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There’s still more than 90 days left until the outdoor high school state track meet gets into full swing.
However, Wheelersburg senior multi-sport athlete Kenyon Evans didn’t wait until this upcoming June’s track meet to make an impact.
He wanted to make one now.
Evans, a standout student-athlete for the Pirates, scored all 22 points for Wheelersburg at the 2026 Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches (OATCCC) State Championship Meet over the weekend, placing second in the Division III realm in the long jump and triple jump and third in the high jump to cap off a terrific effort in the event, which was held at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio on Saturday, March 7.
For Evans, the indoor track meet served as a bit of redemption for the senior, who wasn’t happy with his 2025 performance at the OHSAA State Championships in outdoor track after finishing 15th in the high jump.
“I was a little nervous coming in, but excited,” Evans said. “I didn’t perform well at the outdoor state meet last year, so I had to come out and redeem myself.”
Simply qualifying for a state meet, in and of itself, is a significant accomplishment — but considering the high achiever that Evans is, Saturday’s action certainly went above and beyond redemption.
Posting a 22-foot, seven-and-three-quarter inch mark in the long jump, Evans finished just whiskers off of the state championship-winning long jump mark set by Glenville’s Jay’Vier Kerr, who posted a 23-foot, one-and-three-quarters inch performance.
Evans then added in a performance that ranked inside the top-10 overall in all divisions across Ohio with an impressive 43-foot, one-and-three-quarters inch triple jump to finish second once again.
Like the poised athlete that he has proven to be time and again, Evans, like his long jump performance, posted his best performance on his sixth and final attempt — also finishing in the runner-up spot at the Division III level.
“Those numbers are just results of the work I have put in,” Evans said. “I still have bigger and better numbers to come.”
Evans, who cleared six feet even at the state level in the outdoor high jump in 2025, then resoundingly improved on that performance in 2026.
The senior ultimately cleared six feet, four inches on his third and final attempt as one of just five individuals in the Division III realm to clear the mark on that attempt, then became just one of three statewide by clearing six feet, five inches on his second try.
The 22-point performance by Evans allowed the Wheelersburg boys track and field program to claim fifth place at the 2026 OATCCC Indoor State Meet off of the senior’s efforts alone.
Evans’ individual efforts at the state level are made more impressive by the fact that the senior mainly perfected his field crafts in the very hallways that he tours five days a week as a student at Wheelersburg High School.
“It feels great,” Evans said of his resiliency. “I still found a way to practice in my school hallways to help build speed and prepare for this meet. It really shows the hard work that I’ve put in.”
For his efforts at the indoor state track and field meet, Evans credits Wheelersburg boys track and field head coach Ryan Brown for helping him continue to grow.
“(Ryan) Brown is always there for me helping me with my form and making me work every single day to get better,” Evans said. “The same goes for my teammates. I wouldn’t be where I am now without them competing against me in practice. I feel like this is just the start of something big for me and this year’s track team, but we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Along with Evans, Portsmouth’s JJ Percell and South Webster’s Braden Mantell also excelled in long distance running events in representing Scioto County in a high manner at the indoor state meet on Saturday.
Mantell, who ran in the 1,600 meter run in the Division IV realm, finished fourth with a time of 4:25.58, just over six-and-a-half seconds back of the indoor state champion in the event in Ansonia’s Bennett Lehman, who ran a 4:19.04.
Percell, who also ran in the 1,600 meter run but at the Division III level, placed seventh with a 4:29.89, and finished just a whisker over eight seconds back of the state championship winning time in the process.
Continue reading...
However, Wheelersburg senior multi-sport athlete Kenyon Evans didn’t wait until this upcoming June’s track meet to make an impact.
He wanted to make one now.
Evans, a standout student-athlete for the Pirates, scored all 22 points for Wheelersburg at the 2026 Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches (OATCCC) State Championship Meet over the weekend, placing second in the Division III realm in the long jump and triple jump and third in the high jump to cap off a terrific effort in the event, which was held at SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio on Saturday, March 7.
For Evans, the indoor track meet served as a bit of redemption for the senior, who wasn’t happy with his 2025 performance at the OHSAA State Championships in outdoor track after finishing 15th in the high jump.
“I was a little nervous coming in, but excited,” Evans said. “I didn’t perform well at the outdoor state meet last year, so I had to come out and redeem myself.”
Simply qualifying for a state meet, in and of itself, is a significant accomplishment — but considering the high achiever that Evans is, Saturday’s action certainly went above and beyond redemption.
Posting a 22-foot, seven-and-three-quarter inch mark in the long jump, Evans finished just whiskers off of the state championship-winning long jump mark set by Glenville’s Jay’Vier Kerr, who posted a 23-foot, one-and-three-quarters inch performance.
Evans then added in a performance that ranked inside the top-10 overall in all divisions across Ohio with an impressive 43-foot, one-and-three-quarters inch triple jump to finish second once again.
Like the poised athlete that he has proven to be time and again, Evans, like his long jump performance, posted his best performance on his sixth and final attempt — also finishing in the runner-up spot at the Division III level.
“Those numbers are just results of the work I have put in,” Evans said. “I still have bigger and better numbers to come.”
Evans, who cleared six feet even at the state level in the outdoor high jump in 2025, then resoundingly improved on that performance in 2026.
The senior ultimately cleared six feet, four inches on his third and final attempt as one of just five individuals in the Division III realm to clear the mark on that attempt, then became just one of three statewide by clearing six feet, five inches on his second try.
The 22-point performance by Evans allowed the Wheelersburg boys track and field program to claim fifth place at the 2026 OATCCC Indoor State Meet off of the senior’s efforts alone.
Evans’ individual efforts at the state level are made more impressive by the fact that the senior mainly perfected his field crafts in the very hallways that he tours five days a week as a student at Wheelersburg High School.
“It feels great,” Evans said of his resiliency. “I still found a way to practice in my school hallways to help build speed and prepare for this meet. It really shows the hard work that I’ve put in.”
For his efforts at the indoor state track and field meet, Evans credits Wheelersburg boys track and field head coach Ryan Brown for helping him continue to grow.
“(Ryan) Brown is always there for me helping me with my form and making me work every single day to get better,” Evans said. “The same goes for my teammates. I wouldn’t be where I am now without them competing against me in practice. I feel like this is just the start of something big for me and this year’s track team, but we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Along with Evans, Portsmouth’s JJ Percell and South Webster’s Braden Mantell also excelled in long distance running events in representing Scioto County in a high manner at the indoor state meet on Saturday.
Mantell, who ran in the 1,600 meter run in the Division IV realm, finished fourth with a time of 4:25.58, just over six-and-a-half seconds back of the indoor state champion in the event in Ansonia’s Bennett Lehman, who ran a 4:19.04.
Percell, who also ran in the 1,600 meter run but at the Division III level, placed seventh with a 4:29.89, and finished just a whisker over eight seconds back of the state championship winning time in the process.
Continue reading...
