Silver medals aplenty poured in for the Wildcats during Friday's soggy and cold Berea Kiwanis Titans Relays.
Thanks to the plentiful second-place points, the Saint Ignatius varsity track & field team finished as the runner-up in the meet with 61 points.
Only Strongsville (67) bested the Wildcats on Friday afternoon in Berea. Medina (50), Brunswick (46), Hudson (46), Berea-Midpark (38), Brecksville-Broadview Heights (37), Avon Lake (37), Lakewood (19), and Steele (18) rounded out the top 10, out of the 17 boys teams in attendance.
The distance medley relay started the day off well in the track events. Matt Blouch, Liam Reilly, Nathan Soria, and Nick Saul worked in tandem for a time of 10:43.26. The effort granted the Wildcats second place and a resulting eight points.
In another show of endurance, the Wildcats' 4x800 relay coined a seventh-place finish. John Mayer, Charlie Rooney, Dillon Bangasser, and Elliot Rodstrom clocked in at 8:33.82, earning two points for the Wildcats. On a related note, Bangasser, the lone senior in this relay, is up for the Brendan Carey Award, given to an outstanding senior. Bangasser will be a success in college and beyond.
The team's juggernaut senior relay in the 4x1600 produced an important eight points. Andrew Biehl, Soria, Saul, and Blouch burst forth for runner-up honors, soaring to a time of 18:21.65. This all-senior relay will be one to watch as the postseason approaches.
The distance medley relay also yielded eight points. Blouch, Reilly, Soria, and Saul penned a nice time of 10:43.26 in the event. Earning second place, the talented quartet bested the third-placers by a remarkable 13 seconds. Look out for these Cats down the home stretch.
The team's speed was on full display in the 4x100 relay. Henry Cook, James Crosby, Devengencie, and John Wetula narrowly took second, off of first by less than a second. The quartet's second-place effort still netted the Wildcats eight points in a great race.
The all-junior 800 sprint medley showed off the promising future of the program and the Football Cats, too. Three of the four runners will likely play for the football team in the fall. Devengencie, Crosby, Luke Griffiths, and Cook combined for a time of 1:37.17. The Wildcats etched five points out of the fourth-place result.
The Wildcats also scored in the 4x200 relay. Mike Morgan, Chris Velotta, Griffiths, and Luke Rohloff worked together for a time of 1:36.18. The result earned the Cats one point in the event.
The Wildcats' hurdle relay looked great. In the 4x110 shuttle, the Wildcats' squad – composed of Damon Frabotta, Jack Hutter, Sam Pike, and John Wetula – roared to a time of 1:02.83. The quartet's impressive feat chalked up eight points for the men of Ohio City.
The Wildcats hauled in plenty of points in the field events, as well.
The long jump relay provided one of the best highlights of the day. Jack Hutter, Luke Tai, and Dominic Devengencie rocked the event, tallying a second-place finish. Hutter steered the ship with a leap of 20-01.25, placing him fifth in the field. Tai surpassed 18-11.75 on his best jump, earning 12th in a stacked field. Devengencie made his debut in the event, finishing close behind Tai with a jump of 18-03.50.
The Ring Cats did very well, thanks to a balanced effort.
AJ Canzano anchored the Wildcats in the shot put. The senior hurled a throw of 44-10.00, good enough for sixth place individually. Aidan Wells followed closely behind with an eighth-place effort of 43-05.25. Nick Velotta rounded out the pack with a toss of 42-00.75 for 11th. As a whole, the trio claimed second and the accompanying 2.7 points.
Nick Velotta topped the Ring Cats in the discus. The sophomore helmed the trio with a toss of 117-08, nabbing ninth place. George Bryne nipped at his heels, snatching 10th with a throw of 117-03. Canzano completed the trio with a toss of 101-00 for 22nd. The three Cats combined for fourth place and 1.7 points.
The JV races did not count towards the point totals, but the JV Cats still earned notable finishes.
Alex Paliga, Mike Mayer, Joe Maloney, and Connor McAndrews combined for a time of 6:11.23 in the distance medley relay. The Wildcats finished second only to Kenston, which set a meet record for the event.
The JV Cats also snagged second in the 800 sprint medley relay. Rohloff, Anthony Santagata, Morgan, and Edwin Abiakl penned a time of 1:43.06. The relay squad took second, finishing behind only Strongsville's team, which set a meet record in the event.
Looking forward, the Wildcats will race next on Friday. The men of Chuck Kyle' 69 will compete in the Euclid Relays, the last away meet for the varsity squad before the District Meet.