T-L Photo/SETH STASKEY BELLAIRE JUNIOR Colt Sechrest throws the discus Saturday morning during the Division II state track and field championship meet at Pickerington North High School. Sechrest finished second in the event.

PICKERINGTON — Bittersweet!

That would be the adjective to best summarize the final day of the Division II State Track and Field Championship at North High School Saturday.

All told, five individuals and a relay team climbed onto the awards podium in a total of nine events as All-Ohioans. That was the sweet part.

However, three of the individuals came back to the Ohio Valley with silver medals despite leading their respective field events until very late in the competition.

BELLAIRE junior Colt Sechrest experienced a tough-to-swallow moment in the discus Saturday morning.

Sechrest, who came into the meet as the top seed with a regional mark of 182-ft-7, set the tone early. He was the first thrower of the competition and launched the platter to a mark of 172-11.

That mark had stood up by three inches through five rounds. Actually, he extended his lead with a mark of 177-2 in the fifth round, meaning just eight throws stood between him and the state championship.

“I could have thrown better,” Sechrest, visibly disappointed, said shortly after the final mark was announced. “I didn’t throw my best, so it’s not a good day.”

Seven throws down and it brought up West Holmes senior Lane Graham, who had won the shot put on Friday.

Energizing the large crowd watching the event with the slow-clap that is common in track events, Graham uncorked a big one to which he yelled, “go …” as the disc soared through the air. Knowing it was his best throw of the day, Graham anxiously awaited the official to read the measuring tape, which proved to be 180-ft-5.

Now trailing for the first time all season, Sechrest stepped into the circle for the final time. His mark was 166-ft-3, giving Graham the throwing event sweep.

“Congratulations to Lane,” Sechrest said. “That was a great throw he made. He’s a senior and he’s had a great career. I don’t like to lose, but I have to give him credit.”

Sechrest admitted that the runner-up outcome will serve as motivation throughout the offseason and into next spring.

“It was an alright season, but it didn’t end the way I wanted, so I am hoping next season is better,” Sechrest said. “This (outcome) really hurts. It hurts for sure, but I’ll definitely be back next year and we’ll see what happens.”

STEUBENVILLE put forth another impressive showing. Big Red, which won the girls regional team title last weekend, finished with 27 points and tied for fourth with Gates Mills Gilmour Academy.

Coach Andy Kidwell’s squad racked up a quick 16 points in the morning wave of field events thanks to runner-up finishes by junior Amya Livingston and freshman Sabria Jones.

Livingston launched the shot put to a mark of 43-3. That distance came on her first throw in the final round and actually gave her the lead in the competition. It stood up through the second round of throws in the finals and for the first eight throws of the final round.

“You never know what’s going to happen on any given day because anything can happen,” Livingston said.

However, Norton’s Morgan Hallett, who led after the qualifying round, unleashed the iron ball to a mark of 43-7 1/2 to earn herself the state championship.

“It happens,” Livingston said of watching Hallett win the event on her final throw. “I’ve been throwing since I was eight years old and you never know what’s going to happen at a meet. It’s great for (Hallett) because she did a really great job.”

Livingston was consistently in the low to mid 40s with her marks all spring. She hopes to continue to improve on her marks and plans to use her silver medal as motivation.

“Even without a season (in 2020), I’ve grown and improved a lot this year, so I am still very happy with the way it turned out,” Livingston said. “I hope to be in the high 40s next year. I’ve been working on my spin a lot.”

While Livingston had been throwing since she was a youth, Jones had never long jumped once in her life prior to this season.

Now, the talented ninth grader can call herself a state runner-up after she marked the sand at 17-8 1/2.

“It’s very, very new to me,” Jones said of long jumping. “I never got the chance in junior high and then my coaches talked to me and said, ‘you’re fast and you jump high, so why not?'”

Obviously, Jones trusted her coaches and it paid dividends for her.

“Once I got the technique down fairly well, I thought I could be pretty good at it,” Jones said. “I just kept doing it, working on my technique and I just kept getting better.”

Even with the continual improvement and strides she was making, Jones admitted she would have laughed at someone if he or she told her she’d be the state runner-up.

“I was jumping 15s when I first started,” Jones smiled.

Jones gave credit to her competition for bringing the best out in here on Saturday and for posting an impressive 17-11 1/4 to win the event.

“I am definitely motivated to keep practicing and working harder,” Jones said.

The long jump was just the beginning of an impressive day for Jones. She came back to Jefferson County as an All-Ohioan four events.

She was sixth in the 100 meter dash with a 12.56 and was seventh in the 200 with a 25.99.

Steubenville’s impressive 4×2 team of Mya Stackhouse, Madalyn Criss, Madison Beadling and Jones posted a 1:44.25 to finish third overall.

Beadling ran with a fresh cast on her right arm after she fell during the 300 low hurdles in Friday’s semifinals.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE junior Emily Thompson surprised a lot of people, including herself, when she earned All-Ohio in the pole vault as a freshman in 2019.

She returned to the state’s biggest stage this season as one of the vaulters to watch for an extremely high place. Consistently clearing 11-foot or better this spring, Thompson didn’t disappoint again.

The talented Red Devil cleared 11-6, which was good enough to tie for fourth place with Pemberville Eastwood’s Julia Sabo for yet another All-Ohio finish.

“I feel pretty good about how the competition went,” Thompson said. “I have to admit I was pretty nervous my freshmen year. I was much calmer (Saturday). I knew where I was seeded and I wanted to get on the podium and not be standing in the grass (because the North podium had only platforms for six places).”

Thompson — a pole vaulting junkie — struggled during the year off from formal competition, but she — like so many athletes — found a way to stay sharp.

“There were days we brought the mats out when it was like 22 degrees outside and we were outside vaulting,” Thompson said. “To be back on the podium after a year off is pretty impressive.”

With one prep season still in front of her, Thompson has already shifted her mindset to 2022. Actually, one similarity in the mindset remains. She wants to continue to move up the podium.

“I just want to get better,” Thompson said. “I plan to practice so much this summer and then during the winter and next season, so it gets to the point that people are like, ‘hey, I remember that kid from last season.”

UNION LOCAL senior Liam Vinskovich, who recently signed to continue his track and field career at West Liberty University, earned a spot on the All-Ohioan banner that hangs inside the UL Gymnasium.

After competing in three running events during Friday’s portion of the meet, Vinskovich returned to the track for the high jump.

He cleared 6-4 to once again equal the Union Local High School all-time best and finished in a tie for seventh place.

“I never, at all, expected to be here, so to be All-Ohio is just crazy to me,” Vinskovich said.

The crazy part is actually that COVID-19 had a positive impact on Vinskovich’s track exploits. He wasn’t even planning to go out for the team in the 2020 season, but with another year of growth and increased strength, Vinskovich decided to give the sport a chance again.

“I got a little bit better and a little bit faster,” Vinskovich said. “I think the year off helped me a little bit. It’s been an incredible ride all season.”

Vinskovich was the lone Belmont Countian to earn the right to compete here in four events this weekend.

“I owe so much to my coaches — Todd Blake, Sean McCrate, Coach Anna, Coach Lindy, all of them,” Vinskovich said.

DIVISION III

The area’s Division III contingent saw four competitors bring back a medal.

Both were from Steubenville Catholic Central.

Senior Joe Rohde finished eighth in the 400 meter dash in 51.76.

Junior Clara Symington was seventh in the 300 low hurdles with a time of 45.63.

Shenandoah finished with 17 team points thanks to a pair of state runner-up finishes. Senior Max McVicker was second in the intermediate hurdles with a time of 40.09. He was also eighth in the high hurdles.

Classmate Shakur Payton was the runner-up in the high jump with a 6-5 clearance.

Shadyside’s Paige Gorby wrapped up her season by finishing 11th in the long jump with a mark of 16-3.

Junior Wyatt Reiman was 15th in the high jump, clearing 6-feet.

Barnesville’s Anna Yater was 10th in the shot put with a mark of 36-1. Shamrocks freshman Marah Bethel was 15th in the 800 with a time of 2:25.39.