Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes Maplewood junior Andrew Donaldson competes in the Division III boys 800-meter run, earning silver with a time of 1:54.51.

COLUMBUS — Maplewood is one of those programs that always finds itself amongst the chaos of state track. With experience aplenty on their relays, the opportunity to find hardware was there.

They started off the Division III boys meet on the right foot, earning bronze in the 4×800-meter relay, on a humid early Friday morning, before junior Andrew Donaldson earned some hardware as an individual on Saturday, taking silver during the 800-meter run, posting a time of 1:54.51.

It’s Donaldson’s third consecutive season placing at the state meet, having earned seventh during the 800 last June, and fourth in the 4×800 his freshmen campaign.

Raising the bar was his main goal going into Columbus, especially going from Friday into Saturday.

“Second place is what I was shooting for. I always want to go for first, but Beau (Hesler) is fast, and I just have to admit, he had a great race. I got second like I was supposed to in the heat sheet. I think that contributed a lot to yesterday. I wanted a different color medal, so I went out and got one,” Donaldson said after his 800m. “Me and my coaches talked about it all day (on Friday), to calm me down from my team having to rely on me to get them to the spot that we got.

“Really, (after the 4×800), we sat around, waited, thought about the race today, my coach and I talked a lot about what could and couldn’t happen. He said to be there to race with first, and I was there, (Hesler) just had more, so that happened.”

The 4×800 platoon of senior Trevor Shipman, sophomore Ethan Nevinski, freshmen Micah Sparks, and Donaldson clocked a time of 8:02.57 early in the morning on Friday, behind a speedy second place McDonald relay group.

There was some sense of seeking redemption after Dayton last June, where the Maplewood relay team earned twelfth. Shipman and Donaldson were returners from last year.

“Last year the 4×800 didn’t go as we hoped it would, so doing this today felt pretty good,” Shipman said. “Coming in last year, we had very high hopes, and the whole race was just off for us. That really empowered me to try to get in our Hall of Fame this year, get top four, and achieve our goals.

“This is the toughest competition I’ve seen in awhile here, it was very stiff.”

The boys 4×800 didn’t just include McDonald, but Mineral Ridge as well. The great talent that comes from Trumbull County wasn’t lost on anyone.

“I think it shows that we have some very good firepower,” Donaldson said. “Our county meet, it looked like this. All three of us (McDonald and Mineral Ridge), we battled each other all year, and that’s what made us great. We came down here and us and McDonald getting top three and two, it really pays to battle your competition in Trumbull County.”

Nevinski was an alternate in Dayton last year, and while he didn’t have the chance to compete, he took mental notes that prepared him for this past weekend in Columbus.

“It was fun, it’s a little nerve wracking to watch and see everything, but you get out to run, it’s exciting and everybody is fast here, so you have to go fast,” Nevinski said. “It’s cool, seeing all the bleachers packed, it’s the only meet that I’ve seen like this.”

Likewise, Micah Sparks was making his state debut as well.

“This was fantastic, I’m so excited that I’m able to run down here, I’m just very blessed and happy to see all of the people that came down to see not just our team but to see everybody race,” Sparks said. “It’s definitely a challenge I enjoy taking on, but it can also be definitely intimidating. I just make sure I’m properly rested, and pray before a race and take care of my body.

“I sorta have to let race happen and adjust to that. If it’s ultra crowded, I’m going to make sure I go out and work harder.”

Now with his junior season and three medals in the books to date, Donaldson eyes a senior campaign that can further add to his Rockets resume.

With another target on his radar, the Maplewood 800 record of 1:53.40, which Donaldson is currently about a second short of reaching.

“Next year, the Divisions are getting split up, and I’ll lose a bunch of competition like Carson (Klase). He’s graduating, he’s great competition. It’s going to suck, but me and my coach are going to figure it out, go and get me in some races to get myself faster and hopefully my school record coming up soon.” Donaldson said.