Mohawk's Fry leads area D-III contingent to state

As with every state meet, there are always stories to highlight, things beyond the times, distances and heights that athletes turned in to make it.This year's Division III boys meet is no different for area teams.Mohawk senior Zaiden Fry seeks his third-straight crown in the pole vault, along with a shot at records for the school, Division III and state meet.Seneca East returns with two members of the 4x100 team that placed last year, with those same four Tigers also making the program's first appearance in the 4x200.Hopewell-Loudon junior Evan Kreais returns in the high jump and makes his first state appearance in the long jump.Calvert will witness the end of a successful era, complete with a talented sendoff (see separate story).And Lakota coach Devin Clark gets to watch his first two state qualifiers compete — sophomore pole vaulter Braxton Quaintance and freshman Evan McEwan in the 300 hurdles.That young duo of Raiders could make for compelling storytelling.Quaintance tied the school pole vault record of 14 feet last week at the regional meet, a mark that has stood since 1996. It's a height he knows well, since his father and event coach Brock Quaintance, is the one who set it."Brock and Braxton work so well together. It's such a great partnership between the both of them. I love watching it. It's so incredible," Clark said."He intends to take his dad off the leaderboard and take that 14-2, 14-3, whatever height it may be to make him the outright record holder," he said.Doing so should also put him on the state podium.The younger Quaintance is one of just four vaulters entering the state meet who cleared 14 feet or more at last week's regional meets.Clark said the sophomore and his father have focused on improving his form and bar clearance all season and the results continue to impress, something he said he expects to see continue at state."I do think he has a few more inches in him," Clark said. "Braxton has just really been putting in the work and making sure that he is ready for this type of competition, and I think this kid has it in him."Clark feels the same about his hurdler, though McEwan may face a tougher time in reaching the podium.McEwan is one of just two freshmen in this year's field and has just the fifth-fastest time in his prelim heat (40.1). However, that means he is faster than four runners in his heat, along with five in the other preliminary.Clark said a big key will be getting out fast instead of trying to save some energy for the final kick, a technique McEwan has been focusing on."We think that he has a shot to move into the finals. He really does need to focus on those first sets of hurdles," Clark said. "We know he has the drive and the push at the end, but can he get that lead and hold it? That's the question, and we think that he can."He wants to break 40 (seconds). That's his goal," he said. "Looking at these times here (of other qualifiers), I really do think he is going to get there and this very well may be in the prelims for state. That's the key here, we need to get that time right under that 40 mark and slip him into finals."One who won't be slipping past anyone is Fry.The two-time state champ enters as one of, if not the, favorites in the pole vault.He has a Division III-best height of 15-6 so far this year and cleared 16 feet to claim last year's title.Mohawk coach Carl Daniel said the senior has also been working all year with longer poles to help him clear taller heights."He's been doing all the right things, he's been doing everything he's supposed to be doing," Daniel said. "It's just a matter of getting down to that meet and putting it all together, which, I think everybody around him and him included would tell you he's done the work and he's prepared."One of the few hiccups he's encountered this year was a runner-up finish at last week's regional meet (14-0). While Daniel said a lot of that had to do with how slowly the event progressed, he said Fry preserved then and knows what's expected of him this week."He's looked great in practice. We know what he's capable of," Daniel said. "Everybody knows what he's capable of. He's got the top vault in the state for Division III this year. He's certainly the favorite going in, and he knows that, and he's comfortable with that. He doesn't shy away from it."Seneca East returns to state in the 4x100 with a similar feeling. Senior Korbin Beamer and sophomore Taylor Young helped the Tigers end eighth in the race last year.They're joined by senior Austin Perry and sophomore Lucas Bordner on the 4x100 and 4x200.Coach Ed Phillips said he figured each relay would do well this year, but having the same four on both has led to a lot of camaraderie."I think that's important. There's chemistry. They make some subtle adjustments when they have to," Phillips said."We work together a lot in practice and a lot of times we keep those relays together on weekday meets … because through the years I've realized that chemistry's important," he said. "And I probably see that more so this year than any other year."Reaching finals in either race will be challenging.The Tigers enter the 4x200 prelims with the slowest time in their heat and the 17th-fastest time overall (1:32.56), while they're tied for the fourth-best time in their heat of the 4x100 and tied for 12th overall (44.19).And while Seneca East will run in Lane 7 in the 4x200 preliminaries, the Tigers get Lane 3 in the 4x100, putting them next to top-seed Youngstown Valley Christian (43.33)But Phillips thinks they'll do well in both relays."It's exciting and nice to have both of them down there," he said."Our kids, I think, are very business-like and we try to take it in stride, but it'll be very exciting. I'm excited for them," he said.Kreais also faces uphill battles to the podium in both of his events.He vaulted a personal-best 21-11 ½ to make state in the long jump, but 12 of the 18 qualifiers also cleared at least 21 feet.The junior earned a return to state in the high jump — he didn't place last year — by clearing 6-2. But nine other competitors finished the regional level at 6-1 or 6-2, with another two ending at 6-4 and one topping 6-6.But coach Helen Coleman feels the junior has a good chance of placing in both events, especially since he's been to state before so jitters won't be a problem."It should definitely help him. For any athlete, having that experience is just beneficial so you kind of know what it feels like and what to expect," she said."It really speaks to his athletic ability (to make it in both)," Coleman said. "It's outstanding to make it in two events in the same year. Very proud of him."Coleman added Kreais might also better the school high jump record of 6-4 ½, although placing is a top priority."He's within reach of it, so that's definitely in the back of our minds, but we're trying not to put a lot of pressure on that because it's something you want to be just focusing on so much that you forget what you're doing," she said.