Division 1 Boys
Bold Prediction: Evan Matthews Runs US No. 10 All-Time 300m Hurdles Mark
A week removed from the fastest 300m Hurdles time in the country, Pickerington Central's Evan Matthews is still hungry for more. His 36.12 at the Division 1 Region 4 meet was a US No. 1 mark and US No. 26 all-time (according to our database), but this weekend we could see something even bigger. After five straight races under 37, Matthews is trending in the right direction and should be ready to drop something fierce on Saturday.
For our first bold prediction, this Saturday we will see Matthews run a US No. 10 all-time mark, cracking the current standard of 35.67 in the 300m Hurdles.
Races To Watch
4x800 Meter Relay
Top 5 Seeds:
1) St. Xavier (Cin.) - 7:49.31
2) Kings - 7:50.05
3) Pickerington Central - 7:50.06
4) Ashland - 7:50.42
5) Hudson - 7:51.25
Breakdown:
Is this a state meet or a national meet?
The national rankings are littered with Ohioan teams in the 4x800 relay on both the boys' and girls' sides. The five top seeds listed above are all among the top 50 marks in the country (50 teams reside within 10 seconds of each other).
St. Xavier leads the way with their 7:49.31 mark and is led by 1:53.21 junior Thomas Walters. Kings trails very close behind led by super-sophomore Alex Justus and his 1:53.14 best. If it comes down to a sprint between these two, it may be too close to call.
Pickerington Central sits a fraction of a tick behind Kings and will have Brady Johnson (1:52.37) on the anchor. Ashland is the third team in the 7:50s and benefits from a great deal of balance. Their top open 800 runner this year is 51st in the state - Kaden Mendenhall (1:57.21). Hudson has been buzzing in the long distance events since indoor season and will be led by Lucas Lay (1:55.97). Evan Manley and Adam Beucler provide two seasoned veteran legs to make Hudson a dangerous team heading into this one.
It's anyone's call in the Boys 4x800 which makes this one of the premier events to watch this weekend. All 18 teams are seeded at 8:00.77 or better.
400 Meter Dash
Top 5 Seeds:
1) Korbin Martino, Canal Winchester - 47.30
2) Justin Braun, Thomas Worthington - 47.53
3) Zarik Brown, Wayne - 47.67
4) Jameel Williamson, Dublin Coffman - 48.08
5) Josh Page, Dublin Coffman - 48.14
Breakdown:
The top two seeds heading into the Division 1 Boys 400 are two of the fastest underclassmen in the country.
Canal Winchester super-sophomore Korbin Martino has posted the top time in the country among the Class of 2021. His 47.30 from last week's D1 Region 3 meet pushed him ahead of the two previously ahead of him and now has him getting national attention as one of the next big things in the 400.
But wait. There's still US No. 1 Freshman Justin Braun of Thomas Worthington. His 47.53 is not too far off Martino and should help spell the first of many fierce state meet battles between these two young men. They already faced off last weekend and have seen each other throughout 2019, but now they will go to war on the biggest stage.
Wayne's Zarik Brown is coming off a 200/400 double at the D1 Indoor State Championships and will look to hold off Martino and Braun to grab his first outdoor state title. He has run 47.35 this season. Trailing behind, but not too far, is the Dublin Coffman duo of Jameel Williamson and Josh Page. This will be the first time either boy has run an individual event at the state meet and they could surprise some folks in their inaugural run.
All 18 competitors come in under 50 seconds which should make a trip to finals a tough ticket to earn.
300m Hurdles
Top 5 Seeds:
1) Evan Matthews, Pickerington Central - 36.12
2) Cory Berg, Mount Vernon - 37.06
3) Jacob Ranker, Marysville - 37.87
4) Tyler Hannah, Lakewood - 37.93
5) Rickey Hyatt, Westerville Central - 38.11
Breakdown:
This is a race to watch based mostly on the afore-mentioned Evan Matthews.
Just how fast will he run?
While Matthews, barring any unforeseen circumstances, should run away with the victory, the battle behind him will be tight. Mount Vernon's Cory Berg, Marysville's Jacob Ranker, and Lakewood's Tyler Hannah all come in under 38 seconds and could challenge a sub-37 mark in their own rights.
Westerville Central's Rickey Hyatt, Jr. is the fifth fastest seed based on regional times at 38.11 with seven others falling in at 38.55 or better. With only nine spots to finals up for grabs, it may take a 38.50 or better to even have a prayer at finals this weekend.
3200 Meter Run
Top 5 Seeds:
1) Vincent Mauri, Howland - 9:03.63
2) Jacob Harris, Toledo Whitmer - 9:11.04
3) Justin Iler, University School - 9:14.83
4) Mhalicki Bronson, Defiance - 9:16.20
5) Giovanni Copploe, Canfield - 9:16.38
Breakdown:
Vincent Mauri has been untouchable this outdoor season, winning all nine of his races this season across the 800, 1600, and 3200. The Howland senior opted to focus on the 3200 this weekend and may be gearing up for a sub-9:00 attempt. After running a 9:03.63 personal best last weekend, it would hardly be surprising.
The field is stacked. Seventeen boys come in sub-9:27 with the eighteenth seed sitting at 9:31.66. Mauri leads the way, but behind him are six more boys under 9:20. The boys mentioned above will most likely duke it out for second, but also keep an eye out for Hudson's Adam Beucler (9:18.86), who ran 9:08.63 for fourth last year, St. Edward's Daniel Conway (9:17.25), and Pickerington North's Matt Duvall. Duvall enters at 9:21.74, but finished seventh hear last year in 9:14.62.
Field Events To Watch
Shot Put/Discus
Madison's Nolan Landis is lifting off in both events this year and could put on a show for the throws fans this weekend.
Landis enters as the top seed in both the shot put and discus and will warrant your attention. The Indiana commit has thrown 198-2 (OH No. 1, US No. 8) in the discus and 64-4.25 (OH No. 1, US No. 17) in the shot put. He is the heavy favorite to claim his first two outdoor state titles.
In the shot put, Landis will be challenged by Rocky River's Michael Shoaf. Shoaf has thrown 60-8.5 this season, but is the reigning champion in the event. His 63-5.25 personal best from last season still trails Landis by nearly a foot, but Shoaf could pop off something to take down the top seed.
In the discus, Landis will see a challenge from Brecksville-Broadview's Tanner Watson. Watson has the 12th best mark in the country at 193-7 and comes into the state meet with a 185-11 seed.
Pole Vault
Vandalia-Butler's Dalton Shepler has been reaching new heights this season. And now he's gearing up for his first ever OHSAA State Meet.
That's right! With his 16-10 mark, one would assume Shepler is the reigning state champion, but, in fact, this will be his first trip to the outdoor state meet. He won the indoor state title at 16-6 and hasn't looked back since, clearing 15-0 feet in all 13 meets in which he's competed this outdoor season and winning every single one.
Centerville's jack of all trades Yariel Soto is the defending champ and comes in with 15-9 season best and though that is a top 5 mark in Division 1, Luke Bendick (Olentangy Liberty) is the next closest competitor for the crown. His 16-9 mark from mid-April has the senior eyeing an upset.
It could take a 17-0 clearance to win this weekend, and it could further take a 15-0 clearance to make the podium. Keep an eye on these high flyers as they seek out hardware in the pole vault.