Full of resolve, he dove head-first into training for his specialty, the high jump. It paid off with a fourth-place jump of 6 feet, five inches during Friday’s Division III high school state track and field meet at Ohio State University’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
“It means the world to me,” he said. “It’s such a great experience. I’m just happy I can be where I am today.”
The meet concludes today with finals in all running events and all the Division I field events.
Donohoe sailed over 5-10, 6 feet, 6-2, 6-3, 6-5 and 6-5 without missing. He had three close misses at 6-6.
“If I would’ve been able to kick my legs a little bit faster I would’ve had it,” he said. Last year his best was 6-0, before being injured. He’ll play basketball at Urbana University next season.
• The only thing Caleb Lloyd of Springfield did right was move on to the finals in the 110-meter high hurdles (14.40) and 300 hurdles (38.99). Unlike his impressive district and regional showings, he uncharacteristically chopped steps and clanged hurdles.
“I don’t know what was going on, I honestly don’t,” he said. “It just makes me want to go in there and do my best and show everybody. I want these to be my best-ever races.”
He qualified eighth of nine hurdlers in both events.
• Cedarville’s 4x800 relay of Hudson Grant, Brant Wickline, Tim Stevenson and Zach Bowen was ninth in the D-III race (8:10.04). That topped their previous best in last week’s regional by three seconds.
“It’s been a good career, but I still have college so I’m excited about that,” said Bowen, who’ll run at Cedarville University.
• Conner Karg of West Liberty-Salem posted the second-best D-III 400 semifinal (49.44). The Tigers 4x200 relay of Taylor Cordell, Kam Evans, Kelvin Shank and Karg was fifth in qualifying (1:29.91).
The Tigers’ 4x400 relay of Shank, Cordell, Evans and Karg was third in qualifying (3:23.81).
• Neither Jamari McDavid (ninth) nor Iman Salhieh (12th) of Kenton Ridge could advance in the D-II 100. They went 1-2 in that event in last week’s regional.
Salhieh also failed to get out in the 200. McDavid will compete in the long jump today. The Kenton Ridge 4x100 relay of McDavid, Salhieh, Karrah Batten and Sara Thornton also failed to advance to the finals.
• The Shawnee D-II boys 4x800 relay of Will Holmes, Drew Hickman, Seth Brouhard and Jordan Penrose was 13th (8:14.34).
• The meets drew 12,564 spectators Friday. Today’s events begin at 9 a.m. with D-III running finals at 9:30., D-II finals at 1 p.m. and D-I finals at 4:30.
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