The Streetsboro Rockets’ track and field team continued their ascent in the Metro Athletic Conference, as the boys and girls each took second place at the league meet, with the girls scoring 176.0 points and the boys tallying 128.0 points last week at Woodridge High School in Peninsula.
“You wait all season to get to this point and hope that you are healthy, and the weather cooperates because the league meet is often like a regional preliminary day,” said Coach Robert Kidd. “The competition across the board is great and the coaching is good, the athletes are incredible, so it was a heck of a meet.”
The Rockets’ season will continue when they travel to Youngstown to compete in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division III district meet at Greenwood Chevrolet Falcon Stadium at Austintown-Fitch High School beginning on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
“We run there a lot,” noted the seven-year coach. “We go to the Optimist Meet every year; we run our regionals over there, so it is not home court by any means, but it is a place that we are familiar with. Hopefully the weather starts to cooperate for us because when it warms up, we are even better when the weather comes in our favor.”
For the girls, they inched closer to dethroning MAC heavyweight Woodridge, falling just shy of the Bulldogs by 6.5 points.
Sophomore C’Niyah Ivory fueled the short sprint events, winning the 100-meter dash with a personal record 12.50 seconds, followed by junior Carman Marcini who netted fifth place with a time of 13.23 seconds; won the 200-meter dash by setting a personal and meet record of 25.56 seconds, followed by sophomore Bria Robinson who finished fifth with a personal record 26.85 seconds; and placed second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:00.95, followed by sophomore Kylie Sladky who wrapped up sixth place with a time of 1:03.60.
“We are putting her up for Female Track Athlete of the Year,” said Kidd. “I think she has proved it all year as much as I can recall. She has been incredible and is just peaking at the right time. Her times are giving her a great chance to hopefully advance deep into the postseason.”
Sophomore Cara Thomson took sixth place in the 800-meter run with personal best 2:37.97, followed by senior Kendall Epple who placed seventh with a time of 2:39.62.
Thomson earned third place in the 1600-meter run with a personal record 5:42.61, followed by junior Kaelyn Malloy who took fifth place with a personal best 5:49.52.
Thomson then captured fourth place in the 3200-meter run with a personal record 12:32.78, followed by senior Sonia Downing who finished fifth with a time of 12:54.71.
Senior Olivia Johnson-Wilson dominated the hurdling events, winning the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.94 seconds, followed by junior Jenna Fall who was the runner-up with a time of 16.15 seconds; and won the 300-meter hurdles by clocking a time of 49.50 seconds, followed by Fall who took fourth place at 51.54 seconds.
“Oliva came out and ran well, just missing a personal record and getting a first place in the 100-meter hurdles,” added Kidd. “She comes out without really practicing the 300-mter hurdles and gets first place running a 17:50 so those were big points for us, so she is running confidently.”
Senior MacKenzie MacIntosh teamed up with Marcini, Robinson and Wilson to place third in the 4×100 relay with a time of 50.74 seconds.
Freshman Kylie Kasayka joined forces with Marcini, Sladky and Ivory to win the 4×200 relay, clocking a time of 1:46.78.
The quartet of senior Meredeith Mattmuller, Kasayka, Sladky and Epple placed third in the 4×400 relay by clocking 4:22.30.
The foursome of senior Brianna Hushion, Epple, Sladky and Thomson took third place in the 4×800 relay, with a time of 10:31.54.
Sophomore Alivia Simmons placed second in the shot put by hurling a distance of 36 feet, 1½ inches.
Junior Emma Chamberlain came in fifth place in the discus throw with a distance of 106 feet, followed by Simmons who snagged sixth place by throwing 89 feet, 4 inches.
Junior Sara Koyan finished as the runner-up in the high jump by clearing the bar at 5 feet, followed by Simmons who took third place with a personal best 4 feet, 10 inches.
Robinson and Koyan set school records in the pole vault, each clearing a height of 7 feet but Robinson finished in fifth while Koyan took sixth because Robinson cleared the bar in fewer tries.
Marcini won the long jump, recording a distance of 16 feet, 5 inches, followed by Robinson who came in third place at 15 feet, 11¾ inches.
On the boys’ side, the Rockets put forth an electric performance especially in the individual sprints and sprint relays, setting five meet records and one school record.
Senior Ethan Laryea won the 100-meter dash with a personal and meet record of 10.84 seconds, followed by sophomore Isaiah Henderson who came in second place with a personal record 11.01 seconds; won the 200-meter dash with a personal and meet record of 21.95 seconds, followed by Henderson who again took second place with a personal best 22.29 seconds.
“Ethan started the season looking very fresh and went through about two weeks where he was doing very well but he was not looking Ethan-like,” said Kidd. On Thursday, coming out of the 100-meter dash, he looked phenomenal and as soon as we saw that, we were so excited. We said that looks like the Ethan we want to see and he showed that in every event that he was in.”
Senior Braden Hodge came in fourth place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.92 seconds.
Senior Chris Daniels earned eighth place in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:04.55.
Junior Ares Miller netted eighth place in the 3200-meter run with a personal best 10:42.99.
Sophomore Jacob Anderson took fourth place in the 110-meter hurdles with a personal record of 16.41 seconds.
Junior Ty Zipprich placed third in the 300-meter hurdles with a personal best 40.29 seconds.
The team of senior Jayron Chester, sophomore Noah Nodge, Henderson and Laryea won the 4×100 relay with a meet record 42.76 seconds.
The foursome of Chester, Braden, Henderson and Laryea earned first place in the 4×200 relay, setting a meet record of 1:28.37.
Junior Jaiden Kendrick teamed up with Chester, Zipprich and Bradem to win the 4×400 relay, logging a meet and school record of 3:25.41.
“It was the way a 4×400 is supposed to end at the highest level,” said Kidd. “It was us and Woodridge back-and-forth several times before passing and being passed, and it was just outstanding and to outlast them and to win that and both teams set the meet record.”
The quartet of senior Jaden Hushion, freshman Preston Krzeminski, Miller and Daniels took sixth place in the 4×800 relay with a time of 8:50.14.
Senior Brayden Pocek netted third place in the shot put with a personal best 46 feet, 5½ inches, followed by senior Aiden Sowa who earned eighth place by throwing 39 feet.
Pocek won the discus throw, recording a personal best 141 feet, 5 inches, followed by senior Cooper Richmond who placed second with a distance of 135 feet, 11 inches.
Anderson and sophomore Isaac Dixon tied for fifth place in the high jump, clearing the bar at 5 feet, 10 inches.
Senior Jordan McCarty wrapped up third place with a distance of 20 feet, 8 inches, followed be senior Ryan Roscoe who captures sixth place with a distance of 20 feet, 5½ inches.
