Photo/CODY NESPOR SHADYSIDE SENIOR Mason VanNest races toward a victory in the 200 meter dash during Saturday's OVAC Cal Giffin Track and Field Championship Meet at Red Devil Stadium in St. Clairsville. Also pictured is Steubenville's Inky Jones (left) and Morgantown's Marquis Mauney.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The team title in Class 5A came down to the final 100 meters of the final leg of the final event at Saturday’s OVAC Cal Griffin Track Championship at Red Devil Stadium in St. Clairsville.

Entering the event, Morgantown held a two-point lead over second-place Steubenville (102-100). The final event of the day was the 4×400 relay, which happens to be Big Red’s best event.

The Mohigans were in the lead through the first three legs of the relay until Steubenville senior Brenton “Inky” Jones met Morgantown’s Preston Core down the final 100-meter stretch. Jones outraced Core just enough to win the race by less than one second, 3:31.59 to 3:32.28, and clinch a share of the Class 5A championship.

“Both teams ran a heck of a race and we happened to come out on top,” said Steubenville coach Andy Kidwell. “The coaches are very confident in the 4×400 team. All year, it’s been that relay that we think is going to move on to the state level.”

Winning the event netted Big Red 10 points and coming in second gave Morgantown eight as they finished in a tie for first place with 110 points each.

Kidwell said the relay team — which included Jones, Savior Faulks, Josh Schoonover and Micah Mitchell — were not even aware of the stakes prior to the race.

“We were excited and they didn’t even know because they were getting ready for the race,” Kidwell said. “They had no idea. Those kids were just being their competitive selves and going out to try and win.”

It is the eighth overall OVAC boys track championship for the Big Red and their first since 1972.

“So far this year, I think the boys have won every meet they’ve been at,” Kidwell said. “They’re doing an unbelievable job. I know it means a lot to the kids, us and our school community.”

Along with the 4×800 relay, Steubenville also won the 4×200 relay (1:32.51) with Jalen Minniefield replacing Faulks. Big Red had other event wins by Javin Harper in the shot put (44-9.5), Mitchell in the 110 hurdles (15.91) and 300 hurdles (40.45) and Jones in the 400 (49.46) and 200 (22.50).

Wheeling Park finished third behind Steubenville and Morgantown with 116 points. The Patriots had event wins in the 100 by Christian Bryan (11.18) and in the 800 from Jonah Nizami (2:00.78).

Class 1A/2A

If lions are the king of the jungle, then tigers must be the king of track. At least in the Ohio Valley that is.

The Shadyside Tigers won their third-straight OVAC Championship in Class 1A/2A and their 31st overall with a staggering team score of 162.

“The guys did awesome,” said Shadyside coach Jeff Campbell. “You can’t feel much better than we do right now.”

The Tigers claimed 10 event wins led by seniors Wyatt Reiman and Mason VanNest.

Individually, Reiman won the high jump (6-4) and VanNest won the 100 (11.16) and 200 (21.92). They were both also on the winning relay teams in the 4×100 (45.17) and 4×400 (3:36.19). Nathan Booth and Andrew Osman joined them in the 4×100 while Jayden Carmichael and Kooper Chimley were on the 4×400 team.

Chimley, Osman, Nathen Booth and Dylan Booth also won the 4×110 shuttle hurdle relay (1:03.39).

Individually, Osman also won the pole vault (13-0), Nathan Booth won the 110 hurdles (15.84) and Chimley won the 400 (54.18).

The team of Landen Salgat, Jacob James, Lee McKitrick and Holden Salgat won the 4×800 relay with a time of 9:15.20.

“To point out one kid wouldn’t be right because, as a team, we just did unbelievable today,” Campbell said. “From day one, the work that these guys have put in has been ridiculous. We have a fantastic group of personalities mixed in with work ethic and ability, combined with what I say is the best coaching staff around.”

Wheeling Central was the runner-up in Class 1A/2A with a score of 48. The Maroon Knights claimed victory in the 4×200 relay (1:34.17) with the team of Rylie Watkins, Braden McWreath, Lorenzo Ferrera and Cooper Blair.

First-time competitors Wood County Christian finished in third place with a score of 42.

Locally, Toronto senior Josh Fancher swept the throwing events with a 165-3 discus throw and a 57-1 1/2 heave in the shot put.

Bridgeport’s John Tully took first place in the 3200 with a time of 10:25.00.

George Harris from Steubenville Catholic Central won the 300 hurdles in 43.95.

Valley’s Triston Bates won the long jump with a leap of 19-8.

Class 3A

Finally healthy, the Linsly Cadets were able to realize their potential and took home the Class 3A trophy with a team score of 146, ahead of Barnesville’s 108 and Bellaire’s 92.

Leading the charge for the Cadets was junior JyLeik Johnson.

“He ran incredibly well today,” said Linsly coach Nate Cumberworth. “He’s dealt with a hamstring injury all season and it was just nagging him so to see him get through everything (Saturday) was really cool.”

Johnson won individual titles in the 100 (11.05) and 200 (22.92) and was on the winning 4×100 relay team (45.59). Joining Johnson on that team were Malte Feil, Colby Gibbons and Atley Cowan.

“I know (Johnson) didn’t get MVP, but definitely for our team, he was MVP,” Cumberworth said. “He deserves a lot of credit for our success today.”

Linsly won seven events overall, with Dubale Greathouse taking the high jump (5-10) and Felix Reitter winning the 400 (52.87) also winning individually.

Cowan, Feil, Reitter and Santiago Graneros also won the 4×200 relay (1:34.01) and Gibbons, Vilenius, Lane Kenderski and George Donovic won the 4×100 shuttle hurdle relay (1:03.13).

For the Shamrocks, senior Tyler Jenkins swept the distance runs with a 4:38.86 in the 1600 and a 9:51.28 in the 3200.

Barnesville also won the 4×800 relay with Julian Becerra, Conner Starr, Vincent Phillips and Jenkins in 8:43.05.

Bellaire had a pair of two event winners in meet MVP Colt Sechrest and sophomore Mayson Sochor.

Sechrest won the discus (184-07) and shot put (51-1) by wide margins while Sochor won the 110 hurdles (15.08) and 300 hurdles (43.71).

Sechrest’s discus mark was a personal best and an all-time OVAC record. He broke his own mark by more than two feet.

Martins Ferry picked up a couple of event wins in the long jump with a 19-5.5 jump by Jackson Crate and in the 4×400 relay with Mitchell Tickerhoof, Trent Lewis, Crate and Francis Toohey running 3:37.67.

Class 4A

The Red Devils made it a clean sweep at home Saturday, with both the boys and girls winning Class 4A team titles inside their home stadium.

“To do it at home is special,” said coach Tony Ciroli. “It’s exciting. I was nervous and I think the kids were nervous. After doing this for too many years, you’d think that nervousness would go away. They want to win and I want to win just as much as they do. For boys and girls to come out and win, that’s just sweet.”

St. Clairsville came in first with a team score of 116, followed by Cambridge with 98 and Union Local with 88.

The Red Devils had wins in the pole vault, 4×100 shuttle hurdle relay and the 4×800 relay.

Karl Kain won the pole vault, clearing 13-6, Kaleb Waltz, Gavin Schoolcraft, Colton Westlake and Grant Swider won the shuttle with a time of 1:03.72 and Ben Shields, Jack Gasber, Nate thornburg and Gannon Kazmirski won the 4×800 in 8:14.35.

Ciroli said his team does a good job of motivating themselves with healthy competition. That is especially true for Thornburg.

“He has family members who hold the school record and he wants to beat them,” Ciroli said. “Even though they’re competing against other teams, they’re also competing against the people who have preceded them. That’s what I would consider healthy competition.”

The Jets also had three wins with Johnny Sabinsky prevailing in both throwing events and Hadyen McCrate taking the 110 hurdles.

Sabinsky won in the discus with a throw of 149 and in the shot put with 51-1.75. McCrate won with a time of 15.02.

Weir also won a trio of events. Jayson Nosko cleared 6-4 to win the high jump, Josh Duffy ran 10:22.11 to top the 3200 and the team of Max Maley, Shawn Young, Malachi Stromile and Josh Boffman won the 4×400 relay in 3:41.11.

Finally, Oak Glen had a pair of winners in Konnor Allison in the 1600 (4:27.13) and Matthew Greenlief in the 400 (51.87).