Bay Boys Track & Field places fifth at Avon Lake Invitational behind Perrine’s record-setting day

BAY VILLAGE, Ohio - Bay Boys Track & Field turned in a strong showing at the 28th Avon Lake Invitational on Saturday, finishing fifth out of 15 teams with 47 points in one of the area’s deeper early-season meets. The Rockets were led by senior Jayden Perrine, who opened his outdoor season by setting two meet records and delivering points across four events.

Perrine started Bay’s day with a victory in the 100-meter dash in 10.92 seconds, establishing a new meet record. He later returned to run a 21.86 in the 200, another meet record, after also placing third in the 400. The 200 time stood out even more given the workload, coming after three previous events on a short turnaround. Perrine also anchored Bay’s 4x200 relay team of Will Curran, Max Fischer and Ben Kamm to a second-place finish in 1:30.91. He nearly chased down the winning team on the anchor leg, and the early-season time left Bay ranked fourth in the state in Division III, according to the team notes.

Bay also found major points in the middle-distance races. Mikey Taylor and Liam Jager each came back from earlier efforts to produce a strong 800, finishing third and fourth, respectively. The Rockets’ sprint groups added depth throughout the meet. The 4x100 relay team of Evan Taulbee, Kamm, Jack Downing and Colin McAlea won its heat and placed eighth overall to earn a team point. Curran nearly added another personal best in the 400 after running on the 4x200 relay and finished ninth overall. Kamm, meanwhile, handled a demanding four-event day that included the 100, 4x200, 4x100 and 200.

In the hurdles, Fischer and Downing gave Bay two more solid early-season efforts. Fischer placed ninth in the 110 hurdles and seventh in the 300 hurdles, while Downing added to the Rockets’ busy sprint and relay work. Adrian Ray and Dan Buttrick also stepped into the 3,200 for the first time, doing so after a long day in the heat. Their efforts added to a meet that demanded range and resilience across Bay’s lineup.

The field events supplied more encouraging marks. Braeden Egan posted a shot put of 43 feet, 3.24 inches, and Danny Zipfel threw 132-9 in the discus against strong competition. In the high jump, Jackson Smith and Lute Harmon both outperformed their early-season results from a year ago. Logan Bigrigg and Cole Aslaksen gained experience in the pole vault against a strong field, while Oliver Marotta and Avery Banks continued to show progress in the long jump.

For Bay, the finish was significant not just for the placement but for the quality of the meet. A fifth-place result in a 15-team invitational loaded with larger schools underscored the Rockets’ early-season form, with Perrine’s records, the sprint relays’ speed and the team’s depth across events setting the tone in Avon Lake.