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Fitch, East impress in D-I regional meet
AUSTINTOWN
Fitch High’s boys team won its first-ever regional in track and East High put on a show in the 4x400 to finish off Friday evening’s events in the Division I regional championships at Fitch Falcon Stadium.
Fitch’s boys team had 55.5 points to Stow-Munroe Falls’ 41, while Nordonia nipped Warren Harding, 49-47, for the girls crown.
Fitch senior Joey Harrington qualified for state in four events, including two individual events: a third in the 200 (21.65) and fourth in the 100 (10.74). Harrington anchored the Falcons’ 4x400 that was edged out by East in a wild dash to the finish line, 3:22.26 to 3:22.33. He was also the fourth runner on Fitch’s 4x200 team (1:27.72) that comprised Darrin Hall, Savon McWreath and Earl Scott.
Harrington didn’t run in the 100 in 2014.
Garen Gibson, Hall, Scott ran with Harrington in the 4x400.
“Give them all the credit,” Fitch coach Seth Steiner said of East High. “They were running inspired and put on a heck of a finished to their season.”
Steiner said that Harrington usually participates in the 200 and three relays, but he was needed in another sprint this season.
“We needed him to step up and get much-needed points,” Steiner said of pushing for the team crown after finishing runnerup to Cleveland Glenville in 2014.
The top four finishers advanced to the state meet in Columbus next week.
Not only did Isaiah Nuckles anchor East’s nail-biting 4x400 win, but the senior qualified for state for the first time in the 400 after missing by one place in 2014.
Nuckles won the 400 in a personal-best 48.66 after finishing fifth in the event at the 2014 regional. He nipped Coventry’s Zack Lake (48.69), who received his diploma on the podium prior to Friday’s meet.
Nuckles’ teammates on the 4x400 were LeAndre Green, Imoni Donadelle and Trey Ingram.
All are seniors except Donadelle, a junior who made up several seconds during his lap. Donadelle, who was the second relay runner, is also Nuckles’ brother.
“This is a big moment,” said East coach Jerron Jenkins, who switched the running order of Ingram and Donadelle.
On a disappointing note, Harding’s Jermaine Jones came away empty when he was fifth in the 300 hurdles in a time of 39.63, just short of the fourth-place 39.54 time by Madison’s Brad Cherkes. Jones was seventh in the 110 hurdles and the senior also ran on Harding’s 8th-place 4x100.
“I put in years of hard work, yet feel I got nowhere,” said Jones, who still has a future, starting at Barton Community College in Kansas in the fall.
Among girls, Aisha Jackson was one of Harding’s gems for winning the 100 in a personal-best 14.25 as well as contributing to the champion 4x100 and 4x200 relays.
Harding’s Justice Richardson won the 100 in a wind-aided 11.75. Richardson skipped WGH’s 4x200 to rest for the 200, but the junior finished seventh in the 200. Richardson also anchored the winning 4x100 of Chyna Stroud, Jackson and Gariana Bercheni in 47.74.
Besides Jackson, WGH’s 4x200 team (1:41.19) included Stroud, Bercheni, Ka’Naylah Cox.
Also advancing to Columbus was Fitch’s girls 4x100 team, which was third in 48.75. Runners were Ebony Davis, Eva Rivera, Makaila Barbel and Khala Cameron.
The podium’s No. 5 spot following the girls’ 300 hurdles was empty when medals were handed out because Harding’s Bercheni was injured. Bercheni’s fifth-place time was 45.08.
In the boys shot put, Harding’s Ja’vone McCollough-Providence was sixth at 53-10 3/4 and Fitch’s Logan Kusky was eighth at 53-0 3/4.
Boardman senior Ka’Nisha White finished her high school career with a 14th-place discus throw of 98-7.