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Magnolia Boys Win Class A State Championship

Blue Eagles Leave No Doubt About It

Photo by Kyle Lutz The Magnolia boys’ track and field team is coming home to New Martinsville with some hardware. The Blue Eagles were crowned West Virginia Class A state champions Saturday in Charleston.

CHARLESTON — The road to a West Virginia Class A state championship was not an easy one for the Magnolia boys’ track team. However, in the end, it was the Blue Eagles on the podium hoisting the hardware at the West Virginia High School state track meet at Laidley Field on Saturday.

The 4×400 relay team of Jason Beisel, Ethan Herrick, Pat Mirandy and Brooks Parsons ran off with a first-place finish in a time of 3:31.22, a Class A state meet record, to guarantee the hardware was going back to New Martinsville.

Magnolia scored a total of 80 points, 7.5 more than runner-up St. Marys.

“We started the morning off on fire,” Magnolia coach Travis Emch said. “We placed three individuals in the shot put and we placed two in the 400 to start the day. We got momentum and we never looked back.”

The Blue Eagles overcame some adversity after the first day. On Friday, the shuttle hurdle team finished second, but was disqualified because the team was told it started early out of the exchange zone.

“We got it on the video, but the WVSSAC will not allow video review,” Emch said. “I filed an appeal, but it was declined. We got back at the hotel and our morale was down a little bit because we started off on a high note. The shuttle kind of took the wind out of our sail. We got back to the hotel and we had a little meeting.

“I just told them, ‘just trust the guy next to you. These are your teammates. If we stick together, we know what we are capable of.’ We showed up (Saturday) and took care of business.”

One of the big wins of the day for the Blue Eagles was in the shot put. Jakob Barrows heaved a 49-feet, 00.25-inch throw and was crowned the champion.

“I was seeded second, so when I got here I was a little nervous,” Barrows said. “I had a rough season last year, and I had enough of it. I went to a throwing camp in Ohio. I worked my tail off all year whether it was down at the track, at the gym. I knew if I could do what I was capable of, I could come out on top. I executed, and it happened.”

Jakob’s twin brother, Jared, placed fourth while Jay Eller got fifth. In the 400, Parsons placed second while Mirandy took third. Jared Barrows also took third in the discus.

Spencer Shepard claimed a huge bronze medal in the 800 for the Blue Eagles. Jack Booth captured fifth in the 300 hurdles.

The Blue Eagles also got points in the 4×200. James Stillwagoner, Herrick, Beisel and Mirandy placed third. Parsons, Booth, Stillwagoner and Beisel also secured second in the 4×100.

Yazmin Island of Brooke was the second local individual victory of the afternoon when she leaped 16-03.50 in the girls’ Class AAA long jump.

“I’m pretty pumped,” Island said. “I tried so hard and I’ve been through so many injuries and I’ll be back next year.”

Brooke also claimed a victory on the boys’ side. Ethan Secrist took home gold in the 110 hurdles (14.92).

“It started off slow, but kind of halfway through I realized that the guy was gaining on me,” Secrist said. “I needed to kick it in and that’s what really got me to the finish line first.”

Weir’s Sebastian Spencer also claimed a victory in the 200 in Class AA, which tied the meet record (21.61). Spencer was also the anchor on the winning 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams.

“It was a pretty good day,” Spencer said. “I got three first-place trophies and a second place. I wish I would have got that 100, but everything else is OK.” His second place was in the 100.

In Weir’s 4×100, Spencer along with Jaylon Bridges, Keyshawn Faulks and Quincy Dameron clocked in at 44.01. In the 4×200, Bridges, Spencer, Dameron and Jake McCoy timed in at 1:33.01.

The Wheeling Central girls took home a pair of relay gold medals in the 4×100 and 4×200.

Hannah White, Marisa Horan and Kenadee and Ireland Wayt set a record in the 4×200 with a time of 1:46.89.

Alexis Paras, White, Horan and Kenadee Wayt had a 51.79 mark in the 4×100.

Wheeling Park’s team of Marlee Porter, Amari Poole, Aubrey Wiethe and Abby Snedeker won the Class AAA 4×200 (1:45.85).

Many other local athletes made podium.

On the girls’ side in Class A, Wheeling Central’s Nicole Billie got fourth while Magnolia’s Kennedy Parsons took sixth in the 400.

In shot put, Mady Winters of Magnolia placed third and Cameron’s Kelsie Meintel got fifth.

In the 100, Central’s Kenadee Wayt placed second while Paden City’s Abbe Stackpole placed third.

Kenadee Wayt also finished second in the 200 while Stackpole got fourth. Ireland Wayt clocked in with a third place in the 800. Madonna’s Kennedy Martin got second in discus while Magnolia’s Kyndra Pilant secured fourth.

In Class AA, Oak Glen’s Abigail Myers placed sixth in the 400. The Golden Bears also scored in the 4×200 with a second-place finish (Chloe Molish, Syndey Hall, Myers and Maggie Kovalcik).

The Golden Bears foursome also secured third in the 4×400.

In Class AAA, John Marshall’s Zara Zervos ran to a fourth-place finish in the 400 and third in the 800. Teammate Alyssa Ehni got sixth in the 100 hurdles. Zervos, along with Alexa Andlinger, Claudia Callahan and Emily Harr placed fourth in the 4×400.

Wiethe placed third in the 300 hurdles while Snedeker finished fifth in the 200.

In the 4×100, Porter, Wiethe, Alex Knight and Snedeker placed second.

On the boys’ side, Class A featured Donavan Kirby of Madonna placing fifth in the discus.

Tyler Consolidated’s Nathan Barker finished second in the 110 hurdles and Silver Knights teammate Mark Rucker got fifth in the 100.

In Class AA, Faulks placed second in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the 110 hurdles while Oak Glen’s Kellen Tropeck secured silver in the shot put.

Weir’s Brandon Clausell was fifth in the 110 hurdles. Dameron finished sixth in the 100 and fourth in the 200.

In Class AAA, Wheeling Park’s Michael Harriman got fourth in the 1,600 and fifth in the 800. The Patriots also scored in the 4×100 as Jack Stakem, Logan Tucker, Justin LeVelle and DeVaughn McWhorter placed fifth.

The Other Victors

Doddridge County won the Class A girls along with Bridgeport (Class AA) and Ripley (Class AAA).

On the boys’ side, Bridgeport received top honors and Hurricane secured the win in Class AAA.

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