The OHSAA Amherst Regional Meet is off to a great start for the Wildcats.
The Saint Ignatius varsity track & field squad qualified five members for the State Meet next weekend, and a host of Wildcats running in prelims on Wednesday qualified for the final races as Regionals continues on Friday.
Wednesday's fun began with discus at Marion Steele High School in Amherst. Darian Kinnard and Alex Misencik represented the Wildcats in the event following outstanding efforts at Districts last week.
Kinnard competed in the first flight. The Wildcats' 6'7", 330-pound two-sport athlete missed on his first two attempts, committing fouls. The mistakes, due in part to a slippery grip on the disc, forced Kinnard into a do-or-die scenario on the third throw. Kinnard delivered on the critical toss, unleashing a monster throw of 171’7”. A large smile of relief flashed across Kinnard's face, as the throw would earn him a spot in finals, along with likely a spot at States.
Alex Misencik went in the second flight for the Wildcats. The senior, nicknamed "Scalabrine" by assistant coach Ryan Franzinger '02, uncorked a long throw of 152'2" to clinch a spot in the finals.
Following three tosses, Kinnard wound up in third and Misencik in seventh. Kinnard hurled a throw of 174'2" to punch his ticket to Columbus, while Misencik improved with a toss of 152'10" but did not advance to States amongst a packed field. The two earned a combined 8 points for Saint Ignatius.
In the other field event of the day, the pole vault, Dan Cirino did not qualify for the Cats. The senior finished in 14th on Wednesday.
The only race final of the day for the Wildcats was the 4x800m relay. Nick Saul, Matt Blouch, Andrew Biehl, and Liam McGuire combined for a time of 7:51.79, just missing out on the fourth States spot by .64 seconds.
Upon seeing the results, many thought the Wildcats quartet would not get to travel to Columbus. However, a little-known rule allowing a "wildcard" relay team with the best time to clinch a States spot grants the Wildcats' 4x800 squad a chance to compete for glory in Columbus.
In the prelims, a squadron of Cats cemented spots in finals races on Friday.
John Wetula became the first Wildcat runner to do so, running the 110m hurdles in 14.96. His sixth-place finish has him right on the edge of a spot for States.
Phil Zuccaro clinched his spot soon after. The senior speedster won the 100m dash in 11.02, ensuring that he will race for the gold on Friday. Connor Kennedy did not qualify for finals in the 100m, clocking in at 11.40.
Zuccaro did his job in the 200m, too, also snagging the top spot. Zuccaro won the race with a speedy time of 21.95. Dominic Devengencie did not qualify for finals, running the race in 23.04.
Kennedy and Devengencie did qualify for finals in the 4x100m relay with Jack Kennedy in Zuccaro, however. The four Wildcat runners combined for a time of 42.61 in the speedy relay to finish second in the prelims.
Heading into day two on Friday, the Wildcats sit in fourth with 12 points, behind Whitmer (20), Norwalk (14), and Rocky River (13). Expect things to change rapidly on Friday, as the vast majority of the finals will be run tomorrow.