Poland youth to compete in AAU Junior Olympics

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Neighbors | Submitted.Poland's Marlon Ramirez sails through the air during a jump this spring. He will compete in the AAU Junior Olympics Monday in New Orleans.

Marlon Ramirez, who will be a freshman at Poland this fall, has qualified in the AAU National Junior Olympics in the long jump.

He will compete in the event Monday in New Orleans.

Ramirez is a member of the Youngstown Striders for AAU. He is the regional long jump champion with a jump of 18-6 1/2 inches. The region consists of Ohio, West Virginia and Michigan.

He also has broken the Poland Middle School long jump record by 10 inches, with a jump of 18-11. That record had stood for 10 years, but Ramirez accomplished that accolade this past spring.

The 14-year-old also earned the Archie Griffin Award which is presented to an eighth-grade boy and girl every year. This award is for the exemplary student athlete who plays three sports and has a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Aleah Hughes was the female winner of the Archie Griffin award for Poland.