Boys Track: Morlocks lead loaded throwing field at WCAL Championships

If you want to get a look at some of the best throwers in the state, the Wayne County Athletic League Championships is the place to be this weekend.

The annual conference meet, which will take place Friday and Saturday at Dalton’s McFarren Field, features a host of talented individuals in both the shot put and discus, led by Norwayne’s Dillon Morlock.

The senior has been a tear all season long, grabbing hold — and improving upon — area records in each event and currently leads the entire state (all three divisions) in the shot (70-0½) and discus (201-2).

He won’t be alone as teammate, and cousin, Brandt Morlock is third statewide in the shot (62-10½) and 12th in the discus (170-4) on the heels of his state-placing season in the shot last spring.

If that wasn’t enough, Waynedale’s Ian Sarver cracked the state’s top-30 late last month with his toss of 53-9 ½ in the shot, while fellow Golden Bears Gatlin Herman (shot put) and Cade Herman (discus) are among leaders in Division III. Add Dalton’s Collin Jones and Rittman’s Hugo Hawkins in the shot and discus, respectively, and both fields are loaded with guys that could make legitimate runs to the state meet.

Across the county, at Triway, Orrville’s Talon Beichler will headline the throwing competition at the Principals Athletic Conference meet. The junior All-Ohioan is ninth overall in the shot (58-3½) and 15th overall in the discus (166-11)

Here’s a look at the conference boys meets involving area schools:

Inter-Valley Conference

WHEN: Thursday, 4 p.m.

WHERE: Lee Stadium (1 Woody Hayes Drive, Newcomerstown)

WHAT TO WATCH: Hiland junior Logan Miller has been among the top throwers locally all season long. The reigning league shot put runner-up will now look to make a push for the IVC title as he comes in with the fifth-best mark in the shot (48-3) and seventh in the discus (125-11). It won’t be easy, however, as Malvern’s Parker Bowe is the lone league thrower to surpass 50-feet in the shot, while Claymont’s Kurtis Haney has a 171-6 discus mark to his credit. On the track, the Hawks’ Adam Miller is coming off of back-to-back personal-record weeks in the 400. The senior clocked a career-best 54.40 at the Dwight Schar Invitational.

Principals Athletic Conference

WHEN: Thursday, 4:30 p.m. (field), 5 p.m. (4x8 finals), 6 p.m. (running finals)

WHERE: Triway Stadium (3205 Shreve Road, Wooster)

WHAT TO WATCH: Orrville has been one of the strongest area teams all spring and come into the league meet with just one question. Do they have enough to compete with CVCA? The Royals boast a lot of strength in the sprints and distance events, but the Red Riders have proven they can compete. Along with Beichler in the throws, the locals could pick up a lot of points in the field from Caden Race — the current PAC leader in the pole vault — and the guys like Trent Roe (long jump) and Landon Dalessandro (pole vault). Sophomore Owen Lacy is the lone distance runner in the field to break 10 minutes in the 3,200 and is also second in the 1,600, trailing Fairless’ Andrew Hearn by five seconds. Tuslaw sprinter Manny Strong is also one to watch as he has been strong in all three open events, where he has posted personal-record times in each this past month. Strong’s 400 time of 52.06 is the fastest locally this season. Speaking of speed, Triway’s Olley Krupp has come on strong in recent weeks and had career-best runs in the 200 (24.07) and 400 (52.24) this past week.

Ohio Cardinal Conference

WHEN: Friday, 3 p.m.

WHERE: Jack Miller Stadium (401 College Ave., Ashland)

WHAT TO WATCH: Led by All-Ohioan Kyle Maltarich, West Holmes will lean on its strength in the field in the annual league meet. Maltarich, who cleared 6-6 earlier this season, is the OCC standard in the high jump, but he’s far from alone. The Knights have the top thrower in both the shot (Maddax Graham) and discus (Jack Marmet), while teammate Grant Miller is second in both events, along with the leading pole vaulter in Tristen Middaugh. Jacob Miller also is fourth in the 3,200 — a field laded with locals as Wooster’s Cole Kuzma and Jackson Stansifer each have strong times coming in. The Generals also are expected to score in a variety of distance events, thanks to Owen Buchholz (800) and Stansifer (1,600), along with their 4x8 unit. Landon Hamilton-Topovski also is coming off a strong couple of meets in the long jump and will be among a host of sprinters aiming to compete in a loaded conference.

Wayne County Athletic League

WHEN: Friday, 4:30 p.m. (field), 5:30 (4x8 final; running prelims); Saturday, 9:30 a.m. (field), 10:30 (running finals).

WHERE: McFarren Field (177 N Mill Street, Dalton)

WHAT TO WATCH: Rittman sophomore Luke Snyder is once again among the top distance runners in the state and will look to add a handful of medals to his already-impressive collection this weekend. With the fastest times in both the 1,600 and 3,200, Snyder is expected to do well and his 800 time this season is just 0.36 behind Waynedale’s Nick St. John, who is a member of the league-leading 4x8 relay with Jackson Varner, Jaydon Varner and Connor Reich that broke the school record last weekend with a time of 8:15. Also on the track, another All-Ohioan, Jeremy Reber of Waynedale, has the fastest time in the 110 and 300 hurdles as he is nearing a complete return to 100% after a nagging hamstring injury in the first month of the season. The Golden Bears and Norwayne are expected to battle it out for the team title, one that the Bobcats could clinch early on with its strength in the field. A pair of events are expected to be ones to watch — the 400 and pole vault. In the 400, the season-best time of Chippewa’s Braydan Braswell is 0.2 seconds faster than Norwayne’s Kyle Olszewski, while the pole vault has three individuals who have cleared 13-feet in Jon Graham (Norwayne), Carson Steiner (Dalton) and Alex Rodriguez (Chippewa). The Bulldogs’ 4x1 and 4x2 teams are strong once again, with Sammy Tomlinson (100) and Colin Pearson (200) leading the way. Pearson and Hayden McFadden of Hillsdale have each clocked a 22.92 this season. Rittman’s Evan Rastorfer comes in as the leader in the high jump and long jump.

Mid-Buckeye Conference

WHEN: Saturday, 10 a.m.

WHERE: Redbird Stadium (421 Campus Ave., Loudonville)

WHAT TO WATCH: Sam Sly has done a little bit of everything for the Redbirds this spring, an effort that the team will look for against strong teams like Lucas and Danville. The senior comes in as the league standard in the 300 hurdles, clocking a 43.10 last month at the Bob Royer Invitational, along with being one of the top sprinters in the MBC with the second-fastest time in the 200 (24.46), tenths of a second off the pace of Lucas’ Aidan Culler. A state qualifier last season, Braden Carr has already cleared 13-feet in the pole vault and is expected to win another conference title. Sophomore Lettie Wenell also could keep Loudonville in the team race with strong finishes in the 1,600 and 3,200.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Boys Track: Morlocks highlight loaded throwing field at WCAL meet