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CCHS girls win title, boys finish runner-up at OVAC finals

VICTORIOUS — Catholic Central's Clara Symington won both the individual titles in the hurdles events during Saturday's OVAC Cal Giffin Track and Field Championships to help lead the Crusaders girls team win the overall Class 1A/2A championship. - Seth Staskey

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The final Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Championships of the school year were presented Saturday afternoon.

The OVAC Cal Giffin Track and Field Championship concluded its week at chilly Red Devil Stadium with several familiar faces rising to the top of the girls team standings, as Wheeling Park (5A), St. Clairsville (4A), Linsly (3A) and Catholic Central (1A/2A) left with the top prizes.

On the boys side, the tone was set during the early week qualifying, as Shadyside (1A/2A), Bellaire (3A), Union Local (4A) and Morgantown (5A) etched their names into OVAC history as the first track and field boys champions since the 2019 season.

GIRLS

CLASS 1A/2A

Catholic Central’s strength in the hurdles, middle distance and relays was simply too much for Shadyside to overcome. The Crusaders finished with five victories and a total of 94 points.

The title is the 16th in school history for Central, and it’s the first since 2015.

Junior hurdler Clara Symington provided a boost by claiming both hurdling events. She won the highs in 16.09 and then captured the lows in 46.10.

Junior Rebecca Bolster won the 400 with a time of 1:03.25.

The Crusaders also claimed the 4×200 relay by nearly six full seconds with a 1:50.56. They also claimed the 4×400, winning by nearly seven full seconds with a 4:27.20.

Shadyside picked up four victories during the course of the 18-event meet.

Madonna was the conference champion in the 4×800, posting a time of 10:45.20.

Junior Kristina Lasho gave the Blue Dons an individual champion, winning the 800 in 2:35.45.

CLASS 3A

Linsly and Barnesville locked in an 18-event battle that actually started during Monday’s qualifying. In the end, the Cadets depth and their top-end points, which allowed them to claim seven events was too much for the Shamrocks.

The title is the third straight and fifth overall for the Cadets.

CLASS 4A

St. Clairsville enjoyed a solid evening of qualifying on Tuesday and the Red Devils delivered with high-end point on Saturday. Add it up and it results in 168 points. That total led to St. C.’s fourth consecutive conference title and 13th in school history.

Oak Glen, which finished second, got its meet started by winning the 4×800. The Golden Bears turned in a 10:54.65.

The Golden Bears’ first individual win came in the 1600 when junior Sophia Arner crossed the line in 5:48.20. She added the 800 title with a time of 2:34.82.

Freshman speedster Kami Ward won the 400 in 62.59 and senior Izzy Barganski was the low hurdle champ with a 50.27.

Oak Glen also won the 4×400 thanks to a 4:24.16.

Harrison Central received a victory from senior Thea Haney in the discus. She marked at 110-10 for the title.

CLASS 5A

Wheeling Park and Morgantown went stride for stride for the most part of the 18 events.

In the end, however, Park’s speed events was too much for Morgantown’s distance events to overcome. The Patriots tallied 116 points, which was 10 better than the Mohicans.

Steubenville had a solid showing, accumulating 88 points.

Big Red’s first win came in the long jump when freshman Sabria Jones posted a mark of 16-10 to win by three quarters of an inch.

Jones carried that momentum to the track. She won the 100 meter dash in 12.45. She completed a three individual gold day with a 25.92 to win the 200.

Big Red’s speed translated to a win in the 4×200 with an impressive 1:45.93 effort.

Junior Amya Livingston had another strong showing, throwing the shot put to a mark of 42-feet to win the title.

Brooke senior Mara Pendergrast picked up a win in the high jump with a 5-4 clearance.

BOYS

Class 1A/2A

Shadyside owns one of the most storied track and field histories in the Ohio Valley. The Tigers added another chapter on Saturday.

Fending off Catholic Central and Caldwell, the Tigers won their second straight OVAC title and 30th of all time with 118 points.

The Tigers wasted no time in flexing their muscles. Their shuttle team posted a 64.03 to prevail in the hurdle relay.

The Tigers picked up a pair of wins in the field, too.

Junior Wyatt Reiman won the high jump with a 5-10 clearance.

Freshman Andrew Osman soared over 11-6 to win the pole vault.

Catholic Central’s 4×200 broke the tape at 1:35.76 to win the conference title.

Senior Joe Rohde gave the Crusaders their first individual winner when he captured the 400 in 51.34. He captured the 200 in 23.50.

Catholic Central’s 4×400 team posted a 3:35.95 to win the final event and did so with a class-record time.

Toronto’s Josh Fancher swept the throwing events to fuel the Red Knights. He won the discus with a mark of 143-8 and then claimed the shot put at 47-4 1/2.

CLASS 3A

Bellaire came into the meet as the unquestioned favorite to prevail and didn’t disappoint.

Riding their strength in distance, hurdles and throwing events, the Big Reds picked up victories in half of the 18 events and finished with 142 points, which was 42 better than runner-up Barnesville.

CLASS 4A

Union Local has been the premier team in this class all spring and it showed again on Saturday.

The Jets took a couple fo good shots from St. Clairsville during the middle portion of the meet, but the Jets simply weren’t going to be denied their first OVAC title in boys track.

Union Local finished with 154 points, which was 10 better than the Red Devils.

Oak Glen’s Tristan Lawson won the class 100 meter dash in an impressive 10.94. He later added the 200 title with a 22.92.

The Golden Bears also turned in a 44.68 to win the 4×100.

Weir High’s Jonathon Howard claimed the shot put with a mark of 45-9.

CLASS 5A

The battle of Wheeling Park’s speed and Morgantown’s distance and field wasn’t limited to the girls side. It was the same scenario in the boys meet, too.

Though the Mohigans won out and claimed their third title in their brief history of the OVAC with 158 points, the Patriots took the runner-up plaque with 128 points.

Wheeling Park did the bulk of its damage on the track by winning seven of their eight gold medals there.

The most impressive performances of the week were put forth by Patriots senior sprinter Torrence Walker, who was named the Most Outstanding Male Athlete of the meet.

Big Red freshman Savior Faulks won the intermediates in 40.65.

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