“They’re great girls,” Ballone said. “They did everything I asked.”

Best headline we didn’t use

After Fitch senior Ali Tolich won state shot and discus titles — enduring one of two thunderstorm delays on Saturday — the Falcon coaches suggested, “Lightning strikes twice.”

Best T-shirt

At the Division III regional track meet, McDonald senior Joh’Vonnie Mosley honored her basketball coach with a bright green shirt that read “I survived four years of Rob Hilbun.”

If they ever make one for McDonald’s boys basketball coach, it would read, “My ears survived four years of Jeff Rasile.”

Best facial hair

As I interviewed Warren Harding senior Joe Sekula after a district baseball final loss to Lakewood St. Edward, I looked closely at his beard and thought I saw three different colors: red, black and blonde.

“Do you have a multi-colored beard?” I finally asked.

He cracked up.

“I grew out the playoff beard, then I highlighted my mustache,” he said. “But I’d appreciate if you guys didn’t mention that.”

Wouldn’t dream of it.

Best tuxedo at a baseball game

Cene Park announcer Ronald “Red” Baker, who rented a tuxedo for the Division II district baseball final.

Red’s kind of an odd guy.

Five quotes I loved the most

In the Division II district softball final, South Range batter Emily Seman collided with Mooney infielder Marissa Gorvet at first base. Seman was out on her sacrifice bunt but was not called for obstruction, allowing the go-ahead run to score.

“I was running and I went to lunge and her butt hit my hip and I‘ve got big hips and she flew. Felt bad, but it worked in our situation.”

West Branch senior Jeff Deckerd pitched a gem for 62⁄3 innings against Canfield in the district final before running into trouble by loading the bases. When asked what he was thinking, he smiled and said, “Get my reliever in there.”

(Kolin Stanley got the final out.)

Wollet, on the Bulldogs realizing midway through the regional track meet that they had a good shot at winning:

“We started figuring the numbers. Well, the other guys on our team did it because I’m not as smart as them. But I was kind of like, ‘Yeah, you’re right.’”

Canfield throwing coach Nick Wagner on the notoriously self-critical Brode breaking the Ohio shot put record at the state meet:

“I think this will be the first meet all year that he’ll be happy.”

Poland senior Sean Murphy, on running himself to exhaustion to help the Bulldogs qualify for the state meet in the 4x800 relay”

“It’s the worst best feeling in the world.”

Joe Scalzo covers high school sports for The Vindicator. Write to him at scalzo@vindy.com.