Bay Boys Track Sends Six Athletes in Five Events to State After Strong Regional Finish
| Place | Participant | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | B | 33 |
Bay High School turned in an electric day at the Regional Championship in Austintown, piling up 33 points and finishing eighth while sending six athletes on in five track events to the state meet. The Rockets delivered their biggest moments when the stakes were highest, led by senior Jayden Perrine who qualified for the State Championship next week in four events! In a deep regional field, Bay’s speed, poise and experience stood out from the first hurdle race to the final sprint of the night.
The Rockets also celebrated a dramatic breakthrough in the 110-meter hurdles. Max Fischer finished seventh in 15.14, then waited through a long review before the final at-large state berth was decided. When the ruling was complete, Max had won the tiebreaker and earned a place at state, a reward for the years of work that went into that event. Fischer had to be patient, but the result gave the team one of its most memorable moments of the meet.
On the sprints side, Jayden Perrine set the tone in the 100 meters, and Jayden followed by taking the regional title in the event with a strong finish. That victory was only the start. Just 13 minutes later, the 4x200 relay team of Will Curran, Ben Kamm, Max Fischer and Jayden Perrine came back to place fifth and qualify for state. Bay stayed in contention through each exchange, then Jayden powered through the anchor leg to secure the qualifying spot.
The Rockets were not done there. Thirty-two minutes later, the 4x100 relay team of Evan Taulbee, Ben Kamm, Colin McAlea, and Jayden Perrine lined up in lane 7 and produced another state-qualifying performance, finishing fourth. Bay stayed composed through the handoffs, held position on the turn, and then watched Jayden chase down anchor legs over the final stretch to punch another ticket to Columbus. About 30 minutes after that, Jayden returned for the 200-meter final and delivered one more statement, pulling away in the last 100 meters to win the regional title in one of the days best races.
In the 800-meter final, Mikey Taylor ran 2:01.26 and finished seventh to wrap up an excellent season. In the high jump, juniors Jackson Smith and Lute Harmon did not get the result they wanted at regionals, but both remained central pieces of a group that went 1-2 at the conference and district meets and showed major progress throughout the spring. Their development gives Bay plenty to look forward to next season.
The 4x800 team of Liam Jager, Adrian Ray, Kieran Ripley, and Mikey Taylor had a fantastic race in a competitive heat. Amazing job by Logan Bigrigg, who capped off his season with a personal record jump of 12' in the Pole Vault, an impressive feat for a Freshman! Kudos to Braeden Egan for achieving a season PR and narrowly missing the final, and to Stephen Murphy for another strong 3200m performance, just shy of a PR.
Next stop Columbus for the State Championship on June 5th and 6th.
