COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With his shaved head glistening in the morning sun, and sporting some shades, Corry Sprouse looked the epitome of cool. So in keeping with that persona, it was no big deal for the Keystone senior that he had just won the Division II state long jump to finish off his lone year competing in track and...
Ryan Kochert, a senior at Chagrin Falls, clears 15 feet in the Division II pole vault on Friday at Columbus. Kochert finished second.
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(John Kuntz / PD)
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With his shaved head glistening in the morning sun, and sporting some shades, Corry Sprouse looked the epitome of cool.
So in keeping with that persona, it was no big deal for the Keystone senior that he had just won the Division II state long jump to finish off his lone year competing in track and field.
He even let his Keystone buddy and fellow football player, Josh Jewett, wear his gold medal to keep the attention at a minimum.
"No, I really don't like talking about it," said Sprouse, who will continue his football career at Notre Dame College in South Euclid. "I tried [track] because I thought it would make me faster for football. The shock hasn't set in yet."
After playing baseball and running back for the Wildcats, he gave up the diamond this spring to run the 100 and 200. He said he tried the long jump one day in practice.
On Friday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, he saved his best for last as he let go with a jump of 22 feet, 9 inches. That edged senior Brady Gelvin of Milan Edison by one-half inch. While it may not have fazed Sprouse, coach Bruce Broad didn't hide the enthusiasm at producing the school's first state champion since pole vaulter Matt Botos in 1991.
"We knew he would be in the top two or three or four, so anything could happen," said Broad. "With his football [1,400 yards, 22 touchdowns] and baseball, you knew he was an athlete. The last jump, it all came together. I don't think it's settled in for me."
Strategy session: Collinwood girls coach Lou Slapnik pulled senior Amber Smith out of the 100 and let her run in the 4x200 relay. He had senior Erin Busbee in the 100, so it paid off as the Railroaders finished second to Columbus Bishop Hartley in the race. Busbee was third in the 100 and scored five points in the morning by finishing fourth in the high jump.
"I couldn't feel any better," said Slapnik, whose team advanced in seven events. "Now we have to duplicate it. That's the hardest thing to do, but this group has been focused and on a mission."
The mission was to keep the heat on Hartley, which also had a big day that included a meet record in the 4x200.
After qualifying first in the 100 hurdles, Smith broke the Division II mark in the 300 hurdles with a clocking of 42.94. That bettered the 43.10 by Michelle Hite of Cleveland Heights. Collinwood, a winner of eight Division I titles, and Bishop Hartley go into the finals of eight events.
Tough hurdles: The Division II hurdles are a local affair. While Smith had top times in both, defending 100 champion JeRica Sanders from Lake Catholic qualified third, and Bridget Doughty of Bay was fourth. In the 300, Sanders was second and Doughty, the defending champion, was fourth.
Broom town: Cuyahoga County is in a position to become the first county to sweep the girls team titles in the 36-year history of the girls state meet. Magnificat (Division I), Collinwood (Division II) and Gilmour (Division III) all are in contention. Northeast Ohio girls domination is nothing new. The seven-county area has won all three division titles three times since 1999 and has produced at least one team champion every year since 1985.
Dreamer: Strongsville senior Colby Alexander said he is hoping the field can push him toward challenging Bob Kennedy's 1988 record in the 1,600 (4:05.13). Alexander will get another chance to go fast -- and plenty of competition -- next week in the inaugural Jim Ryun High School Dream Mile in New York City against many of the nation's top prep distance runners.
That apparently didn't earn him much respect in the eyes of Wadsworth distance coach Michelle Farr. Asked if she was worried how Alexander's blistering first leg in the 4x800 might affect Wadsworth's 4x800 team, she replied, "Colby who?"
Blocking out: Brunswick sophomore Brianna Neitzel uses a standing start instead of blocks in the 400. She qualified fourth in the 400 for today's finals. "I'm good without them," she said. "Some day, I don't know when, I'll use them.'"
Plain Dealer reporter Tim Warsinskey contributed to this report.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: jmaxse@plaind.com, 216-999-5168