Although there was a smaller field of competitors for the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division meet, the Crestwood Red Devils’ track and field team’s margin for error was also smaller. The Red Devils swept the CVC Valley Division titles for the second straight season, with the boys repeating by scoring 144 points and the girls defending their championship with 144 points last Wednesday evening at Fairview High School.
“That is what they have been focusing on all year,” said Coach Jack Blasiole. “They wanted to go back-to-back, especially those seniors, it is a good group right there. That’s what they have been talking about the whole season and getting to the postseason.”
Crestwood’s postseason begins when it competes in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II Lakeview District Meet on Thursday in Cortland at 5 p.m.
Although the Red Devils recorded only 25 points in the field events, they were fueled by their distance runners, who tallied 44 points which enabled them to fend off league rival Cardinal for the league banner.
The quartet of seniors Augie Schweickert, Kevin Vechery, juniors Garrett Byers and Damien Richards won the 4×800 relay with a time of 8:26.54.
Senior James Durham netted first place in the 110-meter hurdles by clocking 14.99 seconds, followed by freshman Isaac Siegner who placed fifth with a time of 19.58 seconds.
“James ran a sub-15 on Wednesday and broke his own record again,” noted the second-year coach. “He is looking phenomenal in the 110-meter hurdles, which is what he wants to focus on. His 110-meter hurdles was unbelievable.”
Freshman Jack Patton earned third place in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.73 seconds.
Senior Nate Blasiole and junior Austin Wurm teamed up with Durham and Patton to win the 4×200 relay, crossing the finish line in 1:34.22.
Byers placed second in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:45.71, followed by Richards who clinched third place by clocking 4:47.14.
Freshmen Ben William and Gio Brock joined forces with Signer and Vechery to win the 4×100 relay with a time of 49.50 seconds.
Schweickert won the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.65 seconds, followed by Wurm who placed third by clocking 53.51 seconds.
“Augie ran really well,” Coach Blasiole noted. “That is why we put them there. He does not usually run that event, he said I will do the 400-meter dash during the league because we need the points. That is what we have in our kids.”
Durham wrapped up first place in the 300-meter hurdles, stopping the clock at 42.92 seconds, followed by Siegner who snagged fifth place with a time of 49.55 seconds.
Schweickert secured first place in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:08.61, followed by Richards who finished as the runner-up by clocking 2:09.49.
Nate Blaisole earned fourth place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.25 seconds, followed by Patton who placed sixth by clocking 24.62 seconds.
Vechery took second in the 3200-meter run with a time of 10:47.84, followed by Richards who netted fourth by clocking 11:26.05.
Patton captured third place in the long jump with a distance of 19 feet, 4½ inches.
Senior Angelo DiNardo took fourth place in the discus throw by recording a personal record of 124 feet, 9 inches, followed by junior Sam Roosa who placed sixth by throwing a personal best of 123 feet, 5 inches.
Wurm snagged second place in the high jump by jumping 5 feet, 10 inches.
Senior Daniel Doering secured third place in the shot put by hurling a distance of 42 feet, 9¾ inches.
For the Red Devil girls’, a year after clinching the conference title by edging Kirtland by a single point, they were fueled by a well-balanced performance to defend their league banner.
“It was amazing to watch especially after day one, we were ranked third so going into day two of CVC was definitely a little nerve-wracking at first,” acknowledged Coach Maria Conant. “They had confidence that they could win but we didn’t know we would win by that much.”
The quartet of Senior Erin Hallis, junior Jackie Blaisole, sophomores Piper Seibold and Maddie Grace Gonczy captured first place in the 4×800 relay with a time of 9:51.10.
Sophomore Myla Simpson finished as the runner-up in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 18.42 seconds, followed by freshman Mia Davis who netted fourth place with a time of 18.88 seconds.
Sophomore Liv Martini won the 100-meter dash by clocking 12.51 seconds, followed by senior Hannah Ward who took sixth place with a time of 14.08 seconds.
Senior Audrey Fusci joined Davis, Simpson and Ward to take second place in the 4×200 relay with a time of 1:54.04.
Seibold snagged third place in the 1600-meter run by clocking 5:28.02, followed by Hallis who netted fourth by clocking 5:38.01.
Sophomore Emily Doering teamed up with Davis, Ward and Fusci to take third place in the 4×100 relay with a time of 54.86 seconds.
Martini took first place in the 400-meter dash, stopping the clock at 58.97 seconds, followed by Fusci who finished in fourth place by clocking 1:05.20.
Emily Doering placed second in the 300-meter hurdles by clocking a time of 53.87 seconds, followed Simpson who netted fifth place with a time of 57.57 seconds.
Gonczy was runner-up in the 800-meter run by clocking 2:24.19, followed by Seibold who earned fourth place with a time of 2:28.55.
Martini captured first place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.15 seconds, followed by Ward who placed fifth by clocking 28.84 seconds.
“It was really impressive to watch Liv run like that because we ran at the Woodridge Wrap-Up on Saturday before CVC and she broke the 100, 200 and 400-meter dash school record again so to see her come back like that was amazing,” said the second-year coach.
Hallis wrapped up second place in the 3200-meter run with a time of 12:58.43 seconds, followed by senior Kennedy Rhodes who secured fourth place by clocking 13.19.93.
“Erin runs cross country but that is a fall sport and the fact that she can do it in sub-13 minutes is impressive,” Conant remarked.
Junior Madison Sheridan placed second in the discus throw by hurling a personal record of 35 feet, 8 inches, followed by senior Maddie Dustman who earned fourth place by recording a personal best of 31 feet, 8 inches.
Freshman Ava Lincoln snagged sixth place in the high jump by jumping 4 feet.
Senior Lily Globokar took fifth in the long jump with a distance of 13 feet, 1 inch.
Sheridan captured first place in the shot put, hurling a personal record of 113 feet, 5 inches, followed by sophomore Isabelle Brugmann who earned fifth place by throwing 81 feet, 9 inches.
