State track: Medina's Tino Ramos, Highland's Ty Sgambati place in 800

COLUMBUS — The lightning arrived first, followed by echoes of thunder. Once the stands were cleared at Jesse Owens Stadium, torrential rainfall soaked the track. A 90-minute weather delay was followed by a 75-minute stoppage, with exactly two events squeezed in between the storms. Highland sophomore Ty Sgambati only had one thing on his mind while seeking shelter Saturday. "With every clap of thunder, I was hoping and praying that we'd be running under the lights," he said. His wish was granted and a magical evening played out at the Division I state boys track meet. Medina senior Tino Ramos finished fourth and Sgambati placed seventh in the 800-meter run — the highest combined finish by Medina County runners in 13 years in a single event — on what turned into a picturesque night on the campus of Ohio State. Both runners earned their first career individual medals by finishing in the top eight, doing so in near-perfect conditions of clear skies and 71 degrees. Thanks to Mother Nature, the race began at 8:46 p.m. "It was like a movie, running down the homestretch with the crowd going crazy," a beaming Sgambati said. "With 100 meters to go, I started counting the people ahead of me and realized I had a chance at making the podium. After everything that happened, I'll never forget this day." Ramos, who ran the final leg on the Bees' state runner-up 4x800 Friday, became the 22nd county athlete to place in an individual and relay event in the same season. The Amherst Regional champion reached the line in 1:52.75, just ahead of Rocky River's Majid Abuaun for the second week in a row. Sgambati was timed in 1:53.28, 4/1,000th of a second in front of Gahanna Lincoln's Owen Towler — one of three runners he passed on the final lap — and Cloverleaf senior Vova Herdman finished ninth in 1:54.00. "I would have liked to have the meet without delays, but it was nice under the lights," said Ramos, who scored seven of the county's 20 team points at the two-day competition. "This was a different experience, for sure. Once the race started, I just wanted to get there as fast as possible and go home." Medina junior Jake Sebaugh and Highland senior Elijah Hadler headed to the track 25 minutes later for their initial appearances in the 3,200-meter run. Sebaugh placed 15th in 9:24.49 and three-sport state qualifier Hadler was 17th in 9:36.29. Before the initial weather stoppage, Cloverleaf junior Isaac Baltic and Medina senior Roman Alessandro made their state debuts in the pole vault, finishing 13th and 17th, respectively. Brunswick District champ Baltic cleared 14 feet and 14-6 on his third attempts at both heights but lost an eight-way tiebreaker for sixth place based on misses. He was eliminated at 15-0, which would have eclipsed his school record of 14-7 set two weeks ago. "This was definitely a new experience for me," Baltic said, motioning toward the large crowd in the grandstand. "It was kind of cool to be part of it. I thought I had a pretty successful season, but I know that I have to work more in order to do better next year. That's my goal." Alessandro was successful at 13-0 and 13-6, only missing one total jump, before bowing out at 14-0. He said it was gratifying to compete with former gymnastics teammate Baltic and supporting Medina girls pole vaulter Colleen Johnson. "It was very cool to be here and see all the best athletes in the state in one place," Alessandro said. "Isaac and I have always been friends and talked, but we would just text each other about pole vaulting this year. It made it even more fun for both of us." Medina junior Austin Knowles wound up 10th in the long jump, reaching 22-2 on his first attempt. He was sixth after the initial round and held onto the ninth (and final) finals berth until Little Miami senior Jayden Wayne went 22-4.5 on his last try, displacing Knowles. Wadsworth junior Drew Jones tied for 14th in the perennially unpredictable high jump at 6-2, converting his third try at the opening height. The event took place during the warmest, sunniest part of the day, when the temperature hit 92 degrees with a heat index over 100 trackside. "This was the hottest weather that I've ever jumped in, but you can't use that as an excuse," Jones said. "High jumping is so technical, anything can happen to throw you off, and it wasn't my day. "It was a really cool atmosphere to be in and I'm hoping to be back next year." Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com. Follow him @BrianDulik on Twitter.