LANCASTER — Fredericktown freshman Carolyn Webster was down to her last jump. A miss meant a sixth-place finish in the high jump at the OHSAA Division III regional meet at Fairfield Union, which would have been quite an achievement for any ninth-grader.
Webster, however, proved to be no ordinary freshman. With her final jump, she cleared the bar, which was set at 5-feet-1, to land in second place. Now, she is on her way to next week’s state tournament.
“I scared everyone,” said Webster. “I missed my first jumps and I was freaking out. Then, I got focused and I made it. There were a couple of jumps I wasn’t proud of before I got into it. Coach (Dave Geiger) always tells me to make a mental jump and I always do that and that really helped me.”
The East Knox boys 4x200 relay team of Levi Myers, Colton Rebel, Dylan Wears and Alex Casebolt found themselves lagging behind some fast company as they were approaching the final leg of the race. Casebolt grabbed the baton with his team in fourth place, about 25 yards behind the leader. With an explosive start on the final turn, Casebolt rocketed past all three runners down the stretch to win their heat. The Bulldogs’ finish (1:33.82) makes them one of the favorites to gain a state berth with a strong performance in the 4x200 finals on Friday.
“It’s something that we’ve been doing all year,” said Casebolt. “Dylan gives me a good start when I get the baton. They all do a good job and I just try to finish it off. I was definitely scared when I was getting ready for the hand off. It’s a big difference here at the regionals — it’s huge.”
The Bulldogs, with the same quartet, also made the finals in the 4x100 meters, despite a less-than-smooth hand off on the second leg. They posted a time of 45.22.
“We really are a very good team when we hit on all cylinders,” said Casebolt.
Myers will also be in the finals of the 110-meter hurdles after posting a time of 15.57.
Danville’s Carlynn Arthur made it to the regional finals, placing third in her heat of the 300 hurdles with a time of 48.79.
The Centerburg Trojans failed to qualify in the boys 4x800 (eighth-place finish) and the 4x200 (ninth place).
The Trojan girls battled the heat to place sixth (10:16.54) in their 4x800.
“The race was tough,” said Alyssa Burton, who ran anchor for the Trojans. “There were a lot of competition and it was really hot out here.”
The Trojans had expected to place higher in the 4x800 and it was a bit of a letdown for the girls.
“There was a lot of competition,” said teammate Ali Socie. “We pushed real hard and we are disappointed that we didn’t make it out, but we all tried our best.”
All four members of the Trojans’ 4x800 team will be back for another shot in 2013.
“It was definitely an honor to make it here,” said Amelia Holt, who ran the first leg of the 4x800 for the Trojans. “We made it last year and ended up in, basically, the same spot. It’s tough, but I am really proud of our team. We are aiming to go to state next year.”
The Centerburg boys team finished with a time of 8:43.60.
