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Harden, Hill chase regional titles at Fitch
Girard, Hubbard
stars looking good
By GARY HOUSTEAU
AUSTINTOWN
It was a good day on the track for Collin Harden of Girard in the Division II regional Thursday.
Harden won his preliminary heat in the 110 hurdles, qualifying with the second-fastest time overall in 14.65, and had the best overall time in the preliminary round of the 300 meter hurdles in a Girard school record time of 38.48.
With Harden starting in lane four in the 300, a competitor in lane five took off like a rocket to push the pace. Harden caught him and passed him with about 100 meters to go.
“Oh yeah, he took off,” Harden said. “I just stuck to my plan. I can’t control what other people do. All I can control is mine and I just knew I was going to win that with my self-confidence. I couldn’t let my team down.”
He didn’t qualify in the 100 meters, he finished with the 11th fastest time of the two heats, but Harden will compete in the finals in both hurdle events on Saturday.
“I felt great today,” he said. “I just wanted to do the best I could and make it to the finals.”
Harden is all but certain to advance to the state meet next week in both events but he won’t exactly say as much.
“I’m not going to lose on Saturday, but I’m not going to say that I’m going to win it,” he said. “No guarantees, but I think I can put it away in the 110s and 300s. I’m just going to give it all I have.”
Harden actually prefers running the 110 hurdles and it may be his strongest event, has he has never made it to the state meet.
“It would just let my city have faith since we’re such a small town,” Harden said. “It would put us back on the map and make our team and school look great.”
And he’s got some extra incentive. His dad, Rodney Harden, made it to state in the 4x100 with Cardinal Mooney and Collin would love to honor him by making it to Columbus.
“My dad was at state when he was younger and that’s all that he talks about,” Harden said. “I just want to make him proud and my whole family proud.”
He’s dreamed about Columbus.
“I’ve thought about it a lot, but I just want to take it one meet at a time,” Harden said. “It would be special. I’ve dreamed about being on the podium ever since I was a kid.”
Girard’s Emily Marsico was third (100 hurdles) and fifth (300 hurdles) in two events in girls competition Thursday.
One of the biggest spectacles of the regional will be the finals of the 100 meters on Saturday.
Two-time defending state champion Dakari Carter of Streetsboro has to be considered the favorite, but George Hill of Hubbard might have something to say about that.
Hill turned in the fastest overall time in the preliminary round with a time of 10.72 while Carter won his heat in a time of 10.80.
“I ran a good time but, honestly, I definitely feel like I could have did better,” Hill said. “My hamstring was kind of giving up on me around 50 meters so I had to slow down a little bit. But I definitely can do better than that. It will be interesting to see what I can do when I put everything into the 100 meters instead of like 75 percent.”
In the district meet a week ago Hill’s 10.84 edged out Carter’s 10.89.
“It’s always good to beat the state champ,” Hill said. “He’s the main guy I’m thinking about on Saturday.”
But Hill even went a step further.
“I’m trying to be the state champ this year,” he said. “That’s my goal and I’m not going to stop ’til I get it.”
He’s going to take care of his hamstring and be ready for the finals. He tweaked it in the district meet last Saturday.
“I’m concerned, but I’m not really concerned,” he said. “It’s just cautionary. I’m real excited to see what I can do on Saturday. I’m definitely going to try to get a better time than 10.7, I want to try to get down into the 10.6’s. I don’t want to push myself too hard and then have another hammy, but I’m definitely going to push myself.”
Hill really wants to win the 100 meters at the state meet next week.
“It would mean a lot to do it for my city and do it for where I came from,” he said. “It’s definitely a big deal, I take it serious and personal. At this point it would be a disappointment if I don’t get first.”