HIGH SCHOOL

Coshocton, Ridgewood send multiple athletes to regional

Cameron Teague Robinson, Coshocton Tribune

NEWCOMERSTOWN – Coshocton and Ridgewood both had good showings at the Division III district tournament Friday evening. Both had two athletes qualify for regionals in multiple events.

Coshocton was led by freshman Tyra Woods and Kennedy Haley, who both qualified in at least two events. Haley was part of the 4x100 relay team that finished second with a time of 53.34, while also placing third in the high jump.

Haley, who has only been doing the high jump for four or five weeks, said she didn't think she jumped how she wanted, but was happy to qualify

"(Haley) didn't start off in the high jump, but she listens, and she tries, and she cares. If you care about what you are doing you will improve and she has, she works hard in practice," head coach Keith Matz said.

Woods competed in four events in the finals: 100 meter dash, pole vault, 4x100 meter relay and the long jump, and she qualified in all four. She finished second in the 100 (:13.47), and 4x100 relay (:53.34), third in the pole vault (9-00.00), and fourth in the long jump (15-03.25).

"Tyra is just an exceptiona athlete it's just, trying to learn track for her. She doesn't realize the talent she is. You see her running and it's just like poetry in motion," Matz said.

Other members of the Redskins 4xs100 relay team were Iesha Cass, and Katie Neighbor.

Riley Buchanan, was the lone qualifier for the Ridgewood girls. She finished third in the long jump, with a distance of 10-05.50.

The Ridgewood boys had an evening of ups and downs. They finished third overall with a total of 82 points and qualified for regionals in six events, that was the high point. The low point came with about 200 meters left in the 4x400 meter relay, they had a chance to add to that tally. If it wasn't for a baton, that fell to the track, they might have done so.

The Generals were in fourth place going into the final 200 meters, when the baton fell out of the baton carrier's hand. The referee who was standing there did not make a call, but General's coach John Slusser said he saw the baton knocked out of the runner's hand.

After the baton fell out of the runner's hand, he went back to pick it up, falling into fifth place. The Generals, would finish the race in fifth place, despite a late effort in the final 100 meters.

"We got the baton knocked out on the last leg, a guy cut in front of us. No call," Slusser said. "It's the same people that saw us take a hand-off a foot before the zone and disqualified our 4x200 relay, but they couldn't see a guy knock the baton out of our hand. It makes you wonder."

Despite the late mishap in the 4x400 relay, Zak Donley, and Jarret Art, both qualified in three events.

Donley, finished second in the 100 (:11.58), finished second in the 200 (:22.78) and was part of the first-place 4x100 relay team (:44.33).

Jarret Art, finished third in the 200 (:23.08), was also part of the first-place 4x100 relay team, and broke the school record in the long jump with a distance of 21-07.50.

"Until after they announced (the long jump distance) I didn't know. I thought it was a 21.2 maybe, but when they said 21-7 and a quarter I was jacked," Art said.

Blake Feldner and Anthony Harmon, were also among the Generals that qualified for regionals. Feldner qualified in the shot put, with a distance of 46-00, while Harmon qualified in the discus, with a distance of 138-03.

Slusser said the team did a nice job of qualifying, but it was still a bad feeling to end the way it did with the 4x400.

"It's a bad feeling. I've got two relay teams, that's eight kids, that were put out of the regional by decisions made by other people. I have a problem with it. ... It is what it is," Slusser said. "I'm not very excited right now for anything, because let me tell you, this is a bad feeling. It's a bad feeling."

The regional tournament will take place at Fairless high school in Navarre, and will start on May 27.

cteaguerob@gannett.com

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Twitter: @cj_teague