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Howland, Harding win titles at county
Wyatt Hartman, Lauren Schattinger win overall MVPs
By Jim Flick
cortland
Trumbull County’s fastest and strongest high school students competed Thursday at the Trumbull County championship meet at Lakeview High School.
The team championships went to the Howland boys and the Warren Harding girls.
The Howland boys scored 1191/2 points to win the title, while Maplewood scored 66 points and Girard tallied 561/2 points.
Warren Harding won the girls title with 100 points, while Girard was runner-up with 87 points and McDonald finished third with 73 points.
Wyatt Hartman of Maplewood was crowned the boys overall MVP, while Darius Harris of Niles was named MVP in the running events and Dan Moody of Howland was handed the title for field events.
The overall MVP for the girls was Lauren Schattinger of Lakeview High. Alexandra Allen of Warren Harding High was honored as MVP in the girls running events, while Shannon Montgomery of Newton Falls and Tory Ross of McDonald shared the MVP title for girls’ field events.
“Our kids have worked hard all winter long,” said Howland coach Sean Borawiec, explaining his boys team’s championship. “We’re blessed with great kids and a great group of coaches.
“Winning helps” attract students to track and field, Borawiec added. “We’ve been successful over the past several years. That enthusiasm has brought more athletes out. It’s becoming a tradition.”
Winning the MVP title “is a great confidence booster,” said Hartman, a junior, who won the 800- and 1,600-meter runs, and ran on the Maplewood 4x400-meter relay team that finished second.
“We all felt real good about our performances today,” Hartman added.
“It’s just hard work and training,” said Harris, a senior, who won the boys’ 100- and 200- meter dashes. He also ran anchor on 4x100-meter and 4x200-meter relay teams that each finished second.
“The discus as opposed to the shot put is a lot more technique, a lot of more footwork,” said Moody, who won discus and finished second in shot put. “It’s about honing your skills.”
At the Trumbull County meet, Moody added, “it gets personal. You see your cross-town rivals.”
“I’ve worked hard for the last four years,” said Schattinger, a senior, who won the girls’ 100-, 200-meter dashes, and finished second in the 400-meter dash. “The end of it all is near, and I’m just trying to enjoy it as much as I can.”
“I ran my race,” said Marquis Williamson of Liberty High, who won the boys 400-meter dash.
But Williamson’s victory wasn’t entirely expected, since he came into the race had the fourth-best qualifying time.
“I needed some redemption, but I wanted to come in a sleeper, and I did,” he said.