Mapleton, Black River churn out multiple regional qualifiers at district track meet

CRESTON — Mapleton and Black River were both represented well during Friday's Division III district track meet at Norwayne High School, as they produced several athletes that will be right back at the regional meet next week at the very same location.

Mapleton's Kyle Sloter, last year's district champion in the high jump, took runner-up this time around, right behind Rittman's Evan Rastorfer. They both cleared 6-foot-2 but Rastorfer won the district title with fewer misses.

More: In air or on the track, South Central's Angela Williams making full use of raw athleticism

"I knew I had to get any jump over six feet clean and that was going to get me on the podium," Sloter said. "I was district champ last year but I was just happy to get through to regionals."

Sloter's personal record was 6-2 coming into the district meet and said he was shooting to go above that.

"I was shooting for a PR but I can't be too mad about tying my PR," he said.

Not only was Sloter competing with Rastorfer but also his Mapleton teammate Scotty Hickey, who was the district runner-up last year in the high jump. Hickey ended up placing fourth in the high jump this year to advance (top-four in each event) to regionals, with a jump of 6-1. A district champion in the 100 and 200 meters last year, Hickey advanced in both on Friday, going second (11.42) in the 100 and third (22.86) in the 200.

"It's a little disappointing winning districts last year and not this year, but it's a part of it," Hickey said, who says he was aiming to break the school record in both sprints. "I just have to compete to the best of my ability."

Mapleton had more. Add distance runners Isaik Schoch and Braylon Goon to the group that will be running at regionals next week. Both Schoch and Goon placed top-four in the 1600, with Schoch, this year's Firelands Conference champion in the 1600, going second (4:29.95) and Goon third (4:30.83).

For the majority of the four-lap race, eventual district champion and 2023 Division III state champion Luke Snyder of Rittman had the lead and never surrendered it. Schoch found himself in that second spot for mostly the entire race and that was fine with him.

"He is the state champion," said Schoch, a senior. "I figured you know what, 'If he's in front, I'm not going to be too discouraged. He's the best runner in the state."

Goon was right with the top six for the first two laps but made a move in the third lap to jump into the top four the rest of the way.

"Lap 3 is the roughest lap for anyone. Anyone running the mile will tell you that," Goon said. "You have to pass right there [pointing]. If you don't pass in that corner, they're going to pass you right back."

Schoch and Goon then touched on how grateful they are to be able to run another week as teammates.

"Isaik's been like my brother. Ever since my freshman year, last year," Goon said, who's a sophomore. "I just wanted to have another week with him. I didn't want to be done yet. I think that's what got me to the end."

"God is the one that's giving us the ability to run," Schoch said. "He willed us to have one more week to race, especially with Braylon."

Black River surely made their mark on the evening, chiefly in the hurdles. Olivia Todd repeated as district champion in the 100 hurdles (15.68) and placed third in the 300 hurdles (47.66) to advance to next week.

Throw in teammate Braylon Oneal, who's coming off winning the 300 hurdles at last week's Lorain County Conference meet, and did just the same Friday with a time of 39.25, where he pulled away from the field in the last couple of hurdles. Oneal also advanced in the 110 hurdles (15.54) with a second-place finish.

"That's my race. I take pride in that," said Oneal, on the 300 hurdles. "It's a form thing. I get in my head for the 110. The 300 I can chill out more. It's my race. I'm confident."

Before he did the job in the 300 hurdles, Oneal teamed up with Seth Gaspari, Aden Macfarlane and Stephan Kozopas to win the district title in the 4x100 relay, while breaking the school record and meet record at 43.29.

"Beginning of the year, we didn't think we would be close," Oneal said, who ran the first leg of the 4x100 relay. "As athletes, we put it together."

Staying occupied on her long distance duties was Loudonville's Tess Shultz, an All-Ohioan (fourth place) at last year's Division III state track meet in the 1600. Shultz had triple-duty on Friday, and she handled it pretty well. The junior advanced in both the 3200 (2nd: 11:22.82) and 1600 (3rd: 5:04.91) while missing the 800 with a seventh-place finish.

"Me and my coach decided to run all three," said Shultz. "We knew I was going to make it out the mile (1600) and two-mile (3200). The 800 I was ranked sixth. I got seventh. That was like a training session. My coach told me, 'If you're too far behind, don't give up but just let them go.'"

While the 3200 and 1600 serve as Shultz's top two races, she said she felt more comfortable in the 3200 on the day.

"I felt really strong in the mile. 5:04 is a pretty good time for the season," she said. "My 3200, I felt stronger there than I have in a long time. I've been hovering around a 11:37 this entire season. One meet I got an 11:24. This meet I think I had an 11:20. It's been a really fun meet."

jsimpson@gannett.com

Twitter/X:@JamesSimpsonII

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Mapleton, Black River churn out multiple regional qualifiers at district track meet