Tigers end historic state meet with a few more podium finishes

COLUMBUS — Seneca East never reached the top step of the podium Saturday on the second day of the boys Division III state track meet, but the Tigers had a big day.Two individuals and two relay teams placed to go with the Day 1 championship by the 4x800 squad to put Seneca East fifth with 27 points in a tight race for the overall crown.It was the most points and highest team finish in program history for the Tigers at the state meet."Placed in all of our running events and performed well in the two field events. Twenty-seven total points, most in school history (at state). We went into the 4x4 with a chance to win (team) state and it doesn't get any more exciting than that," coach Ed Phillips said."To come in with seven events and get All-Ohio in five of them, score 27 points, it was a fantastic couple of days," he said.McDonald and Huron tied for the team title with 31 points, with Africentric one point behind for third. St. Henry edged the Tigers 28-27 for fourth. None of the other teams in the top five ran in the 4x400."We had 10 kids, eight of them scored. You talk about nickel and diming to win a league meet sometimes and you come to a state meet and to nickel and dime and have so many people score is great," Phillips said. "Usually it's one stud (who scores a lot at state) and that wasn't the case here."Owen Gahring nearly filled that role, though.One day after anchoring the 4x800 to a title, Gahring ran third in the 800 (1:55.28) and anchored 4x400 to fifth (3:25.75) after getting baton in seventh."He's one of the best closers we've ever had," Phillips said. "It doesn't matter the (competition) level, he can just pass people, and that's hard to do when you get to Columbus."We call him O-Dog and he is a big dog," he said. "He's a special one for us and we're going to miss him."So will anyone who had to run with Gahring behind them."That's when I run my best, when I've got people ahead of me I'm chasing and just fighting for my team just to get one more spot or just make it closer," Gahring said. "They do all the hard work, I'm just there. I might get all the spotlight, but they deserve most of it."Amazing for me. And being out there with my teammates, by myself was great, but being with my teammates was even better because we're a team together," he added.Seniors Bryler Beamer and Bradley Smith and sophomore Ayden Perkins joined him on the 4x400. Beamer, junior Ethan Schultz, senior Taylor Young and freshman Levi Dawson added a fifth in the 4x100 (43.65).Senior Evan Schiefer took sixth in the 3,200 (9:29.67).Graduation will claim a huge share of this year's success, but Phillips said he has faith in the groundwork laid by this group for the future."The kids are excited to do the work, and when you have that excitement … and the success that we've had," he said, "it's something to build on, and we know that we can compete at the state level with the best of them, and that's what we want to keep doing."