Brady Salazar sends Bucks to state at Division II North Royalton Regional

Buckeye’s boys turned in a breakthrough moment at the Division II North Royalton Regional, with Brady Salazar punching through to the OHSAA State Tournament in the 400-meter dash and leading the Bucks against one of the deepest fields of the postseason. Buckeye finished 35th out of 63 teams with two points at the regional meet at North Royalton, and the headline result carried major significance for the program.

Brady Salazar placed seventh in the boys 400-meter dash in 50.07, earning one of the OHSAA’s three at-large state bids and becoming the first boys Buckeye Runner from Buckeye to reach the state tournament since 2018. In a meet packed with top Division II competition, that finish stood out as both a personal achievement and a milestone for the Bucks, who brought seven athletes to the regional stage.

Buckeye also delivered several strong performances just outside the qualifying line. Brayden Bonnett doubled in the sprints and ran 11.26 in the boys 100-meter dash, then came back with a 22.79 in the boys 200-meter dash. In the field events, Denis Shevchenko produced a personal-best throw of 145 feet, 9 inches in the boys discus, while Caden Fike cleared 13 feet in the boys pole vault.

The Bucks showed quality depth in the distance events as well. The boys 4x800-meter relay team of Dimitry Pshonyak, Joe Stahl, Nolan Rieth, and Brady Salazar clocked a season-best 8:06.34, another sharp effort in a demanding regional setting. Joe Stahl added a time of 10:16.14 in the boys 3200-meter run.

For Buckeye, the regional closed with more than a state berth. It also showed the progress of a group that continued to produce season-best and personal-best marks when the stakes were highest. Now the Bucks carry that momentum forward with Brady Salazar set to represent the program on the state stage.