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PENINSULA — The Metro Athletic Conference Championship was mesmerizing and not just because host Woodridge swept the team titles for the first time since 2019. Field, Ravenna and Streetsboro put up some remarkable performances as well.
Here are five things to know about what the MAC's three Portage County schools were able to achieve:
A year ago, the Falcons surged from fourth at the 2023 MAC Championship to second. Field repeated the feat at this year's league meet, scoring even more points than in 2024. Long stocked with distance runners and throwers, the Falcons have added a top-notch sprinter to the mix with impressive results.
That sensational sprinter?
Field junior Cedric Martin, who started the day with a school-record 10.93 to take second in the 100 dash, later adding another school-record time (22.08) to finish second in the 200.
"Our field events have been strong," Falcons coach Ed Conroy said. "Our distance was real strong last year, and Cedric was the gap we were missing a little bit, and, boy, he's just on all cylinders today."
Martin ended his day with a sub-50 split to help Field's 1,600 relay set another school record with its 3:25.56 championship run.
"Cedric has worked very hard," Conroy said. "Coach [James] Dutched has done a fantastic job with him in the speed workouts they're doing, but most of all, it's a mindset. He's believing in himself right now, he's competitive and he's healthy."
Martin played a part in 26 points for the Falcons, equal to the number of points their hurdlers put up. Senior Lucas Pollard took second in the 300, behind only a meet and stadium record performance by Woodridge's Connor Hons, and third in the 110, while freshman Logan Border took second in the 110 behind only Hons.
Field's throwers added 25 points led by senior Camden Radeschi taking second in the shot put and third in the discus. Junior Trevor Dixon scored 16 more points with his high jump title (6-2) and third-place finish in the long jump.
"The strength of our team is that we actually have somebody that scores in almost every event at this point in time," Conroy said. "We're deep all the way through. Many years in the past, we've had distance and throwers or distance and field events. no sprinters. Well this year, I think all three divisions — sprints, distance and field events — we're holding our own, so we're excited about that."
More: 7 things to know from the Don Faix Ohio high school track | Mogadore grand debut; more to know about Don Faix Invitational
Martin would've walked off the Mercer Family Track with a couple of MAC titles if not for a remarkable day from Rockets junior Ethan Laryea, who went sub-11 in the 100 (10.91) and sub-22 in the 200 (21.98). Both of those times would've gotten Laryea to state last year.
"He ran really well, sub-11, on Thursday, so his confidence is riding high," Streetsboro coach Robb Kidd said. "He's moving toward peaking at the right time. Running a low 10.9, I think he can get to a 10.7, which would be incredible. His block work is looking great. He's running so confidently and he's so strong. If you watch his 200, he didn't have the best start, the kid from Field really got out and had a nice lead on him, but his power and resilience down the line is really tough to beat."
Laryea's performance helped Streetsboro finish third in the team standings on a day when it was without one of its top runners (Charles Ivory) and hurdlers (Hayden Rudd). Laryea won all four events he participated in for a whopping 40 points as he was also part of the Rockets' championship 400 (43.53) and 800 (1:30.21) relays.
"The time was a PR in the 4x100," Kidd said. "If we can clean up those sticks, I think we can get to a 1:28, 1:27 in our 4x200 and that's without Charles, so relays have been something that we've been pretty strong in for a short while and the goal is to make our push to get to Jesse [Owens Memorial Stadium]."
Championships never come easy in a strong track league like the MAC. For longtime Ravens standouts Taylor Brown, Robert Melzer and Bryant Thompson, years of hard work paid off at Woodridge.
Melzer won the MAC shot put for the second straight season. A year ago, Melzer's 52-00.00 was enough to best Radeschi's 47-02.00. Radeschi, to his credit, surged to a 56-0 this year and Melzer rose to the occasion as well with a championship throw of 57-08.75.
Fellow Ravenna seniors Taylor Brown and Bryant Thompson have long been toward the top of the MAC but had never won a league title until this year. Brown won the long jump Thursday with a mark of 17-08.75 while Thompson won the 400 with a time of 51.03 two days later.
Junior Olivia Johnson-Wilson and sophomore Jenna Fall started the day with a 1-2 finish for the Rockets in the 100 hurdles, with Fall crossing the line just .13 of a second after Johnson-Wilson.
Somehow, they were even closer in the 300 — where competitors tend to be further spaced apart, if anything — with Johnson-Wilson just .004 of a second ahead of Fall for another 1-2 finish.
"It's like a friendly competition," Kidd said. "They're neck and neck down the line. They each possess a little bit different way of running it, but my goal is for both of those kids to be in the regional finals with a shot to go to Jesse. I think that they have a very realistic shot for that."
Lauren Schneider made the trip to Welcome Stadium last year to cheer on teammate Raegan Daugintis when she qualified for state.
Schneider is hoping to make a similar journey in 2025 and her MAC Championship performance was a great sign. A year ago, she finished fourth with a mark of 101-01. And this season? She improved by over 20 feet to take the MAC title with a 122-3. Better yet, four of the senior's six tosses traveled at least 120 feet, demonstrating her consistency.
"I think Lauren's won everything she's been in, dual meet and invitational, since the beginning of the year," Conroy said. "Lauren has worked very hard. She followed down last year Raegan Daugintis to the state meet to see what it was all about, and now that is her dream. Her dream is to get down to Columbus on her own."
More: Mogadore sweeps PTC Championships 'The boys are so excited': Mogadore track and field sweeps PTC Championships titles
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Streetsboro's Ethan Laryea, Field's Lauren Schneider shine at MAC meet
Continue reading...
Here are five things to know about what the MAC's three Portage County schools were able to achieve:
Second times two for Field boys
A year ago, the Falcons surged from fourth at the 2023 MAC Championship to second. Field repeated the feat at this year's league meet, scoring even more points than in 2024. Long stocked with distance runners and throwers, the Falcons have added a top-notch sprinter to the mix with impressive results.
That sensational sprinter?
Field junior Cedric Martin, who started the day with a school-record 10.93 to take second in the 100 dash, later adding another school-record time (22.08) to finish second in the 200.
"Our field events have been strong," Falcons coach Ed Conroy said. "Our distance was real strong last year, and Cedric was the gap we were missing a little bit, and, boy, he's just on all cylinders today."
Martin ended his day with a sub-50 split to help Field's 1,600 relay set another school record with its 3:25.56 championship run.
"Cedric has worked very hard," Conroy said. "Coach [James] Dutched has done a fantastic job with him in the speed workouts they're doing, but most of all, it's a mindset. He's believing in himself right now, he's competitive and he's healthy."
Martin played a part in 26 points for the Falcons, equal to the number of points their hurdlers put up. Senior Lucas Pollard took second in the 300, behind only a meet and stadium record performance by Woodridge's Connor Hons, and third in the 110, while freshman Logan Border took second in the 110 behind only Hons.
Field's throwers added 25 points led by senior Camden Radeschi taking second in the shot put and third in the discus. Junior Trevor Dixon scored 16 more points with his high jump title (6-2) and third-place finish in the long jump.
"The strength of our team is that we actually have somebody that scores in almost every event at this point in time," Conroy said. "We're deep all the way through. Many years in the past, we've had distance and throwers or distance and field events. no sprinters. Well this year, I think all three divisions — sprints, distance and field events — we're holding our own, so we're excited about that."
More: 7 things to know from the Don Faix Ohio high school track | Mogadore grand debut; more to know about Don Faix Invitational
Ethan Laryea shines for Streetsboro
Martin would've walked off the Mercer Family Track with a couple of MAC titles if not for a remarkable day from Rockets junior Ethan Laryea, who went sub-11 in the 100 (10.91) and sub-22 in the 200 (21.98). Both of those times would've gotten Laryea to state last year.
"He ran really well, sub-11, on Thursday, so his confidence is riding high," Streetsboro coach Robb Kidd said. "He's moving toward peaking at the right time. Running a low 10.9, I think he can get to a 10.7, which would be incredible. His block work is looking great. He's running so confidently and he's so strong. If you watch his 200, he didn't have the best start, the kid from Field really got out and had a nice lead on him, but his power and resilience down the line is really tough to beat."
Laryea's performance helped Streetsboro finish third in the team standings on a day when it was without one of its top runners (Charles Ivory) and hurdlers (Hayden Rudd). Laryea won all four events he participated in for a whopping 40 points as he was also part of the Rockets' championship 400 (43.53) and 800 (1:30.21) relays.
"The time was a PR in the 4x100," Kidd said. "If we can clean up those sticks, I think we can get to a 1:28, 1:27 in our 4x200 and that's without Charles, so relays have been something that we've been pretty strong in for a short while and the goal is to make our push to get to Jesse [Owens Memorial Stadium]."
Ravenna's Class of 2025 stands out
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Championships never come easy in a strong track league like the MAC. For longtime Ravens standouts Taylor Brown, Robert Melzer and Bryant Thompson, years of hard work paid off at Woodridge.
Melzer won the MAC shot put for the second straight season. A year ago, Melzer's 52-00.00 was enough to best Radeschi's 47-02.00. Radeschi, to his credit, surged to a 56-0 this year and Melzer rose to the occasion as well with a championship throw of 57-08.75.
Fellow Ravenna seniors Taylor Brown and Bryant Thompson have long been toward the top of the MAC but had never won a league title until this year. Brown won the long jump Thursday with a mark of 17-08.75 while Thompson won the 400 with a time of 51.03 two days later.
Olivia Johnson-Wilson, Jenna Fall hit the hurdles together
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Junior Olivia Johnson-Wilson and sophomore Jenna Fall started the day with a 1-2 finish for the Rockets in the 100 hurdles, with Fall crossing the line just .13 of a second after Johnson-Wilson.
Somehow, they were even closer in the 300 — where competitors tend to be further spaced apart, if anything — with Johnson-Wilson just .004 of a second ahead of Fall for another 1-2 finish.
"It's like a friendly competition," Kidd said. "They're neck and neck down the line. They each possess a little bit different way of running it, but my goal is for both of those kids to be in the regional finals with a shot to go to Jesse. I think that they have a very realistic shot for that."
Field's Lauren Schneider provides a Thursday highlight
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Lauren Schneider made the trip to Welcome Stadium last year to cheer on teammate Raegan Daugintis when she qualified for state.
Schneider is hoping to make a similar journey in 2025 and her MAC Championship performance was a great sign. A year ago, she finished fourth with a mark of 101-01. And this season? She improved by over 20 feet to take the MAC title with a 122-3. Better yet, four of the senior's six tosses traveled at least 120 feet, demonstrating her consistency.
"I think Lauren's won everything she's been in, dual meet and invitational, since the beginning of the year," Conroy said. "Lauren has worked very hard. She followed down last year Raegan Daugintis to the state meet to see what it was all about, and now that is her dream. Her dream is to get down to Columbus on her own."
More: Mogadore sweeps PTC Championships 'The boys are so excited': Mogadore track and field sweeps PTC Championships titles
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Streetsboro's Ethan Laryea, Field's Lauren Schneider shine at MAC meet
Continue reading...
