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All about the ‘W’
Warren Harding boys win district championship meet
By Jon moffett
Austintown
The Warren Harding boys track team won the Division I district track meet, and the school will send athletes to 11 individual events and six relay teams to the regional meet next week.
But it was a Raider runner who almost didn’t qualify that created the biggest buzz in Falcon Stadium.
With a few meters remaining in the 300-meter hurdles, Twinsburg senior Waquiem Comar caught his leg on the final hurdle before stumbling across the finish line. His hurdle clipped the trail leg of Harding’s Marvin Logan, causing him to tumble to the track and allowing three runners to pass him.
The top four places in each event advance to the regional meet.
Logan immediately challenged his fifth-place finish, and angrily stormed off the track.
But OHSAA officials ruled that had Comar’s hurdle not interfered, Logan would have qualified. Per OHSAA rules, Comar was disqualified and each participant advanced one place in the standings.
“Each runner in a hurdle race is responsible for the hurdles in their lane,” said tournament referee Jim Fox.
“If they hit a hurdle, and it goes into an adjacent lane and interferes with another runner, then that leads to a disqualification.”
Logan was awarded fourth place and advanced to the regional meet.
Harding coach Charles Penny said he regretted the drama caused by one of his athletes, but was glad the correct call was made.
“Unfortunately, one of our athletes was involved. But if you take yourself out of the equation, all you want to do is have the [officials] at this level make the right call and have the right kid move on,” he said.
Twinsburg coach Spencer Johnson said he plans to appeal the decision, and was disappointed with the ruling.
“It’s really frustrating to watch the kid, and not taking anything away from anyone else, he clearly won the race,” Johnson said. “But it’s a part of sports.”
Logan said the biggest emotion he was feeling was one of remorse, not relief.
“I just flipped out in front of all my fans, and everyone who has supported me since I was a kid,” he said. “No matter how hot it makes me, nothing gives me an excuse to do that.”
Logan earned 11 of the Raiders’ 98 points. Boardman won the girls meet with 107.5 points.
In far less dramatic fashion was another dominating performance by Canfield thrower Dustin Brode.
Brode won the boys shot put and discus events, and broke several records in the process.
Brode’s shot throw of 69 feet, 2 inches broke the district record, and the oldest stadium record remaining. The former record was set in 1972.
Brode’s ho-hum approach to the district record, which was actually broken on his first throw, and bettered on his second, is somewhat misleading.
“I’m content, but still hungry,” he said.
Brode and his peers will have plenty of competition to indulge themselves with at the regional meet.
East hurdler TreVaughn Thomas said he too thrives on the competition and is excited for what the rest of the season brings.
“Bring it on,” Thomas said with a big smile. “Competition just motivates me to go faster. I love competition, it just pushes me.”
Doriyon Glass of Boardman advanced in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and was part of the Spartans’ advancing 4x100 and 4x200 relays. It will be the senior’s first trip to the regional meet.
The regional meet will take place at Fitch High May 26 with the finals May 28.