Linsly, Wheeling Central, St. C capture boys OVAC Track titles
ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Wheeling Central, Linsly, St. Clairsville and Morgantown are all looking for room in their trophy cases today.
Those four schools brought home the top hardware Saturday afternoon from sun-drenched Red Devil Stadium and the OVAC Cal Giffin Track and Field Championship.
The Maroon Knights won the 1A/2A class, while Linsly secured the 3A title and St. Clairsville ran away with the 4A crown. The Mohigans fended off Wheeling Park for the top prize in the largest division.
Here’s a look at each of the four classes:
1A/2A
Wheeling Central’s speed and depth proved to be too much for the rest of the small-school field to overcome.
The Maroon Knights finished with 106 points and won five events along the way.
The top performer for Central was senior sprinter Lorenzo Ferrera. He won the 100 and 200 meter dashes with impressive marks. In the 100, he turned in a 10.89 to win the overall title and set a small-school record. He returned to the track and claimed the overall crown in the 200 as well with a 22.55.
Central passed the baton in the 4×200 to a time of 1:32.97 to win the class title by nearly a full second.
The Maroon Knights added the 4×100 title to their resume thanks to a 45.16 clocking.
Central’s scoring prowess wasn’t limited to short sprints. Junior Aidan Scott was impressive in the distance events, too. He won the 1600 in 4:27.85.
Shadyside, which settled for second with 98 points, won four events.
Senior Elijah Brock is an OVAC champion in the high jump. He cleared 5-10 to win the smallest class title.
Freshman Isaiah Filburn won the pole vault for the Tigers with a 10-foot jump.
On the track, Shadyside got a win in the shuttles thanks to a class-record time of 60.91.
CLASS 3A
Linsly’s depth, versatility and speed rose to the occasion and fueled the Cadets to yet another OVAC title on the oval. Linsly finished with 140 points, which was 42 clear of runner-up Barnesville.
Linsly got a win in the field thanks to senior Luca DiLorenzo. The first-year track and field athlete marked the sand at 20-9 1/2 to win the long jump.
On the track, the Cadets really began to rack up the points.
It started in the shuttles when the Cadets clocked a 60.64.
Senior speedster JyLeik Johnson won the 100 meter dash in 10.94, but saw his day cut short after coming up lame on the anchor leg of a relay.
Linsly’s 4×2 was impressive in running a 1:31.90 to win the class title by nearly two full seconds.
In the 4×1, Linsly ran away from the field and posted a 43.46.
Sophomore Colby Gibbons was the champion in the intermediate hurdles with a time of 41.04.
Junior Atley Cowan won the 200 in 23.07.
The Shamrocks, who finished with 98 points, won four events.
Union Local won a trio of events and two came in the throwing circle thanks to junior standout Johnny Sabinski.
Sabinski, who was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Male in the field events, claimed the discus with a mark of 170-9 and then shifted to the shot put circle where he launched the iron ball to a personal-best mark of 60-7 3/4.
On the track, senior D.J. Butts captured the high hurdle crown with a 15.93.
Magnolia sophomore Dubale Greathouse won the class high jump title with a jump of 6-2.
CLASS 4A
The Red Devils came into the meet as the favorites and they delivered. After qualifying in 17 of 18 events last Wednesday, St. Clairsville didn’t let up, accumulating 178 points in its class. Cambridge finished second with 116.
St. Clairsville got its first of eight wins in the discus thanks to junior Perry Patrone, who captured the platter event with a mark of 152-8.
Patrone also claimed the shot put with a mark of 56-11.
In the long jump, senior Grant Swider marked the sand at 21-0 1/4 to win the top prize.
At the pole vault, senior Karl Kain soared over a class-record height of 14-2 to win the overall and class title.
Swider got his first win on the track in the intermediate hurdles with a time of 41.80.
Junior Sawyer Bonnett was the champion in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:06.87.
Junior Ben Shields was the overall champion in the 3200 meter run. Leading wire-to-wire, Shields posted an impressive 9:34.16 to set a Red Devil Stadium record.
St. Clairsville put the finishing touches on its triumph when its 4×4 team posted a 3:32.88 to prevail.
Weir High prevailed in the shuttles with a time of 62.17.
CLASS 5A
Morgantown’s depth and strength in the distance events proved to be too much for the remainder of the field. The Mohigans, who are coached by Shadyside graduate Steven Blinco, finished with 100 points.
Runner-up Wheeling Park had a strong showing, scoring 92 points. A bulk of those tallies came via the five victories the Patriots put forth.
Park’s junior Mykel Davis re-wrote the Class 5A record book when he soared over the high jump bar at 6-6 1/2.
Senior Isaiah Zelaski was the champion in the 100 in the big-school division with a time of 19.94. He ran that mark despite not being in the ‘hot heat.’
Park’s 4×2 was the class champion. The foursome posted a 1:30.87. Park’s speed was showcased again the 4×1 when it prevailed with a 43.54.
Park’s success shifted to the distance field thanks to junior Seth Franke. He ran a 9:38.59 to win the class title in the 3200.
Steubenville won five events.
Senior hurdler Micah Mitchell was impressive throughout the meet. He was named the male track performer of the meet after he set a stadium record in the 110 high hurdles with a blistering 14.27.
He added the intermediate title with a time of 39.80.
Junior Savior Faulks captured the 400 in 50.52.
Senior Bryce Huff claimed the shot put with a heave of 50-9 1/4.
Big Red’s 4×4 team prevailed overall with an impressive 3:25.60.





