High school track: Brunswick's Tomas Rimac places second in shot put

HILLIARD — Tomas Rimac waited two years for the opportunity to rewrite his résumé at the Division I state boys track meet. It finally arrived Friday for the Brunswick senior and West Virginia football signee, who made the most of his second chance at Hilliard Darby. Rimac was the state runner-up in the shot put with a top throw of 61 feet, 6 inches, becoming the first Medina County athlete to medal in the event since 2013 and equaling the Blue Devils' best finish at the meet in the last six seasons. Cincinnati Turpin's Gabe Hickman finished first at 64-6 1/4, while Huber Heights Wayne's Aamil Wagner was third at 58-10 1/2 in what was a two-man battle throughout the morning. Hickman and Rimac each posted their best mark in their first toss of the finals. "I was training every day in the weight room and in the shot put circle, trying to master this event to have the opportunity to come back," Rimac said. "I knew that you had to be great just to make it here, and that's what I wanted to be. "As a competitor, you always try your best, and it's meaningful when you're rewarded for it like I was today." Rimac has been on an incredible run all season, winning 23-of-25 combined throwing competitions. He will be back in action today in the discus, where he led all regional qualifiers by reaching 175-8 at Amherst Steele. The latter event has been a thorn in his paw for two full years, dating to the 2019 state meet at Ohio State. Rimac fouled on all three of his attempts and was the only thrower (out of 18) not to record an official distance. Now, that ghost has been banished as he came up big on the opening day of his second state appearance. "It was in my mind, of course, which is why there was excitement and a little bit of nerves for me coming in," he said. "Once I started warming up, it became all excitement. I knew it was going to be tough day with (Hickman), and we both came here to bring it." Highland senior Owen Wendl was the only other county boy in an event final Friday, placing 16th in the shot put at 47-0. He also will be part of the discus field. In the preliminaries, Medina's 4x400-meter relay of Jacob Marzulli, Cameron Schontzler, Blake Chenevey and Carson Davis narrowly missed advancing to the final in 10th place (3:24.10). Senior Schontzler ran a terrific second leg and gave the Bees the lead, but it proved short-lived as they finished out of the top eight that moved on. "A lot of hard work and intensity paid off for us to make it here as a team," said Schontzler, who will run the 800 today. "Honestly, there was a lot of anger and frustration, too, from when the OHSAA canceled our season last year. It kind of feels like revenge just being able to run." Marzulli, Grant Noftz, Chenevey and Davis were 17th in the 4x200 (1:32.06), and Keegan Oreilly, George Cobb, Chenevey and Davis placed 18th in the 4x100 (43.56). Cloverleaf senior Blake Wilson was filled with pride after a 15th-place showing in the 400 (51.09). He was the Colts' only state qualifier, punching his ticket in an event they have had little success in historically. "It's been a while since Cloverleaf had a sprinter here, so I wanted to show the younger guys that it can be done," Wilson said. "The competition was great and it was a really tough meet, so there wasn't much I could do, even though I ran my hardest. "More than anything, I'm glad that I was able to rep my school for the final time. That really meant everything to me." Wadsworth senior Brennan Gray was 17th in the 200 (22.97) and finished 16th in the 4x200 with Anthony Cirino, Jackson Herbert and Adam Quinn. Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com. Follow him @BrianDulik on Twitter. Results Standings: 1. Cincinnati Turpin 20, 2. Hilliard Darby 13, 3. Lakota West 10, 3. Massillon Perry, 5. Loveland 8, 5. Pickerington Central 8, 5. Brunswick 8, 5. Hilliard Davidson 8, 9. Olentangy Orange 6, 9. Maple Heights 6, 9. Whitehouse Anthony Wayne 6, 12. St. Ignatius 5, 12. Fairfield 5, 12. Thomas Worthington 5, 15. Green 4, 15. Marion Harding 4, 15. Canton McKinley 4, 15. North Canton Hoover 4, 19. Licking Heights 3, 19. Springfield 3, 19. Ashland 3, 22. Ross 2½, 22. Olentangy Berlin 2½, 24. Talawanda 2, 24. Avon Lake 2, 26. Mason 1, 26. Boardman 1, 26. Sandusky 1, 29. Sycamore ½, 29. Toledo Whitmer ½. 4x800: Lakota West 7:47.48. Long jump: Luke Laubacher (Perry) 24-3½. Shot put: Gabe Hickman (Turpin) 64-6¼, Tomas Rimac (Bru) 61-6, 16. Owen Wendl (Highland) 47-0. Seated shot put (unscored): Jacob Baker (Carrollton) 19-4¼.