PHS boys, Williamstown girls win Parsons Invite

Marietta’s Ezra Minard, Williamstown’s Julian Johnson and Parkersburg South’s Josh Gill finished third through fifth, respectively, in the 3200 at Saturday’s Russ Parsons Invitational at Stadium Field.
(Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

PARKERSBURG — The Williamstown girls, who got a meet record from Alyssa Sauro in the 3200, captured the Russ Parsons Invitational here Saturday at Stadium Field, while the Parkersburg boys stood atop the team standings with Big Red Daysha Hastings and Parkersburg South’s Jordan Foster earning high-point honors.

PHS head boys coach Rod O’Donnell’s program was runner-up at their first five meets, but the red and white amassed 173.83 points to top PSHS (123), Marietta (115.83) and Williamstown (113).

Big Red Landen Deuley was a double-winner thanks to besting teammate Jackson Wharton in both the 200 (23.17-23.49) and 400 (50.43-51.47).

Connor Gribble cleared 5-10 to win the high jump for the hosts, while Big Red Jake Bauman was runner-up in both the shot put and discus. Williamstown’s Aiden Corbett won the shot put (50-0-45.8) and fellow Yellowjacket Louis Goodnow captured the discus (132-7.5-130-2).

“It was a good field and we did well,” admitted coach O’Donnell, who got runner-up showings by Connor George in the 3200 (9:49.10), Jacob Bohone in the 300H (43.47) as well as a victory in the 4×4 to close out the meet when Conner Petty (2nd, 100, 11.87), Christian Rutherford, Wharton and the anchor Deuley sped to victory in 3:31.35. “We had a good day.

Marietta’s Charles Putnam edged Parkersburg’s Connor George, 9:39.83 to 9:49.10 to capture the 3200 during Saturday’s Russ Parsons Invitational at Stadium Field.
(Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

“We had a lot of season bests today. This is the kind of meet that’s good for track. It started at noon and it finished at 4:30. That’s a spectator friendly time. The good thing about this one is we were missing 10 athletes between choir trips, two or three injuries which you are going to have and then a couple other things, but still they stepped up and did a good job.”

PHS girls head coach Lia Fleek, whose team had 155 points to finish behind WHS (184) but ahead of the Patriots (105) and Tigers (96), also was more than pleased with the effort of her squad.

Hastings not only won the 100 (15.77) and 300 (48.00) hurdles, but she also secured runner-up efforts in the 200 (27.70) and the high jump (4-10) en route to her high-point total of 36.

Alyssa Barker cleared 9-7 to win the pole vault for the Big Reds, who also had the first-place 4×8 team thanks to Ellie Hines, Lucy Cartwright, Olivia Carpenter and Makayla House finishing in 11:05.46.

“We were just trying different things with her,” coach Fleek said of Hastings, who beat teammate Nedia Cremeans (17.44) in the 100 hurdles. “We kind of talked about the high hurdles and she’s like ‘I think I can do them’ and we decided this would be the meet she would do them, and she did a really nice job.

WIlliamstown’s Reagan Corbett finished runner-up in the discus to Eastern’s Emma Hayes (123-8 to 113-8) and also placed second in the shot put behind Yellowjacket teammate Kyndra Johnson (37-5 to 36-5) during Saturday’s Russ Parsons Invitational.
(Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

“She’s very excited and I’m very proud of her. We are missing a lot of athletes today due to the choir trip and some injuries and just some people out of town, so the girls stepped up and they filled in where they were asked. They had to do a couple things a little different than their normal, but they did a great job.”

Williamstown head coach Zach Hall was all smiles following another strong meet from his ‘Jackets.

Shelby Smith amassed 32.5 points thanks to victories in the 100 (13.04), 200 (26.43), 400 (58.51) and running the anchor on the first-place 4×1 that crossed in 52.76 with the help of Addison Richardson, Izzy Zide and Audrey Lefebure.

Yellowjacket Ava Lightfritz had just enough to hold off Trinity’s Jenna Barnett (2:28.63-2:28.72) in the 800. Barnett also was runner-up in the 1600 (5:08.63-5:27.58) to Sauro, who lapped the field when she ran a record 10:16.44 in the 3200 to eclipse the old mark of 10:47.92 set in 2012 by University’s Amelia Paladino.

The WHS girls also had a one-two finish in the shot put (37-5-36-5) thanks to Kyndra Johnson and Reagan Corbett, who had to settle for second in the discus after her 113-8 effort was 10 feet short of Eastern champ Emma Hayes.

Williamstown’s Shelby Smith, who finished ahead of Parkersburg South’s Mya Baruwa and Marietta’s Sadie Gray in the 100 during Saturday’s Russ Parsons Invitational, also secured wins in the 200 and 400.
(Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

“We’re moving in the right direction,” coach Hall said. “Staying healthy is the main thing. It was a smaller meet. Good day. Good weather. Short and sweet.”

Hall said Sauro’s time in the 3200 was “like five seconds more than her PR. She’s right there and nobody was around her. She’s on a different level, but she definitely puts in the time and trains.

“People don’t see the work she puts in, but there’s a reason why she’s up there. Same with Shelby and same with the girls throwers.”

The ‘Jackets were aided in victory by runner-up showings from Cassie Sites in the 3200 (11:47.71) and Grace Boone in the pole vault (8-6).

Hall’s program also sped to first in the 4×4 with a time of 4:27 thanks to Lightfritz, Sites, Lexi Wynn and the anchor Sauro.

Williamstown’s Aiden Corbett won the shot put with a heave of 50 feet during Saturday’s Russ Parsons Invitational.
(Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

Foster was able to finish with 30.5 points after taking first in the 110 hurdles (15.90) and the 300 hurdles (42.68) along with a runner-up in the high jump (5-4) and running a leg on the first-place shuttles (59.73) team with Tobi Adebulu, Landon Meredith and Triston Walker.

The Patriot boys also watched Meredith win the 100 with a time of 11.72. South’s Byron Dearth cleared 12 feet, but Marietta’s Caden Gebczyk hit the mark first to win the pole vault title.

Defending Class AAA state high jump champion Mya Baruwa of Parkersburg South, who was second to Smith in the 100 with a time of 13.17, won the event after clearing 5 feet, 2 inches.

The PSHS girls topped the field in the shuttles with a time of 1:09.67 thanks to the quartet of Jaclynne Welch, Kymani Prince, Presley Scott and Addison White, who also ran a leg on the

first-place 4×2 (1:51.05) with Scott, Prince and Baruwa. Prince also leaped 16 feet, 7 inches to earn 10 points in the long jump and best teammate Maia Johnson’s runner-up effort of 15-11.5.

The other runner-up efforts came from White in the 300 hurdles (49.59) and Marietta’s Izzy Becker in the 400 (1:03.57).

The Marietta boys received golds from Ezra Minard in the 800 (2:00.95) and Charles Putnam in the 3200 (9:39.83). Putnam was runner-up to Minard and younger brother Ian Putnam finished second to ‘Jacket Frank Conner in the 1600 (4:26.83-4:27.70).

MHS, which had Carson Chavez run a 16.37 to finish second in the 110 hurdles, also had a win in the 4×2 thanks to Gebczyk, Thomas Smith, Cameron Davis and Reed Sloter finishing in 1:37.47.

Trinity’s Chase Livengood won the long jump by leaping 20 feet, 5 inches. Williamstown’s Will Sites was second (18-7.5).

The WHS boys also collected 20 points via wins in the 4×1 (Cooper Billingsley, Sites, Jackson Kerr, Carson Brundige, 46.48) and 4×8 (Will Coiner, Conner, Julian Johnson, Chase Pickering, 9:26.07).

Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com