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6 East boys join state track parade
Thirteen Golden Bears athletes will compete in Columbus
By Brian Dzenis
AUSTINTOWN
The story of state title contenders from East High School no longer ends with its female athletes.
Six Golden Bears males are heading to Columbus for the OHSAA State Track and Field Tournament, which starts on Friday. It’s a significant improvement from last year, when Giovanni Washington was East’s lone male representative.
“Last year, the boys were laughed at,” East coach Kevin Cylar said. “People were looking down on our boys.
“Six solid boys came in and did everything that I asked them,” Cylar said. “I never had an issue with their training, where they needed to be and their grades were solid.
“I’m proud because of where they came from. Fitch and Warren Harding were dominating them and within a year, we’ve turned that whole narrative around.”
Junior Tobias Hayes headlines the group as a four-event qualifier in the 110 hurdles, the 200 meter dash and as part of the 4x200 and 4x100 relays.
The state tournament debutante turned in a strong performance in his solo events with second place finishes being decided by less than four tenths of a second in each race at last weekend’s Division II regional meet at Austintown Fitch. Both relays also took second.
“I’m not all that surprised. I’m confident, but I do know reality,” Hayes said of his regional performance. “Like, the sky is the limit for everything. My mind was set to beat [CVCA’s Trey Tucker in the 200], but I have another chance at state.”
Hayes started out as only a hurdler in middle school for the Golden Bears that expanded to other events midway through his junior season. He’s in his second year of high school track after taking his freshman year off from sports.
“I don’t what was wrong with me, but my mother pushed me back out here to do what I love,” Hayes said. “I didn’t do anything my ninth-grade year. I don’t what my problem was.”
Hayes carries the second-best time in the field in the 200 at 21.66 seconds, which puts him .34 seconds behind Tucker. He has the third-best time for the 110 hurdles at 14.59 seconds.
“He’s really worked at his craft. He watches videos. He asks for critique and this is really important to him,” Cylar said. “It’s a great story to show that there’s no substitution for hard work and he’s the epitome of that.”
Washington, an Ashland football commit, returns to the 100 with the second-best time in the field with 10.77 seconds and with the two relays.
“I’m really proud of Giovanni and Tobias, they’ve really proud that they’ve stepped out of the shadows of [East girls sprinters Jahniya Bowers and Kyndia Matlock],” Cylar said. “We just have a lot of talent at East High and in the city.”
The other girls going to Columbus are DeShante Allen, Airess Cross, Jasime Davis, Iyana Dixon and Laniya Lewis.
Seniors Latwon Jordan and Ernest Hudson fill out the 4x200 and Jordan and sophomore Isaih Lewis join Hayes and Washington in the 4x100. Levester Harris is the alternate for both relays to bring the total to six athletes. Both relays took second at regional behind CVCA.
“We are perfectionists and yeah, we got to state, but we expect to get first in everything,” Hayes said. “We have that mindset. We push hard for everything and I feel like we deserve it with six boys on our team.”