“One special thing about him is that he cares more about other people than himself,” Glenville coach Theodore Ginn Sr., Ted’s father, told the Dayton Daily News after the event. “He loves Glenville. He’s been around those people all his life. He knows what it means to the community and what it means to other kids.”
The Glenville boys won the first of five straight state championships. It has won 17 in all. That was its 11th but first since 1975.
Ginn went on to greater fame as one of the great wide receivers in Ohio State Buckeyes history and then spent 14 years in the NFL.
That 2003 meet was the last of five straight state championships held at Welcome Stadium, but with renovations taking place at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium this spring, the event again returns to the 75-year-old stadium on Edwin Moses Boulevard. The Division III meet starts Thursday and ends Friday. The D-I and D-II events take place Friday and Saturday.
Here’s a quick glance at athletes from the Cox First Media coverage area who are first or second seeds in their events:
DIVISION I
• Devin Strobel, Troy: The senior has the best Division I qualifying distance in the discus (182 feet, 8 inches). He hit that mark when he won the regional championship at Welcome Stadium last week.
Strobel finished seventh last year (158-1) in an event with two area finishers at the top: Centerville senior Cameron Gay (179-07) and Springfield senior Jay Mckinster (170-10).
Strobel, who has committed to play football at Ferris State University in Michigan, owns the Troy school record in the discus and has broken his own record a number of times in the past two seasons.
• Ric’Keya White, Wayne: The sophomore has the top D-I qualifying time in the 100-meter hurdles (10.26 seconds) and the 300 hurdles (42.99). She finished third in 100 hurdles last year (14.25) as a freshman behind two seniors and was ninth in the 300 (43.14).
White also has the fourth-best qualifying time in the 100 dash (11.99). She placed fourth last year behind three juniors (11.98).
• Key’Shawn Garrett, Wayne: The sophomore has the best qualifying distance in the long jump (23-5¾). He’s a first-time state qualifier in the event. He won the regional championship last week at Welcome Stadium, beating three seniors right behind him in the standings.
• Andrew Wilcox, Monroe: The senior’s 3,200 time (9:06.78) is the second-best qualifying time behind Chardon’s Taman Chokshi (9:03.90). Wilcox beat St. Xavier senior Evan Trapp (9:08.52), who was fourth at state last year, at the regional meet at Welcome Stadium. Wilcox will run for the Dayton Flyers in college.
DIVISION II
• Coy Hyre, Brookville: The junior owns the top D-II qualifying time in the 100 (10.51) and 200 (21.20). Hyre qualified for state in both events last year but did not make it to the finals.
• Andrew Janson, Carroll: The junior won the regional championship (1:52.16) in Piqua. The top-five finishers at the state meet last year were seniors. The top returning state qualifier is Jonathan Alder’s Luke Goode, who has the second-best qualifying time (1:53.07).
• Xavier Wilson, Thurgood Marshall: The senior finished second behind Hyre at the regional meet with a time of 10.78.
• Shanya Coleman, Kenton Ridge: The junior has the second-best qualifying times in the 100 and 200. In the 100, she won the regional championship in 12.10. Toledo Central Catholic’s Nya King has the best time (11.85) heading to the state meet.
King also has the best 200 time (24.59) ahead of Coleman (24.78).
• Alyssa Christian, Northwestern: The senior placed second in the high jump (5-6) at the regional meet in Piqua. That was one inch behind Wyoming junior Penelope Webb, who is the top seed at the state meet. Webb finished second at state last year.
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
DIVISION III
• Jack Grieshop, Minster: The senior won the 800 regional championship in Troy (1:55.47), edging fellow Minster senior Ryan Halpin (1:55.50). Grieshop and Halpin have the second- and third-best qualifying times behind Fisher Catholic’s Jack Gentile (1:55.14).
Grieshop finished ninth in the event at state last year (1:57.10). Six of the top eight finishers were seniors.
• Charlie Schmiesing, Minster: The senior won the regional discus title (190-3), setting a school and Troy regional record. He has the best qualifying time by 12 feet. He will also compete in the shot put.
• Thomas Cook, Miami Valley School: The junior has the second-best qualifying height (6-7) in the high jump behind Arlington’s Calvin Willow (6-8¼). Cook set the school record at the district meet and again at the regional meet.
• Cade Shellhaas, Ansonia: The freshman won the regional title (15-4) in the pole vault. That tied for the best qualifying height with Pandora-Gilboa’s Andrew Suter, who finished fourth at state last year.
• Delaney Jones, West Liberty-Salem: The junior has the top qualifying time in 100 (11.93), the second-best time in the 200 (24.63) and the second-best distance in the long jump (18-2¼).
• Grace Moeller, Marion Local: The sophomore won the regional title in the 100 hurdles (14.75). That’s the second-best qualifying time behind Woodmore’s Azure Travis (14.71), the defending state champion. Moeller finished eighth at state last year (15.26).
• Izzy Zahn, Coldwater: The junior won the 200 (24.42) at the regional meet in Fostoria. That’s the best qualifying time. She won the state championship in the event last year (24.54).
Zahn also has the third-best time in the 100 (12.21). She finished fifth (12.26) in that event last year.
• Sierra Brinson, Dixie: The senior has the best qualifying distance (147-4) in the discus after winning the regional title by 17 feet. She finished second at state in the event last year (134-5).
Brinson also has the third-best qualifying distance in the shot put (42-5). She finished third last year (41-1½).
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