Hazleton Area’s Guzman wins state gold medal in javelin at PIAA championships

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SHIPPENSBURG — Samuell Guzman had five-plus days to deal with the vibes – both positive and, potentially, negative – that go with being the clear No. 1 seed at a state championship meet.

When the day came to prove his lofty status, Guzman made it abundantly clear that he was properly prepared to live up to that status.

The Hazleton Area senior hurled the javelin 208-8 on his first attempt Saturday morning, setting him up to claim the Class 3A boys title in that event at the PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University.

“It left me encouraged,” Guzman said of his 207-7, District 2 meet-winning throw being the only one above 200 feet in the state. “but I still knew I had to go into the meet and do my thing.”

Guzman was not the only javelin participant who proved to be ready for the early morning start.

Elias Chase from Avon Grove and Nariq Burks from Williamsport each threw more than 197 feet on their first attempts, but, like Guzman, never went any farther.

“Two kids threw 197 that never had before,” Guzman said. “That didn’t make me anxious, but it helped me make sure I stayed in the meet.”

Guzman never did need to go beyond his first attempt to secure the title.

“I had a bunch of adrenaline built up, so that first throw, I just let it rip,” Guzman said.

The state gold medal followed Guzman taking up the sport late in the seventh-grade year, missing eighth grade when the season was canceled because of COVID, resuming as a ninth-grader and seeing great progress as a sophomore when he jumped up more than 30 feet and qualified for his first trip to Shippensburg.

“All the years of training, I put it in for today,” he said. “I knew the outcome that I wanted.”

GIRLS

Wyoming Valley Conference athletes earned third- and fourth-place individual medals and a fourth-place relay medal in the girls portion of Saturday’s PIAA Championships.

Grayce Grazio from Crestwood went from a third-place tie in the Class 3A high jump last season to sole possession of third place, but with a tiebreaker preventing her from moving into second.

Grazio made it over 5-6, along with Ella Sammel from Trinity. Sammel had an earlier miss, but Grazio missed once each at 5-4 and 5-5 before clearing those heights.

Ella Bahn from Spring Grove won with 5-7.

Aria Messner finished 14th in the high jump, but then the Pittston Area senior was able to land her first state medal in the last event of her high school career. She placed fourth in the long jump, topping out at 18-6¾.

“I think that made it a little more sentimental,” said Messner, who recently committed to a scholarship to continue her career on the NCAA Division II level at Bloomsburg University. “It was my last one ever. That can get overwhelming, but you try to concentrate on what you are there for.”

Messner came to Shippensburg as a qualifier in the maximum four events after missing last year’s meet because of an injury. The state medal came in the last of those events.

The second attempt was the one that counted for Messner, who held third place until the final round of jumps when she was passed by Central Mountain’s Lily Hendricks.

Jaylyn Dorsey from Susquehanna Township won with a jump of 19-0¾.

Holy Redeemer, which reached the final with the third-best qualifying time Friday, took fourth in the 400 relay. The team of McKenzie Chimock, Aleese Stair, Jane Gillespie and Isabella Granted finished in 49.56 seconds.

UNIFIED CHAMPION SCHOOLS

Wyoming Valley West finished second among the nine Unified teams that made it to Shippensburg to compete in the UCS state championships.

Unified Track & Field features teams that have a proportional number of students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities who train and compete together as equal peers.

Wyoming Valley West led after the field events, which were held Friday.

Manheim Township defended its title and became the first school to win more than one UCS state title.

The Wyoming Valley West team consisted of: Raheem Blanton, Jamie Evans, Kayden Karalunas, Montana Conden, Timothy Mayeski, Colin Mooney, Gavin Weisgable, Ricky Schwiezer, Alyssa Laudenslager, Christopher Hummel, Gabby Marsola and Noah Heidcavage. Abby Rodway was head coach with assistants Amy Fry, Matthew Koller and Ed Sawatski.

PIAA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

(Wyoming Valley Conference Saturday results)

CLASS 3A BOYS

Javelin – Samuell Guzman, Hazleton Area, 208-8, 1st of 24. Long jump – Ty Wilkerson, Berwick, 21-9, 14 of 29. High jump – Will Lupinski, 6-2, T14th of 26.

CLASS 3A GIRLS

3200 – Madison Hedglin, Dallas, 11:13.02, 20th of 32. High jump – Grayce Grazio, Crestwood, 5-6, 3rd of 30; Aria Messner, Pittston Area, 5-2, T14th of 30. Long jump – Aria Messner, Pittston Area, 18-6¾, 14th of 25. 800 – Preston Klem, Pittston Area, 24th of 31, 2:01.02. 3200 relay – Pittston Area, 9:14.08, 31st of 31.

CLASS 2A GIRLS

400 relay – Holy Redeemer (McKenzie Chimock, Aleese Stair, Jane Gillespie, Isabella Granteed), 49.56, 4th of 8 finalists and 29 total.

UNIFIED CHAMPION SCHOOLS

Team standings – Wyoming Valley West, 2nd of 9 teams.