Western's Keith is state runner-up

COLUMBUS — Sometimes you just have to tip your cap. Western Reserve senior Hayden Keith had a season-best toss in the Division IV shot put state championship Thursday. Liberty Center's Hunter Spangler did a little better as Keith took second at Jesse Owens Stadium on the campus of Ohio State University. Keith's best toss was 61 feet, 1.75 inches. Spangler won with a throw of 64-9. "It feels great," Keith said. "Not many weeks ago, I wasn't able to hit the goal I've been wanting all year in 60 feet. To go out and hit 61 feet, a whole foot past what I was hoping for, feels great." Keith still has the discus competition Friday, but it was a tremendous way to wrap up his high school career in the shot put. "It's been fun competing with Hunter the past few weeks," Keith said. "I've been competing with him since last year and then again, this whole postseason. It was fun." Keith said just a carb overload at Olive Garden and maybe a swim in the pool will get him ready for his final competition Friday. "I felt great from warm-ups," said Keith of Thursday's shot put. "I knew it was going to be a big day. The competition was a step up from what I expected, but it turned out to be a pretty good day for just about everybody." In other prelims where the top two finishers in each heat and five best times after that advanced, South Central's Autumn Fry, Lauren Ingram, Kaili Ingram, and Falynn Schumacher took second in their heat of the 4x100 relay in a time of 50.01 seconds. That was good for fourth overall for Friday's final. Edison's Trevor Leimeister advanced in the 100-meter dash. He finished second in his heat in 10.97 seconds, the fourth-best time overall. In the 200, Leimeister was seventh in his heat (22.65) but was 15th overall. Willard's 4x200 quartet of Cora Clark, Mya Stephens, Jocelyn Maynard, and LaMya Hicks took fifth in their heat in a time of 50.09. But that was only good to be 11th overall. "We were proud of what we ran," Hicks said. "It wasn't a PR, but it was close. We didn't have many expectations. Our goal was to make it here, and we did that. We are proud of that." St. Paul's 4x200 of Amelia Stoll, Brooklyn Cassidy, Aubrie Bogard, and Deanna Vazquez finished seventh in their heat in a season-best 1:47.78. That was 15th overall. Vazquez was ninth in her heat of the 400, crossing the line in 1:02.37. Plymouth's Izaya Reynolds took seventh in his heat of the 400, finishing in 50.93 seconds. That was good for 12th overall. In a field event final, South Central's Lauren Ingram tied for sixth in the high jump with a personal-best top mark of 5-2. Willard's Paige Adams competed in the discus. Her top throw was 99 feet.