Tuesday, June 24, 2014
By Greg Gulas
AUSTINTOWN
The Curbstone Coaches saved the Valley’s best track athletes for last.
The organization honored McDonald’s girls Division III state track and field champions, as well as five individual champions, at its final meeting of the season Monday at Luciano’s Restaurant.
McDonald’s team members were Iva Domitrovich, twins Frankie and Joya Humphries, Sara Joseph, Jai’ Lyn Mosley, Vanessa Perry, Tory Ross and Brenna Rupe. Mosley, who could not attend, also won individual titles in the shot put and discus.
“To be a part of the first ever team to win a state championship is a really great feeling,” said Ross, one of four seniors. “It was an honor to stand on the podium with such a great group of girls.”
McDonald assistant coach John Fields, standing in for head coach Mary Domitrovich, called the team a dedicated group that just kept getting better.
“This group of ladies has been a model of consistency all season long. They trained hard, refused to let anyone outwork them and that’s why they are this year’s state champions,” Fields said.
The Humphries sisters, who will attend YSU in the fall, called the title a great ending to their high school careers.
“This was all about the team and how we worked together all season long,” Joya said.
“It’s special to be on the first girls team to win a state title and just as special to go from 36th last year to the top spot with basically the same group,” Frankie added.
McDonald senior Bobby Johnson added to his 5K cross country state crown by winning the 3200-meter run.
He will study journalism at Butler University in the fall, not only as a two-time state champion but valedictorian of his class. He earned a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average.
“It was a great feeling to follow up my cross country championship with a state title in track,” he said. “I’m happy with what I have been able to accomplish in high school, but must now get ready for college because it’s like starting all over again. There will be an adjustment period, but it will be a fun time and I look forward to the challenge.”
Warren JFK products Chad Zallow and Morgan Rice, and Newton Falls’ Bucyrus Palo were the other three individual state champions honored.
Palo won the Division III discus crown. Zallow defended his 110 hurdle title, which was his third state championship overall, having also won the 300 meter hurdles last year while finishing second this year. Rice also defended her 100 hurdles championship.
“Both were defending state champions in their respective events and wanted to repeat, but they also knew that it would be a struggle because now there was a target on their backs,” said JFK coach Jack Thornton, Jr., who started working with Chad when he was 9 years old as part of his Warren Striders team. “They stayed healthy, did a great job and with the numbers that we had, we definitely had a great year.”
Zallow, a senior next year, said he’s already looking forward to 2015.
“It’s a great feeling to be a two-time state champion so my immediate goal is to want to defend my title next year,” he said. “We had fewer team members this year but more quality with everyone stepping up when they needed to.”
Rice took Thornton’s advice to be the first at the hurdle and let everyone else play catch-up.
“It was a fun season and I must thank coach Thornton, my teammates and especially my parents because they helped me get here,” Rice said.