Class AAA Boys
100 Meter Dash
Princeton's Dominic Collins got out quickly and ran away from the field, taking the win in 10.93. Capital's Amonte
Lain just held off Jefferson's Keyshawn Robinson for 2nd place with both clocking an 11.15. Hurricane's Julion
Grace won a close race for 4th in 11.23 to Cabell Midland's Myles Meadors' 11.24 and Jefferson's Caleb Shelton's
11.26. Oak Hill's Conlan Brooks was 7th in 11.31 with Woodrow Wilson's Christian Stewart 8th in 11.34.
RunWV's Current Score: 6 of 8.
200 Meter Dash
Jefferson's Keyshawn Robinson got out of the blocks well and led throughout, taking the win in 22.11. He had to hold
off a late push from teammate Tony Alle who finished 2nd in 22.19. Cabell Midland's Myles Meadors picked up a
big 3rd for his team in 22.36. Hurricane's Julion Grace was 4th in 22.42. Princeton's Dominic Collins took the
5th spot in 22.51. Oak Hill's Conlan Brooks was 6th in 22.62, and Capital's Amonte Lain was 7th in 22.67.
Huntington's Kegan Sack made it all 8 in under 23 with his 22.83 for 8th.
RunWV's Current Score: 13 of 16.
400 Meter Dash
Jefferson's Keyshawn Robinson made up the stagger on everyone to his outside within the 1st 150 meters or so. It looked
to me like he was taking a shot at the State Record. He was way ahead coming out of the turn, but the early aggression took
its toll. He wasn't threatened by the field but the record would easily live on. Robinson took the win in 49.23. Oak Hill's
Conlan Brooks closed well to squeeze in under 50 seconds with a 49.91 for 2nd place. George Washington's Crawford
Goldman nipped Parkersburg's Landon Deuley at the line for 3rd, 50.32 to 50.34. Oak Hill's Nolan Brooks
was 5th in 50.47. Spring Mills' Dustin Bradsher joined them under 51 seconds with a 50.76.
RunWV's Current Score: 19 of 24.
800 Meter Run
This was a highlight race for me, but the 800 usually is. This time, though, the top 3 guys broke the existing State Meet
Record. I believe it was George Washington's Crawford Goldman that led the field out of the break and through the first
250 meters. Then University's Drew Zundell slid into the lead with Cabell Midland's Tristan Blatt following.
At the end of lap 1, it was Zundell in the lead and Blatt in 2nd with both in the 55's. University's Tyler Umbright
was in 3rd with Morgantown's Zachary Workman in 4th, Jefferson's Agustin Hall in 5th, Cabell Midland's Aidan
Kneeland in 6th, Goldman in 7th, and Morgantown's Joaquin Summers in 8th with all in the 56's. Zundell and Blatt
opened a gap on the field through the turn. Midway through the backstretch, Blatt moved past Zundell on the outside and was
able to tuck into the lead before the turn. With 200 meters to go, Blatt had opened about a 3 meter lead and was rolling.
Entering the homestretch, Blatt was in command but not safe. Zundell was in 2nd, and Kneeland was moving well in 3rd. Blatt
would pull away down the stretch to win by over 2 seconds and shatter the State Meet Record by over 2.5 seconds with
a stellar 1:51.12. That gives him the Best All-Time State Meet Performances and the Best All-Time Class AAA State Meet
Performance. Kneeland would pull even with Zundell with about 40 meters to go and just barely outduel him down the stretch.
Kneeland takes the 2nd spot in 1:53.53, which is the 2nd Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the 2nd Best All-Time
Class AAA State Meet Performance. Zundell takes the 3rd spot in 1:53.57, which is the 3rd Best All-Time State Meet
Performance and the 3rd Best All-Time Class AAA State Meet Performance. Umbright takes the 4th spot in 1:55.92.
Hall held the 5th spot in 1:56.85. Workman took the 6th position in 1:57.26 with Summers in 7th in 1:59.15. Riverside's
Skyler Hundall moved into the 8th spot in 1:59.60. The top 9 were under 2:00. One of my predicted placers did not
finish and another scratched the event.
RunWV's Current Score: 25 of 32.
1600 Meter Run
The race went out reasonably with University's Drew Zundell and Hurricane's Ty Steorts leading the field out of
the break. Steorts moved into the lead before the 200 meter mark and led them through lap 1. Steorts was in 1st and Zundell
in 2nd with both at 1:03. The next 9 guys were all at 1:04 with Cabell Midland's Aidan Kneeland in 3rd, University's
Tyler Umbright in 4th, Riverside's Skylar Hudnall in 5th, Cabell Midland's Tristan Blatt in 6th,
University's Ethan Conroy in 7th, and George Washington's Gage Fox in 8th. Less than 0.5 seconds between 5th
and 11th. Lap 2 saw things remain close. Zundell moved into the lead on the backstretch. They opened about a 5 meter gap,
but it was bridged by the end of the lap. Zundell led them through the halfway point at 2:07 with Steorts matching that.
Hudnall had moved into 3rd in 2:08 with Umbright matching that in 4th. Hurricane's Aaron Kidd had moved up to 5th
at 2:09 with Kneeland in 6th also at 2:09. Jefferson's Conner Myers had moved into 7th at 2:10 with Conroy in 8th
also at 2:10. 9-11 were also at 2:10 as all places were still in play at this point. Zundell started to surge on the backstretch
of lap 3. Steorts was able to respond. Hudnall stayed close. Zundell led through the lap at 3:09 with Steorts also at 3:09.
Hudnall was in 3rd at 3:11. Umbright was in 4th at 3:13. Blatt made the pass into 5th down the stretch and came through in
3:15. Kidd was in 6th and Myers in 7th with both also at 3:15. Kneeland was in 8th at 3:16. 9th was also at 3:16. With 300
to go, Steorts made a move into the lead and established a gap of 3-4 meters with 200 meters to go. With 150 to go, the gap
had increased to over 5 meters. He sped down the stretch unchallenged to finish in a State Meet Record time of 4:07.75.
That is also the Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the Best All-Time Class AAA State Meet Performance.
Steorts closed the final lap in under 58 seconds and was under 2:00 for the final 800 meters. Zundell easily held the 2nd
spot in 4:11.53 which is the 5th Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the 5th Best All-Time Class AAA State
Meet Performance. Blatt closed the last lap in just over 60 seconds and made 2 passes in the final 100 meters to take
the 3rd spot in 4:15.42. Umbright took the 4th position in 4:16.36. Kneeland used a big close in just over 61 seconds to
take the 5th spot in 4:18.06. Hudnall held on for 6th in 4:20.40. Conroy made a late pass to move into 7th in 4:20.82 with
Myers taking the 8th spot in 4:20.91.
RunWV's Current Score: 32 of 40.
3200 Meter Run
The field went out reasonably with Hurricane's Ty Steorts and University's Drew Zundell leading them out of
the break. The pack was a long string by the end of the 1st lap. Steorts led at 1:07 with Zundell in 2nd also at 1:07.
Unviersity's Tyler Umbright was in 3rd at 1:08. Also coming through at 1:08 were Parkersburg's Jack Mills,
Cabell Midland's Aidan Kneeland, Hurricane's Aaron Kidd, Parkersburg's Connor George and Parkersburg
South's Josh Gill in the 4th through 8th spots, respectively. Steorts continued to lead through 2 laps, coming through
in 2:15 with Zundell and Umbright matching that in 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Kneeland was in 4th at 2:16 with Kidd in 5th
also at 2:16. Mills was in 6th at 2:17 with George and University's Jacob West matching that in 7th and 8th, respectively.
The front 3 stayed together on lap 3. Well...the front two got away a little and then #3 closed back up. Steorts continued
to lead through the line at 3:21. Zundell and Umbright were through at 3:22. Kidd was alone in 4th now at 3:24. Mills was
in 5th at 3:26 with Kneeland matching that in 6th. George was in 7th at 3:27 with West in 8th at 3:28. On lap 4, Steorts
started to pull away, coming through the midway point at 4:29. Zundell was in 2nd at 4:32. Umbright was close behind in 3rd
at 4:33 with Kidd in 4th at 4:34. Kneeland was in 5th at 4:38. West had moved up to 6th at 4:39 with Mills matching that
in 7th. George was in 8th at 4:40. Lap 5 saw Steorts take completed control of the race, coming that at 5:36. Kidd had
moved up into wnd at 5:46 with Zundell in 3rd and Umbright in 4th also at 5:46. West had moved up into 5th at 5:51. Kneeland
was in 6th at 5:53. Mills was in 7th at 5:54 with Jefferson's Conner Myers moving into 8th also at 5:54. Lap 6 was
Steorts "weak" lap...the only one that wasn't under 1:08, but he stretched his lead to over 12 seconds, coming through at
6:44. Zundell was back into 2nd place at 6:56 with Umbright and Kidd at 6:57. West was in 5th at 7:05, having established
a gap on Kneeland in 6th at 7:09. George was back up to 7th at 7:10, and Myers was in 8th at 7:11. On lap 7, Steorts continued to
stretch his lead, coming through at 7:51. Zundell was in 2nd at 8:06 with Kidd at 8:07 and Umbright at 8:08. West was in 5th
at 8:19. Kneeland was in 6th at 8:26. George was in 7th, also at 8:26. Mills had moved back into 8th at 8:30. On the final
lap, Steorts cruised to the win in 8:58.32. That is the 3rd Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the 3rd Best
All-Time Class AAA State Meet Performance. Zundell closed well to pull away easily for 2nd in 9:09.86. That is the 10th
Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the 8th Best All-Time Class AAA State Meet Performance. Kidd got away from
Umbright for 3rd in 9:15.58. Umbright was easily 4th in 9:18.24. Kneeland used a big close with a 62 second final lap to
make the pass into 5th with just a few meters left to finish in 9:28.44. West took the 6th spot in 9:28.91. George held the
7th spot in 9:39.34. Myers just slipped into the 8th spot in the last 10 meters to take 8th in 9:46.08.
RunWV's Current Score: 38 of 48.
110 Meter High Hurdles
In a close battle throughout, Spring Valley's Dalton Ferguson edged Hurricane's JaiDen Smith for the win, 14.72
to 14.75. Woodro Wilson's Ryan Muktar took the 3rd spot in 15.23. Hedgesville's Dominick Gagum was 4th in 15:37,
and Huntington's Cam Veazey was 5th in 15.48.
RunWV's Current Score: 43 of 56.
300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles
Spring Valley's Dalton Ferguson established a lead by the 3rd hurdle and maintained it throughout, taking the win in
39.04. Hurricane's Jai'Den Smith just held off the late push of Parkersburg South's Jordan Foster to take the
2nd spot in 39.81 to Foster's 39.91. Spring Valley's Makiath Riddle took the 4th spot from Heat 1 in 40.57. Huntington's
Cam Veazey was 5th in 40.76 with Buckhannon-Upsur's Chase Hackett in 6th also under 41 with a 40.86.
RunWV's Current Score: 49 of 64.
4x100 Meter Relay
The Huntington unit of Zah Trelio Jackson, Skyler Ball, Tayveon Wilson, and Michael Johnson took the win in a strong
42.90. Cabell Midland made it close with a 42.99 for 2nd. Spring Valley was very strong in lane 8 and scored a 3rd in 43.46.
Woodrow Wilson was 4th in 43.55. Capital was 5th in 43.74, and Wheeling Park was also under 44 seconds in 6th with a 43.98.
Jefferson was in contention with Keyshawn Robinson awaiting the handoff, but they pulled up with injury midway through the
3rd leg.
RunWV's Current Score: 55 of 72.
4x200 Meter Relay
Cabell Midland took the lead on leg 3 and held it the rest of the way, giving the squad of Robert Shockey, Caden Bowen,
Curtis Jones, and Myles Meadors the win in 1:28.95. Jefferson took the 2nd spot in 1:29.43. Huntington justed edged
out Woodrow Wilson for 3rd 1:30.37 to 1:30.43. Parkersburg South snagged the 5th spot from Heat 1 in 1:31.39 with Spring
Mills in 6th in 1:31.52. Hampshire was 7th from Heat 1 in 1:31.58 with George Washington taking the final spot in 1:31.63.
The top 10 were all under 1:32.
RunWV's Current Score: 61 of 80.
4x400 Meter Relay
I think Morgantown had a very slight lead at the 1st exchange with Parkersburg South in 2nd with both at about 51.5 and
Parkersburg in 3rd. Parkersburg South quickly moved to the front on the 2nd leg, getting what I believe was a sub-50 leg
from Chase Anderson, coming through at 1:41.2. Morgantown remained in 2nd at 1:44. I think Parkersburg was in 3rd
and Huntington in 4th. On the 3rd leg, Morgantown actually pulled up onto the shoulder of Parkersburg South with 100 meters
to go, but South powered down the stretch to re-establish the lead, coming through at 2:34.5. I think Cabell Midland was in 3rd
with Parkersburg in 4th, and Huntington in 5th. Parkersburg South was not threatened on the final leg, and the foursome of
Anthony Ott, Chase Anderson, Landon Meredith, and Jordan Foster took the win by almost 2 seconds in 3:25.65. However, it wasn't
a team from this Heat that was closest. In Heat 1, a great battle between Spring Mills and Oak Hill saw them cross the line
on the final exchange virtually in a tie (looks to me like Spring Mills was just a tiny bit ahead). Spring Mills got a little
ahead and cut to the inside causing Oak Hill to bolt to the outside, losing stride just a bit, leaving them trying to pass
on the outside in the final turn. Both guys were right around 50 flat with Dustin Bradsher maybe going a touch under
and Conlan Brooks maybe a touch over. Anyway, their battle led them to the 2nd and 3rd with Spring Mills taking 2nd in
3:27.42 and Oak Hill 4th in 3:27.60. Morgantown was 4th in 3:28.84 with Parkersburg 5th in 3:29.64. Cabell Midland was 6th
in 3:30.03 with Huntington 7th in 3:30.81. George Washington took the final spot from Heat 1 in 3:33.46.
RunWV's Current Score: 68 of 88.
4x800 Meter Relay
This was a dandy. I said coming in that I thought at least 6 teams had a shot to break 8:00 with one being a little bit of
a stretch, and that's what we got. 5 under and 1 that was in reach. Cabell Midland opened with a 1:54.3 leg from Tristan
Blatt. I have Jefferson (Agustin Hall) at 1:56, Hurricane (Mason Lewis) and George Washington (Crawford
Goldman) were at 1:57. Morgantown (Joaquin Summers) was in 5th at 1:59. University was in 6th at 2:03. Jefferson
moved into the lead on the 2nd leg at about 3:57. I think it was Cabell Midland in 2nd at 3:58 with Hurricane in 3rd also at
3:58. University was up to 4th at 3:59 on a strong 1:56 (maybe a high 1:55) leg from Ethan Conroy with Morgantown also at 3:59. George Washington was in 6th at about 4:01. Parkersburg
was in 7th at 4:04. I think it was Musselman in 8th at 4:12. On leg 3, University got a strong leg from Tyler Umbright
who went right around 1:55.0 to move into the lead at 5:54. Jefferson held the 2nd spot at 5:55 with Morgantown up to 3rd at
6:00. Cabell Midland was in 4th at 6:02 with Hurricane in 5th at 6:03, George was in 6th at 6:05. Parkersburg was in 7th, and
I believe Parkersburg South was in 8th. There were a lot of fast anchor legs. University held the lead for the win with Drew Zundell
scoring a 1:53.7 anchor leg to give the group of Ethan Conroy, Jacob West, Tyler Umbright, and Drew Zundell the win
in a State Meet Record time of 7:47.66. That stands as the Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the Best
All-Time Class AAA State Meet Performance. Jefferson got a what I believe was a sub-1:55 leg from Owen Thompson
to stay close and take 2nd in 7:49.30. That also broke the prior record and gives the foursome of Agustin Hall, Conner Myers,
Reese Hickey, and Owen Thompson the 2nd Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the 2nd Best All-Time Class AAA
State Meet Performance. Morgantown got a 1:57 anchor leg from Zachary Workman to hold the 3rd spot in 7:56.69.
Cabell Midland nearly ran them down on a 1:55 anchor leg from Aidan Kneeland to score them 4th in 7:57.17. Hurricane
also squeezed in under the 8:00 mark with a 7:59.78 after a 1:57 anchor leg from Ty Steorts. George Washington easily
held the 6th spot in 8:04.31. Parkersburg was 7th in 8:18.28, and Bridgeport came up to 8th in 8:22.33.
RunWV's Current Score: 75 of 96.
Shuttle Hurdle Relay
Hurricane scored the win from Heat 3 with the unit of Jai'Den Smith, Sean Legros, Max Tidd, and Julion Grace slipping
in under 57 seconds with a 56.86. Huntington won Heat 4 in 57.01 for 2nd. Woodrow Wilson was also strong in Heat 3 to take
3rd in 57.92. Spring Valley took the 4th spot in 58.66. Parkersburg South and Bridgeport were also under 60 seconds at
59.10 and 59.22 to take 5th and 6th, respectively.
RunWV's Current Score: 85 of 104.
High Jump
Woodrow Wilson's Ryan Muktar cleared 6'8 on his 3rd attempt to secure the win. He was already in the lead, but that
secured it. He then cleared 6'10 on this 3rd attempt before taking a shot at 7'0. He wasn't able to clear that barrier. The
6'10 jump, though ties him for the 2nd Best All-Time State Meet Performance and ties him for the 2nd Best All-Time
Class AAA State Meet Performance
Wheeling Park's Mykel Davis and Buckhannon-Upshur cleared 6'6 on their 1st attempt to tie for 2nd. Huntington's
Michael Johnson cleared 6'6 on his 3rd attempt for 4th. Morgantown's Joel Moreland jumped cleanly through
6'4 to take 5th. Navier Hewitt cleared 6'4 on his 1st attempt for 6th. Spring Mills' Dustin Bradsher cleared 6'4
on his 3rd attempt to take 7th. Spring Mills' Loakkhae Uth-Smith was the only other jumper to clear 6'2.
RunWV's Current Score: 89 of 112.
Pole Vault
Cabell Midland's Cohen Jordan head the lead after clearing through 13'6 cleanly. He capped it by clearing 14'0 on
this 3rd attempt before missing 3 attempts at 15'0. George Washington's James Wallace was the only other vaulter to
go higher than 12'6 with his 13'6 clearance. George Washington's Harrison Wallace was the only other vaulter to clear
12'6 for 3rd. The remaining placers all cleared 12'0 with various amounts of misses at that height and in total.
RunWV's Current Score: 95 of 120.
Long Jump
It was a good day for jumping apparently as it took 20'9 to even make the finals. Huntington's Michael Johnson
repeated as Champion with a 23'1.50 jump on his 2nd attempt. He didn't even take his final 3 jumps. That jump gives him
the 8th Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the 7th Best All-Time Class AAA State Meet Performance.
Huntington's Carmello Sheffield took the 2nd spot with a 22'4.50 3rd attempt. Cabell Midland's Caden Bowen
was 3rd on a 21'8.25 2nd and 3rd attempt. Huntington's Avonte Crawford went 21'6 on his 1st attempt, and that held up
for 4th. Spring Mills' Loakkeh Uth-Smith went 21'3.50 on his 2nd jump to score 5th. Morgantown's Isaiah Thompson
was 6th on a 21'2.50 4th attempt. Musselman's Isaah Beard was the final jumper to go over 21' with his opening attempt
of 21'1.50. Cabell Midland's Robert Shockey rounded out the placers with an opening attempt of 20'10.50.
RunWV's Current Score: 101 of 128.
Shot Put
Cabell Midland's Michael Lunsford erupted for a 65'3.75 toss on his opening attempt to obliterate the field by over
10'. That gives him the 2nd Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the 2nd Best All-Time Class AAA State Meet
Performance. Hurricane's Ethan Chill was 2nd with a 55'0.50 4th attempt. Spring Mills' Anthony Williams
was 3rd with a 4th attempt of 54'5.75. Everyone else was at least 6' behind with only Cabell Midland's Matthew Edwards
with a 48'5 and Riverside's Sam Peters with a 48'0.50 able to go over 47' among the rest of the field.
RunWV's Current Score: 107 of 136.
Discus
Spring Mills' Gradian Graham moved into the lead on his 5th throw and then uncorked a massive toss of 181'2 on his
final attempt to win by over 24'. That is the 2nd Best All-Time State Meet Performance and the 2nd Best All-Time
Class AAA State Meet Performance. Cabell Midland's Michael Lunsford only put 2 throws in bounds, but his 2nd
attempt of 156'7 easily took the 2nd spot. Buckhannon-Upshur's Dirk Riley threw 146'10 on his opening attempt for 3rd
with teammate Carter Zuliani throwing 144'5 on each of his final 2 attempts to move from 7th into 4th. No one else
topped 140'.
RunWV's Current Score: 113 of 144.
The final score of 113 of 144 means that 78.5% of the people picked to place did indeed place. That is 7 worse than last year, and a pretty poor showing. Congratulations to those that proved me wrong.
Exceeding Predictions
The following athletes exceed my predictions by 3 or more places and deserve special mention.
Tony Allen, Jefferson -- 200 M (not picked, got 2nd)
Myles Meadors, Cabell Midland -- 200 M (picked 6th, got 3rd)
Crawford Goldman, George Washington -- 400 M (picked 6th, got 3rd)
Nolan Brooks, Oak Hill -- 400 M (picked 8th, got 5th)
Agustin Hall, Jefferson -- 800 M (not picked, got 5th)
Ty Steorts, Hurricane -- 1600 M (picked 4th, got 1st)
Skyler Hudnall, Riverside -- 1600 M (not picked, got 6th)
Jacob West, University -- 3200 M (not picked, got 6th)
Dominick Gagum, Hedgesville -- 110 HH (not picked, got 4th)
Makiath Riddle, Spring Valley -- 300 IH (not picked, got 4th)
Spring Valley -- 4x100 M (picked 8th, got 3rd)
(Jalyn Ambercrombie, Colton Caldwell, Logan Harris, Dalton Ferguson)
Wheeling Park -- 4x100 M (not picked, got 6th)
(Brennan Wack, Mykel Davis, Trent Simon, Owen Dobrzynski-Hines)
Cabell Midland -- 4x200 M (picked 6th, got 1st)
(Robert Shockey, Caden Bowen, Curtis Jones, Myles Meadors)
Parkersburg South -- 4x200 M (not picked, got 5th)
(Anthony Ott, Navier Hewitt, Eli Bartley, Landon Meredith)
Parkersburg South -- 4x400 M (picked 6th, got 1st)
(Anthony Ott, Chase Anderson, Landon Meredith, Jordan Foster)
Spring Mills -- 4x400 M (picked 5th, got 2nd)
(Brade Weber, Bryce Staley, Christian Park, Dustin Bradsher)
Oak Hill -- 4x400 M (picked 8th, got 3rd)
(James Green, Conlan Brooks, Nolan Brooks, Carson Treadway)
Woodrow Wilson -- Shuttle Hurdle Relay (picked 6th, got 3rd)
(Ryan Muktar, Nelson Staples, Elijah Waller, Jasiah Miller)
Malaki Williams, Buckhannon-Upshur -- High Jump (picked 5th, tied for 2nd)
Navier Hewitt, Parkersburg South -- High Jump (not picked, got 6th)
Adam Carman, Wheeling Park -- Pole Vault (picked 7th, got 4th)
Noah Kintz, Bridgeport -- Pole Vault (not picked, tied for 6th)
Isaiah Thompson, Morgantown -- Long Jump (not picked, got 6th)
Sam Peters, Riverside -- Shot Put (not picked, got 5th)
Michael Lunsford, Cabell Midland -- Discus (picked 5th, got 2nd)
Carter Zuliani, Buckhannon-Upshur -- Discus (picked 8th, got 4th)
Ryan Jones, Bridgeport -- Discus (not picked, got 4th)
The following teams deserve kudos for scoring seven points or more higher than I predicted.
Class AAA Boys Cabell Midland +14 Oak Hill +10 Riverside + 8 Buckhannon-Upshur + 7