Boys Track and Field | Triway's Cameron Soss punches state ticket with photo finish

AUSTINTOWN — All Cameron Soss could do after his 100-meter dash final Saturday was wait.

The Triway senior patiently stared at the large video board at Greenwood Falcon Stadium, ready to see his name in the results after he finished within a pack of two other sprinters vying for the final two state-qualifying spots.

“I knew it was going to be close,” he said. “All the times (coming in) were in the 10s, so I knew it was just going to be a lean. It's all about the lean right there and I was able to get it.”

Soss' work in the final 40 meters was just enough to lock up a third-place finish at the Youngstown Division II Regional and, more importantly, a return trip to the state meet.

Both Soss and Waynedale’s Jonathan Varner earned automatic qualifying spots for the OHSAA State Championships, which open next Friday at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

It was his closing speed Saturday, which Soss has improved on from his All-Ohio finish in the event a year ago, that paid off.

With 50 meters left it Soss found himself in fifth place, before making a move that got him shoulder-to-shoulder with Hawken’s Christian Anderson and Buchtel’s Monte Blair. The veteran speedster than was able to lean over the line hundredths of a second faster than the tandem as he finished in 11.08.

Keystone’s Ryne Shackelford took the win in 10.88.

And after a season in which Soss was sidelined with a calf injury, the return trip to Columbus means a little more.

“I just wanted it bad,” said Soss, who broke his own school record with a 10.87 in Thursday’s prelims. “I wanted it more than the other guys. Last year that was my weakest point, the last 40-50 meters.

“Last year at state I was in the lead for the first 40 and then I dropped it, so doing what I did today is definitely encouraging.”

Varner also will be making a return to the state meet in the 3,200 run as the Waynedale senior earned regional runner-up honors in 9:29.83.

The local came out of the gate and challenged eventual champ Noah Graham of Marlington, trading the lead on a handful of occasions, before settling into the second-place position. Graham went on to clock a 9:26.67 for the victory.

“It was very helpful because he's a really experienced and seasoned runner,” Varner said of staying within reach of Graham. “Right now, though, it's all about advancing and moving on to the next round.”

With his final prep race just day away, Varner is hoping to use the opportunity as a final chance to leave his mark.

“Next week will be about just running my own race and pushing my limits, see what I have left,” he said. “This was a stressful week and next week will be fun. I'm just going to go out there and run to the best of my abilities.”

Northwestern’s Jacob Wakefield just missed the final state spot up for grabs in the high jump, placing fifth overall, while Waynedale’s Brant Herman (seventh, shot put), Northwestern’s Weston Arthur (seventh, 400) and Orrville’s Calvin Speicher (eighth, 300 hurdles) also just missed qualifying.

Wakefield, a state qualifier last season, struggled to get into a rhythm en route to finishing with a 6-foot-1 jump. The mark matched that of the final automatic state qualifier, Woodridge’s Cooper Defrange, but the local landed in the fifth spot based on misses.

“I was there every time, but my ankles started hurting after a couple of jumps,” the junior said. “On the ones I was close on, it was my calf hitting the bar.”

In his regional debut, Herman earned one of the final spots in the finals before ending his day with a mark of 49-6, a little over a foot off of the final state position. Triway’s Hayden Smith (11th, 45-4½) and Tuslaw’s Hunter Makowski (13th, 44-7) just missed podium spots.

But Herman has had quite a journey after a year ago breaking his tibia the week before the Wayne County Athletic League Championships, something he was able to put in perspective after his day.

“This gives me a ton of motivation, because I know I'm better than what I threw today,” he said. “I really wanted to be in the top four, obviously, or even in the top six to get that shot.

“I'm just happy I got here. Last year I went through a tough injury and I couldn't get down here, so I'm just grateful for that.”

Arthur capped off his prep career as a two-time regional finalist in the 400, with a seventh-place finish in 51.60, while Speicher competed in three events on the day, earning a regional medal in the 300 hurdles after an eighth-place run of 41.70.

“That's the thing about track, you kind of realize who the freak athletes really are,” Arthur said. “You get this far and kids at their schools think they're good athletes, but then they come here and figure out whether or not they are. I'm happy to compete against the best.”

The day started off disastrous for Speicher, who followed up an 11th-place in the high jump (5-10), by false-starting in the 110 hurdlers final — something that he is going to use as a learning lesson for next season.

“It just didn't turn out the way I wanted,” he said. “High jump could've been a lot of better and I'm disappointed with the 110s, because I felt I had a really good chance to make it, and the 300s I was surprised in prelims to make it in the finals.

“It will definitely be something I can look back on and figure out what I could've done different,” Speicher added. “I was happy to make it finals, but there is always more that can be done.”

A handful of distance runners also competed in final-day action. Tuslaw’s Joe Joe Rolko clocked a personal-record 1:59.26 in placing ninth in the 800, while Orrville’s Bryan Cruz took 10th in the 1,600 (4:35.49) and teammate Josh Rittgers was 15th in the 3,200 (10:30.75).

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Track and Field: Triway's Soss, Waynedale's Varner earn state berths