At Poland, Valley athletes keep one eye on Columbus

April 27, 2014 at 12:10a.m.

By Steve WILAJ

poland

The performance of Sam Ortz in the boys 110-meter hurdles at Saturday’s 19th annual Poland Invitational is a perfect example of the mindset during this time of the season.

The senior from Austintown Fitch — whose boys team won the event with 94 points — placed first in the event with a time of 14.55 seconds.

As Falcons coach Seth Steiner knows, it’s a good time for late April. But ultimately, it’s all about the continued progression towards bigger goals.

“Sam Ortz’s personal record last year was 14.2, so for him to go 14.5 in the end of April is a nice sign,” Steiner said. “We’re hoping that he can get into the high 13s by the time we get into the state championships in June.”

Along with Ortz, Fitch has state championship aspirations for its entire boys squad — particularly its relay teams, which fell just short in state competition last year.

A squad of Gary Gibson, Nathan Bowlen, Vincent Mathews and Joe Harrington took first in the 4x400 relay on Saturday. Gibson, Bowlen, Rodney Smith and Harrington also placed first in the 4x100 relay.

“This is one of those years where anything less than [state championships] is going to be a shortcoming of these guys’ goals,” Steiner said. “We set their goals high and hope that they could reach them.

“This meet always has some good competition, so we really wanted to see where we stacked up against some of the better sprint squads. I’m pretty happy with my guys’ times.”

Additionally, Harrington took second in the 100 while Smith placed fourth. Bowlen also finished second in the 200.

Struthers — much like Fitch — continues to work towards state championship goals with its relay teams. Anthony Clark, Frank Serrano, Dalton Moore and Tameko Holness won the 4x200 relay before placing second in the 4x100.

“We switched the order up, but we just really have to clean up our handoffs,” Struthers coach Gary Hoelzel said. “Those guys are doing a really nice job. They work hard and they do anything we ask. They’re really committed and dedicated.

“Hopefully they can make it to Columbus — that’s the goal for them. Staying healthy is the biggest key.”

Warren Harding cleaned up in the girls competition with a team score of 85. Still, Raiders coach Charles Penny knows what he’s looking for at this point.

“We competed pretty well and we’re moving along in the process of our training regimen,” Penny said. “We’re still trying to meet our potential — and it comes down to we have to become a little more mentally tough.

“But they did what’s expected.”

Harding placed first in the 4x200 and 4x100 relays. Chyna Stroud, Nautica Hill, Gariana Bercheni and Justice Richardson ran the 4x200, while Stroud, Aisha Jackson, Bercheni and Riley Brown ran the 4x100.

Richardson also won the 100 and Hill won the 400. Meanwhile, Jackson placed second in the 100 hurdles.

“When we put a full meet together and we come out and deal with adversity that comes in a season,” Penny said, “This girls team can easily compete for a team state title for the next three years.”