by Devan Matthews

Correspondent

For the first time in the past couple of years, the Nordonia High School track and field teams will be represented at the Division I state meet in Columbus.

And they'll be represented by not just one, but two athletes.

Those two athletes are Andrew Davis and John Spooney, who qualified for states by virtue of their performance at the Division I regional meet at Austintown Fitch May 28 and 30 .

The top four finishers in each individual event and relay raced advanced to States.

Davis advanced in two events as he finished fourth in both the high jump and long jump.

Davis tied his career-best effort in the long jump with a leap of 21-feet-11. In addition, he set a personal in the high jump with a height of 6-6, four inches better than his previous best leap.

"Andrew certainly picked a good day to perform his best in those events," said Nordonia head coach Ron Gura.

Spooney, meanwhile, finished third in the 200. His time in that event was 22.05.

According to Gura, Davis might have qualified for the State Meet in three individual events if not for a mishap at the district meet.

Davis finished first in the 400 at districts, but was disqualified due to a clothing violation, one that had not been enforced during the regular season.

Davis wore two different colored pairs of compression shorts, which earned him the disqualification.

"Ultimately, it's my responsibility as the coach to know the rules," said Gura. "We called down to the [Ohio High School Athletic Association] to ask about the reason behind the rule, but the person we talked to didn't know. We're still trying to figure that one out."

According to Gura, Davis stepped up his efforts in the other two events.

"His best event was the 400, and when he got DQ'd in it, he really stepped up in the long jump and high jump," said Gura. "There was some redemption for him there, despite what happened in the 400 at districts. It's going to be a good experience for him at the state meet."

Gura indicated that Spooney has improved in the 200 throughout the season, and that continuous improvement was key to his upcoming appearance in Columbus.

"John has gotten stronger as the year has gone on," said Gura. "He was learning how to run the 200 at the beginning of the season. He would get to about 170 or 175 meters, and then he wouldn't be able to hold it. But he's gotten stronger, and his ability to hold the least 25 meters has made all the difference. He's increased his speed, too. There's been a tremendous improvement in his performance."

The state meet will be June 6 and 7 at Jesse Owens Stadium in Columbus. The top eight finishers in each event, including relays, will garner All-Ohio honors.

"Both guys have great opportunities," said Gura. "John is fifth in his heat going in. There are five guys who have run sub-22 second times, and everybody else is right there behind them at 22 seconds. John has a great shot of making the finals and placing."

The same goes for Davis, although the competition might be a little more challenging in his events.

"Andrew's going to have to PR again, especially in the long jump," said Gura. "Of the 16 guys down there, 11 of them have jumped 22 feet or better. In the high jump, everybody has jumped 6-6 or higher."

Spooney will compete in the semifinals of the 200 at 7:05 p.m. on Friday. The finals of the 200 are June 7, as are the high jump and long jump events.

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