MARION CENTER — If Apollo-Ridge was going to win the meet, every part needed to go the Vikings’ approach Saturday on the 96th operating of the Indiana County Principals’ Observe and Subject Championships.
And till the final occasion of the day, every part was going their approach. Then, on the ultimate lap of the final occasion — the boys’ 1,600-meter relay — issues appeared to go awry in a cut up second.
Operating the anchor leg of the relay, senior Daniel Dunmire was by accident spiked by teammate Darek Baustert on the baton alternate, misplaced his shoe and suffered a sizeable laceration of a minimum of 3 inches to his decrease left leg.
Irrespective of, Dunmire took off shoeless and bloodied. Nothing was going to forestall him from ending the race.
“Darek got here in a bit of quicker than I assumed he was coming, and he stepped on my shoe, reduce my foot and my shoe went flying off,” a smiling Dunmire stated. “I didn’t suppose something of it. I simply ran. … I wasn’t actually excited about an excessive amount of. I assumed it was sort of humorous that I used to be operating with no shoe.”
The Vikings entered the relay six factors forward of Indiana within the boys’ group standings, needing a third-place end or higher to win the county meet. Indiana received the relay, however Dunmire crossed the end line in second place to safe the title for the Vikings, who completed with 144 factors. Indiana was a detailed second with 140 factors.
“Daniel, the way in which he ran that final leg of the 4-by-4, with no shoe and a few damage to his decrease leg, superb,” longtime Apollo-Ridge coach Bob Desiderato stated.
Apollo-Ridge received 5 of the seven area occasions to construct an early lead. The Vikings swept the three leaping occasions, and senior thrower Greg Klingensmith received the discus and shot put, almost breaking his college report within the discus with a throw of 156 toes, 2 inches.
Baustert received the lengthy soar (19-8¾), Keyvahn McCray received the excessive soar (5-4) and Gavin McCall received the triple soar (40-5¼) for the Vikings.
Klingensmith, who was named the boys’ Most Excellent Subject Athlete of the meet, received the shot put with a throw of 42-11¾.
“That was the most effective throw I’ve had all 12 months,” Klingensmith stated of his toss within the discus. “Final 12 months on the WPIAL meet, I broke the college report with 156-9. As we speak I threw 156-2, and that’s the primary time I’ve gotten that near it since that meet.”
Whereas Apollo-Ridge dominated the sphere occasions, Indiana was dominant on the monitor. The Indians received 9 of the 11 operating occasions, with senior Owen Putt and junior Seth Weaver every profitable a pair of particular person occasions to cleared the path.
Voted the Most Excellent Observe Athlete of the meet, Putt received the 100 sprint by a nostril with a time of 11.61, edging out Penns Manor’s Justin Marshall by 0.02 seconds. He received the 400 comfortably in 50.96 and was additionally a part of Indiana’s profitable 3,200- and 400-meter relay groups earlier than leaving the meet early to make Indiana’s promenade night time festivities in time.
“He did some power and coaching within the offseason, has gotten stronger,” Indiana coach Steve Cochran stated of Putt. “His mindset is improbable. When he will get on the market on the monitor, he’s going after it, and it’s been actually enjoyable to see him do this.”
Weaver swept the space occasions for Indiana, profitable the 1,600 in 4:48.30 and the three,200 in 10:42.77.
Others profitable occasions for Indiana had been Jacob Killeen within the 300 hurdles (44.09), Jonathan Berzonsky within the 800 (2:03.73), and Josh Saurer within the pole vault (13-0).
Rounding out the occasion winners on the day had been Penns Manor’s Marshall within the 200 (24.04), United’s Ty Gapshes within the 110 hurdles (17.61), and Buy Line’s John Elick within the javelin (149-1).
“We simply got here up a bit of bit brief within the area,” Cochran stated of his Indiana group. “We had a very good day on the monitor. We did very well there, good day within the pole vault. We simply sort of, in a number of the different area occasions, simply lacking a child right here or there (attributable to promenade) that will’ve put us excessive.”
Apollo-Ridge’s group title was the primary in Desiderato’s 19-year teaching tenure, and it got here as a shock to everybody within the Vikings’ camp. Athletes and coaches alike admittedly didn’t count on it.
“I’m simply going to be sincere, no,” Klingensmith stated. “You see Indiana. It’s a really huge college. … They had been killing it on the monitor occasions, however I feel the mix of our jumpers and throwers getting numerous first and second locations received it for us.”
“I used to be (pondering) we’re going to attempt to get second as a result of Indiana’s at all times been the superpower of this meet,” Dunmire stated. “However every part went proper and we received first.”
“I didn’t. I didn’t,” Desiderato stated. “Too many issues should go proper so as so that you can get that sort of rating, particularly towards Indiana. There are another wonderful groups right here, too, however they’re at all times —that’s the group that we simply can’t beat.
“We needed to have all people firing on all cylinders, and right this moment, that occurred. It occurs a pair instances in your profession in the event you’re lucky. More than happy with these children, and hopefully they’ll use this as a very good springboard to get to higher WPIAL instances, higher distances, however it is a huge increase for our college.”