Drew Boggs of Delphos St. John’s competes in the High Jump during Thursday’s Division III OHSAA Track & Field State Championships at Welcome Stadium in Dayton.
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
DAYTON – Perry’s Kimari Glenn competed in last year’s Division III state track and field meet in the long jump.
This year, as a junior, Glenn stamped his ticket to the state meet in four events at last week’s D-III regional meet at Troy.
On Thursday, the first day of the Ohio High School Athletic Association State Track and Field Championships at the University of Dayton, Glenn made it onto the awards podium as he placed sixth in the long jump with a mark of 21 feet, 2.75 inches.
At last year’s D-III state meet Glenn finished 11th in the long jump.
All of Thursday’s action at the state track meet was in Division III. On Friday, D-II and D-I athletes will begin their competition, along with the D-III running finals.
Unfortunately, on Thursday, Glenn did not qualify for the finals in the 100 (11.47 seconds), 200 (22.85) or the 400 (51.15).
“I don’t feel the best, but I’m still glad that I placed,” Glenn said after he finished sixth in the long jump. “I’ll have the opportunity to come back next year and do better.”
Glenn admitted that he wasn’t sure if he could qualify for this year’s state meet in four events.
“I’m not going to lie. … It surprised me because last year I only made it (to the state meet) in the long jump. This year, I did put in a lot of work, but I didn’t really expect to make it in all four (events),” Glenn said with a grin.
Marion Local’s Knapke places second in the discus
Marion Local senior Jack Knapke notched a second-place finish in Thursday’s discus with a personal-best mark of 177-1.
The Ohio State commit was making his fourth trip to the D-III state track meet.
“I had a lot of confidence going in, just knowing it was my fourth time here,” Knapke said. “The nerves were not near as high as the first time I came here. I was aiming for 180 (feet) and I came really close. But I couldn’t be happier. … It’s awesome.”
Boggs places in the high jump
Drew Boggs from Delphos St. John’s placed fifth in the D-III high jump on Thursday with a new school record of 6 feet, 5 inches.
“I knew everyone’s heights coming into this,” Boggs said. “I knew that everyone would be jumping higher, but that never stops me. It was a perfect day to break it (school record).”
Other area placers on Thursday
Lincolnview’s 3,200 relay (Kreston Tow, Evan Johns, Maddox Norton, Conner Baldauf; eighth, 8:10.39), Minster’s Charlie Schmiesing (fifth in discus; 166-7), Minster’s 3,200 relay (Ryan Halpin, Will Knapke, Nick Prenger, Jack Grieshop; third, 8:01.83), New Bremen’s 3,200 relay (Sam Bernhold, Pierce Whitlach, Zach Wiedeman, Jett Jellison; fourth, 8:02.93), New Knoxville’s Preston Rutschilling (sixth in high jump; 6-4).
Area D-III boy athletes advancing to the finals
Ada’s Jackson Brown (110 hurdles,15.03), Allen East’s 800 relay (Deacon Jones, Jackson Friesner, Isen Schafer, Trey Hensley; eighth,1:30.59), Lincolnview’s Conner Baldauf (400, 49.63) and Lincolnview’s Cody Ricker (300 hurdles, 39.97), Marion Local’s Justin Knouff (100,11.02), Marion Local’s 800 relay (Wesley Schoen, Victor Hoelscher, Justin Knouff, Aiden Grieshop; first, 1:29.80), Marion Local’s Victor Hoelscher (200, 22.40), Marion Local’s 400 relay (Brayden Pavelka, Justin Knouff, Kyle Otte, Carter Jones; fourth, 43.58), Marion Local’s 1,600 relay (Aiden Grieshop, Victor Hoelscher, Andrew Pohlman, Wesley Schoen, 3:23.16), Ottoville’s Garrett Trentman (300 hurdles, 39.71).
**Complete results of the D-III state track meet can be found on milesplit.oh.
