OSU recruit Hill a two-sport standout

June 5, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Of Urban Meyer’s first 47 recruits at Ohio State, 42 of them were multi-sport athletes, including Austintown Fitch standout Billy Price, who took second in the discus and fourth in the shot at the 2013 Division I state meet.

Hubbard junior George Hill is continuing that tradition, finishing second at last week’s regional meet in the 100-meter dash to qualify for this weekend’s Division II state meet.

“I love it,” Hill said of running track. “[It helps with] conditioning and competing and that’s gonna help me as far as competing with others [in football]. Not being nervous. Calming my nerves. It’ll be a little easier.”

While athletes are more likely to specialize now than when Meyer was an athlete (he played college football at Cincinnati and spent two years in baseball’s minor leagues), it’s still fairly common to see standout football players compete in track. In addition to Hill, Hubbard senior Matt Jones (a West Virginia recruit), South Range senior Joe Alessi (a YSU football recruit) and West Branch senior Jake Zinni (also a YSU football recruit) will compete at this weekend’s state track meet.

Jones will compete in the shot put after placing fourth in the event last year. Alessi qualified in both the 100 and 200 and Zinni will compete in the shot put and the discus.

Returning champions

The Valley has two returning state champions from last year’s meet: Warren JFK senior Chad Zallow, who won the 110 and 300 hurdles in Division III in 2013 and the 110 hurdles last year, and Newton Falls senior Bucyrus Palo, who won the Division III discus last year. Zallow already holds the Division III record in the 110 hurdles, running a 13.50 earlier this year. The Owens Stadium record is held by former Ohio State standout Ted Ginn, who ran a 13.40 in 2004.

Difficult double

Zallow is hoping to pull off one of the most difficult feats in track and field this weekend: winning state titles in the 110 hurdles and 100. They are the first two events of the day and he’ll get about a five-minute break between them.

Zallow won both events at the district and regional meets and he’s seeded first in both events this weekend. He avoided the 100 in recent years because his older brother, Carl, won a state title in the event in 2013 and placed third at last year’s state meet. Carl now runs at YSU.

“It’s really hard, but I do a lot of training, which prepares me for it,” he said. “I do the 110s and the 100 back-to-back [in practice]. You can’t [totally] prepare for it. You’re gonna be kind of tired. I was breathing pretty heavy in the blocks, but I feel like I’m in shape for it.”

At least two area athletes have won gold in both: Lakeview’s Ben Moody in 2009 and JFK’s Darrick Trimble in 1994.

“I hear a lot about them,” he said. “I know they’re great hurdlers. I look up to them.”

YSU recruits

YSU’s track team signed six area recruits this year and five of them will compete this weekend: Fitch pole vaulter Dylan Latone, Maplewood distance runner Derek Morrison, Zallow, Poland thrower Nicolette Kreatsoulas and Girard pole vaulter Caitlyn Trebella.