Maplewood boys pull out win at regional final

May 26, 2012 at 12:08a.m.

Maplewood boys pull out

win at regional final

navarre

On the final stretch of the final lap of the final race of the final day of the Division III regional at Fairless High School, Maplewood junior Tuan Hoang had Smithville’s 4x400 anchor on his hip and a team championship on his mind.

The Rockets entered the race with 41 points — nine behind Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph. They needed 10 to win.

“Nothing but a first place was going to give us a team title,” Rockets coach Mark Yoder said. “They knew it. And, obviously, they wanted it bad enough.

“They just ran their hearts out.”

Hoang, along with Derek Morrison, Solomon Yoder and Wyatt Hartman held off Smithville by a half-second, finishing in 3:22.78 to break Maplewood’s school record by more than a second and secure the school’s first regional title since 2002.

“These guys deserve what they’ve done the past couple weeks because of how hard they work during the season,” said Yoder, whose team also won a district crown last week. “People don’t see what goes into this behind the scenes. They don’t see all the hard workouts we have at practice ... and all those things they do to prepare for this moment.

“It’s not what you in particular do that day but it’s all the preparation you’ve done that leads up to it.”

Hartman qualified for next week’s state meet in both the 1600 and 800, cruising to a fourth-place finish in the mile in order to save his energy for the 800, where he ran a 1:54.76 to break the regional record of 1:55.37 set in 2008.

“I was really happy with my performance today,” he said.

McDonald senior Kyle Joynes fought through the hot, muggy weather to win the 3200, making his move with a lap left then outdueling Berkshire’s Matt Pelletier down the stretch.

“It’s still a little hot, my mouth is dry and most of the water I dumped on myself before the race is gone, but my coach told me that’s the price you have to pay,” Joynes said. “You stay cool early, then you fight it late.”

Springfield senior Stephen Lyons won the shot put — his throw of 60 feet, 11 1/4 inches was less than a foot off the regional record — and enters next week’s meet with the state’s best throw. When asked about his expectations, he stammered for a second, then started chuckling.

“I don’t want to be cocky, but I don’t want to not be cocky,” he said. “I’m ready to throw some bombs.”

On the girls side, McDonald sophomores Jai’Lyn Mosley and Tory Ross placed first and second in the discus, helping the Blue Devils finish second in the team standings. Mosley broke her personal record three times — her winning throw was 149-5, just four feet off the regional mark — after shaking off some early nerves.

“I couldn’t look at the ring,” she said. “I actually stayed in the tent until they called us.”

Badger teammates Leah Blaney and Jennilyn Krumpe finished 1-2 in the long jump and Krumpe won the 400, while Brookfield junior Tori Thompson ran a personal-best 46.74 to win the 300 hurdles by almost a second. She dedicated the race to her basketball coach’s daughter, Jordy Hammond, who is battling leukemia.

“I wanted to get out there and do it for her,” Thompson said. “She’s always on my mind.”