Honzu hitting her stride
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AUSTINTOWN -- Warren G. Harding senior Jameire Honzu has seen the best Ohio has to offer in both the state indoor and outdoor meets in the past, and as a senior, there's always that potential that every meet could be the last.
With that in mind, Honzu hasn't pulled any punches this spring, earning an event win to start the running finals Friday evening at Austintown Fitch, clocking a time of 14.50 to advance in the 100 hurdles. That was before having to also compete for the Raiders in the 300 hurdles, the 4×200 and the 4×100.
"The whole goal throughout the season has been to go to state again, keep dropping my time and this season has been very personal since it's my senior season and there's a lot of expectations, so I know what I have to do and I just run my race," Honzu said. "It's helped me prepare for later meets like districts and regionals and it gets me prepared. Anyone I'm running against, I know I have to run my best. Having a lot of competition helps, it ultimately just pushes me even though it's a challenge, overall it's a good thing.
"I go in with the mindset that anything can happen in a race, I try not to think negatively, but anything can happen, I just go in with a clear mind and think positively and just do my best."
Despite it being a long meet with four events to run, Honzu feels her fellow Raiders are just as responsible for her success.
"Credit to my teammates too for pushing me and I wouldn't be here without them, it's very rewarding, especially this time of the season."
TWICE THE GOLD
Fitch junior Meghan Vadas has qualified for the indoor state meet twice, yet a ticket to the outdoor interiation has eluded her thus far. She drew one step closer to achieving that goal, earning two district titles, the first in the discus at 118-2, then cleared a height of 11-0 for a pole vault title.
"I really just had to come in with confidence and know that I know what to do. I know how my body reacts and to stay calm. I started off a little choppy in the disc; I just had to take a couple of breaths and do what I know I can do, and just trust myself and my practice all this year," Vadas said. "It's pretty rewarding to be home and take first at your own home stands, it's pretty rewarding. It's a lot of work. We start in November and it all leads up to this, it's pretty amazing.
"Our sprints coach got me into throwing my freshman year. He said I was explosive so I just started doing it and I've been improving a little bit more and more, now we're here. My brother used to pole vault, so with my gymnastics background I figured I'd get into this and just fell in love with it, it's my passion now."
With the ultimate goal still on the table, the time to lock in for regionals is now.
"I'm pretty pumped, I'm confident. I'm ready to come out here and compete to go to state and get that top four spot, hopefully maybe even winning in the pole vault, I'm just ready to compete. I've qualified twice before for indoor, but I've come short a couple of times for outdoor, so this is really my year. I feel like this is a good year for me."
ALL-SPORT ATHLETE
Chaney freshman Alyssa Brown has had a busy school year between soccer, basketball, and now track regionals. As an individual, she made the cut at fourth place with a personal best time of 26.27 in the 200, having earlier helped the Cowgirls earn second place during the 4×200 at 1:46.07, alongside Dayniaya Harris, Deleyla Pagan Asencio, and Elsha Perkins.
It's only her second year competing in track, trying to follow in the footsteps of her mother, Jodi, who ran at Cardinal Mooney.
"It's great to come back out here, there's a lot of fast girls out here pushing to be up there, so I'm very thankful to be one of those girls," Brown said. "I'm very proud, a lot of girls work with me in practice, so to be able to come out here and show our school, it feels great.
"With my other sports, it really helps with my strength and being able to run a certain amount of times."
It's been a long grind since the fall, but a journey Brown is thankful for.
"In soccer I'm a striker so, to be able to run down and score, basketball I'm running back and forth throughout the whole game, so running track really helps with breathing and the other sports. I love it, I love sports, I've been doing it my whole life, so I don't want to take any breaks, so I keep working every day."
OTHER EVENT WINS
Austintown Fitch sophomore Kayla Clinkscale earned gold in the long jump at 16-8.25....Boardman senior Sarah Bero earned first on Wednesday in the shot put at 40-2.50.