High school track: Brunswick's Evan Jarold finishes second after duel with GlenOak runner

COLUMBUS — GlenOak standout Tommy Rice had just won the boys 3,200-meter run at the Division I state track meet, yet he found himself intently pursuing a rival as he walked across the infield. When Rice finally caught up to Brunswick senior Evan Jarold near the awards podium, he warmly shook his hand and said, "You ran one helluva race." They both did. Jarold impressively held the lead for the first six laps before finishing as the state runner-up in a career-best 9:06.71, a mere 1.25 seconds behind Eagles junior Rice at Jesse Owens Stadium on Saturday. "Tommy Rice has outkicked me before, so I wanted to match him, but he's such a great runner," Jarold said. "I've always raced with confidence over the years, so today I thought, 'Why not put myself in the mix right away?' I was pleased with that decision." After setting the pace for 2,400 meters, the Gazette cross country MVP dropped into fourth place in a tight pack on the seventh lap. Once the meet official signaled that the eighth and last 400 had arrived, Rice and Jarold turned it into a two-person race for the gold. Jarold summoned the strength to run a 61.51 final lap — his second fastest of the day — and Rice dug deep for a stunning 60.69 to pull out the victory. The rare thrilling finish to the 3,200 brought the capacity crowd to its feet, loudly cheering them home. "That was 100 percent the top moment in my career," Jarold said, smiling as he recalled the fans' reaction to their all-out sprint in front of the grandstand. "This is a great way to end it." The state medal was Jarold's first and completed an eventful weekend for the Walsh University signee. The NCAA Division II program formally introduced him and Blue Devils senior Alex Keller as part of their recruitment class just before they competed in the 4x800 relay at state. One day later, Jarold equaled the highest finish in Medina County history in the 3,200 and became its first medalist in the race since 2011. "I built on the confidence that I gained last track season and from running a 9:10 at the state indoor meet," the two-time state qualifier said. "That set the tone for what I wanted to do this year. I'm really pleased with how it turned out." Wadsworth junior Jackson Herbert added an exclamation point to his historic spring by finishing sixth in the 400 in a season-low 49.09. He was the first Grizzlies sprinter to qualify in the event and now owns their first medal in it. Herbert, who was the No. 7 seed, sliced 0.12 off his time from the semifinals in the race won by Geneva's Connor Boland in 47.67. "Coming off the final bend, I had a lot of energy, so I knew I was going to close pretty well," he said. "That was, by far, the best race I've ever been a part of. All of these kids are great. It was amazing." Herbert is being heavily recruited by college soccer programs but joked, "In the past, I would have told you soccer is my favorite sport, but I would say track is now." Thanks to his finish, Wadsworth scored team points at the meet for the first time since 2018. County boys totaled 13 points, with Jarold, Herbert and Medina shot put ace Nick Manley accounting for them all. "Next year, the goal for me has to be to win state," Herbert said. "Now that I've got a taste of the podium, I want more." Keller competed in two individual events, placing 10th in the 1,600 in 4:17.59 and setting a personal-record 9:31.84 in finishing 15th in the 3,200. Medina junior Tino Ramos rounded out the local qualifiers with a 16th-place performance in the 800, checking in at 1:59.56. Jarold (3,200), Keller (1,600) and Ramos (800) each carried a perfect postseason into the day, having won the Greater Cleveland Conference Meet, Brunswick District and Findlay Regional crowns in their respective specialties. Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com. Follow him @BrianDulik on Twitter.