He originally reset the two-lap record of 1:47.94 at the Texas Relays in late March. Bell also is Houston’s indoor 800 record holder (1:48.78).
Two more area distance standouts also have qualified for the championships — Versailles grad and Oregon sophomore Sam Prakel and Tri-Village grad and Akron junior Clayton Murphy. Prakel currently ranks sixth in the 1,500 meters (3:40.11) and Murphy 12th in the 800 (1:46.71).
Ohio State will be represented by area grads Antonio Blanks (Dunbar) and Coty Cobb (Madison) at Eugene. A senior, Blanks has qualified in the 400 hurdles (50.71) and the 4x400 relay (3:07.51). Cobb, a freshman, soared 16-9.25 in the pole vault at Ashland two weeks ago.
• Andy Aracri (Fairmont) and Roy Thobe (Fairborn) have more in common than being told they wouldn’t be renewed as the head football coaches at their respective schools following last season. Both have landed assistant positions at Centerville for Elks head coach Rodney Roberts.
• Parkway has hired Shane Wellman as its head football coach. He succeeds Dan Cairns, who was 9-41 in the previous five seasons as the Panthers’ head coach. Wellman was 3-7 in his only season as the head coach at Vinton County High School in McArthur last year.
Spring postseasons
All of the spring sports are into the postseason.
• Boys tennis districts are this week at Centerville. The D-II first-round matches are Wednesday and D-I on Thursday. The top four in singles and doubles those days advance to Saturday’s finals already having clinched a spot in next week’s season-ending state meet at Mason’s Lindner Family Tennis Center on May 27-28.
• Boys and girls district track and field is Tuesday through Saturday. Like tennis, the top four in each event advance to next week’s regionals. The top four at regional advance to the season-ending state meet at Ohio State University’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus on June 3-4.
D-I is Wednesday and Friday at Welcome Stadium and Wayne. D-II is Thursday and Saturday at Welcome Stadium and Graham. D-III is Tuesday and Saturday at Welcome Stadium and Minton-Union.
• The baseball sectional finals are at various neutral sites on Wednesday (D-III and D-IV) and Thursday (D-I and D-II). The one-game district finals are set for Friday (D-III and D-IV) and Saturday (D-I and D-II). All the district champions advance to next week’s regional semifinals May 26-28 at sites to be determined.
The regional champions advance to the season-ending state final four at Huntington Park, home of the Columbus Clippers, on June 2-4.
• The softball sectional finals started on Monday (D-I, D-III) and continue Tuesday (D-II, D-IV). Those winners qualify to one-game district finals on Friday and Saturday, at predetermined neutral sites.
The regional champs qualify for the state final four at Akron’s Firestone Stadium on June 2-4.
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