Sometimes the best decisions are the ones you make at the last minute. That was certainly the case for Jefferson's boys track and field team, which crashed the Metro Classic on Saturday, May 9, and walked away with two new school records.
The Bears weren't even supposed to be at the meet hosted by Gibraltar Carlson. But after several athletes convinced head coach Josh Ludwick to let them compete in pursuit of state-qualifying times, the team made an impulsive decision that paid off in a big way.
"Ended up working out for us," Ludwick said. "We had maybe half the team out there."
The highlight of the day came in the 1,600-meter relay. With one of the regular runners unavailable due to work, Zane Knezevich stepped in alongside Maddex Shotwell, Josh Hargreaves, and Orion Galloway. The foursome not only won the event but shattered the school record with a state-qualifying time of 3:23.42.
Jefferson also made history in the 400 relay, where Grant Hakeos, Alex Brown, Zy'Rell Henley, and Drake Jones erased a record that had stood since 1988. Their time of 44.20 seconds earned them a third-place finish and came agonizingly close to another state-qualifying mark.
St. Mary Catholic Central's quartet of Lucas Rafko, Gavin Swartout, Vince Harris, and Brady Reinhardt won that race in 43.07 seconds. The same program also claimed the 800 relay crown, with Reinhardt, Carson Welker, Easton Kwiatkowski, and Harris teaming up for the victory.
Individual standouts included New Boston Huron's Luke Dulecki, who posted a personal-best 2:00.06 to win the 800 meters. SMCC's Christian Craanen was equally impressive, taking the 1,600-meter title with a personal-best 4:25.24.
Gibraltar Carlson flexed its muscle in the field events, with Sam Przytula sweeping both throwing competitions and teammate Zachary Peterson ruling the high jump. Huron's Cameron Crane cleared the bar in the pole vault to top the field.
Carlson finished as team runner-up with 88 points, while SMCC (58) rounded out the top three.
On the girls' side, Flat Rock's Breanna Sexton won the shot put, and SMCC's Olivia Beaudrie took first in the high jump.
In baseball action, Ida's Carson Weeman made a major impact in an 11-0 shutout of Hudson. He ripped a two-run triple, scored a run, and pitched a perfect sixth inning. Carter Derian set the tone with three-hit ball over the first five frames, while Cam Riggs, Jacob Towne, and Owen Snyder also contributed to the dominant performance.