by Frank Aceto
Associate Sports Editor
Better now than later, but it's still not good.
A depleted Streetsboro boys track and field team finished third with 80 points at the eight-team Labrae Invitational April 19 in Leavittsburg. McDonald won the competition with 133 points and Warren Howland placed second (126.5).
The Rockets managed to stay in the hunt despite injuries to a couple of their top sprinters. All-state sprinter Cory Lanterman did not compete because of a leg injury and Erik Howard injured his hamstring during the meet.
Streetsboro head coach Tom Fesemyer hopes to have Lanterman back soon, but he wasn't sure of Howard's status.
"Erik qualified for the finals in the 400-meter race, but he couldn't run in the final," he said. "He had the best time going into it. We tried to tape it up and get it loose, but we decided to shut him down."
Thankfully for the Rockets, they did have sprinter Kasey Schwing.
He won the 200 with a time of 22.8 seconds and was the anchor on the first-place 400 relay team that included Brandon Richardson, Jarred Seligman and Mike Moore (44.8). He also placed second in the 100 (11.0).
Justin Sabol added a fifth place in the 110 high hurdles (18.1).
But the key to Streetsboro's success was the Rockets' performance in the field events.
"Our guys in the field events shined," Fesemyer said. "We scored 21 points."
Jason Tibbs finished second in the shot put with a toss of 43 feet, 4 inches and seventh in the discus (111-8). Mike Moore added a second place in the long jump and Shane Felger placed eighth in the shot put (38-9). Jason Bennison also finished eighth in the discus (109-11).
Moore, who finished eighth in the high jump (5-4), didn't have much time to rest in-between events.
"Mike did one long jump and then he was called to do the high jump," Fesemyer said. "He made one high jump and then he was called for the hurdles. That's an awful lot of pressure on him. He had to do too much too soon."
Moore concluded his busy day with a fourth place in the 110 hurdles (16.4).
Others who placed for the Rockets were the following:
300 hurdles: Nick Wiseman, sixth, 46.1
800: Matt Melice, sixth, 2:16
3,200: Tom Grice, fifth, 11:09
3,200 relay: Stan Rocuskie, Troy Wendell, Melice and Jan Sohlmann, season-best 9:13.5
800 relay: Richardson, Seligman, Wiseman and Schwing, sixth, 1:38.2
1,600 relay: Wiseman, Leon Hedgepeth, Melice and Sohlmann, sixth, 3:54
On April 15, Streetsboro got a split with Portage Trail Conference County Division rivals Woodridge and Mogadore at Woodridge High School. Woodridge beat the Rockets (70-58) and Mogadore (106-22). Streetsboro scored a 104-24 win over Mogadore.
The following Rockets placed in the top three in their events:
Shot put: Tibbs, second
Discus: Bennison, second
Long jump: Moore, first, 19-10
High jump: Moore, first, 6-0
110 hurdles: Moore, second; and Sabol, third
100: Schwing, first, 11.0; and Howard, second
800 relay: Schwing, Lanterman, Howard and Richardson, first, 1:33.7
400: Lanterman, first, 51.8
300 hurdles: Wiseman, third
200: Lanterman, first, 22.5; and Schwing, second
Lanterman felt pain after he competed in the 200.
"We decided to give him a week off," Fesemyer said. "Another sprinter, Mario Valenti, also is out with an oblique injury. If we ran at full strength, I think we would have beaten Woodridge."
The Rockets were scheduled to visit County rival East Canton April 22. Results were not available at press time. They are set to compete in the Aurora Invitational April 25 at 4 p.m.
Streetsboro is set to visit Ravenna for a tri-meet with County foes Garfield and Waterloo April 29 at 4 p.m.
E-mail: faceto@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-686-3914