High school track: Buckeye boys win Midview invite

EATON TWP. — The drama Friday night at the sixth annual Midview Shipwreck Track and Field Invitational couldn't have been better, as it all came down to the boys 4x400-meter relay, the final event. With the score deadlocked between Buckeye and Keystone at 127, the Bucks needed a victory over the Wildcats in the meet's final event to come out on top. Mission accomplished. Tate McCourt, Brady Salazar, Nick Balaban and Dion Sams pulled out the event in a meet-record time of 3:29.45. Balaban had to sub for senior Logan Lowe, who had to scratch after pulling a hamstring earlier while anchoring the 4x2. Keystone was second in the 4x4 in 3:31.46, which also broke the meet record of 3:34.45 set in 2024 by Buckeye. For his efforts, Sams was named the boys meet MVP. Sams earlier won the 300 hurdles in a meet-record 39.68, breaking the 2021 mark by two seconds. He also won the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 5.5 inches. "It feels great. It's like awesome," said Sams, who anchored the 4x4. "It's great. Obviously, we didn't have (Logan Lowe), but (Balaban) did a nice job subbing in. This is one of our favorite events. We're just having a good time." A year ago, Buckeye finished second in the team standings at the Midview classic behind the host Middies, 140.33-121. "I'm proud of my kids. It came down to the wire," Buckeye coach Mike Flerchinger said. "I saw the score right before the race and I thought, 'Wow, wild stuff.' They dug deep and stepped up. Nick Balaban stepped up in the relay and did a great job. "(Lowe) is one of our best athletes. He broke a school record already this year (49.07 in the 400). That (hamstring injury) was a little devastating. We were anticipating to win that (4x2). Keystone won it and that kind of swung the momentum the other way. They are a very good team. You have to be on your best to beat them. We're hoping that the injury isn't going to keep (Lowe) out for the season. He felt a little better afterward. We'll play it safe." Dimitry Pshonyak also stood out for Buckeye, winning the 1,600 in a meet-record 4:36.98. "I was pretty tired coming in, so I knew that I needed to just pace myself," Pshonyak said. Pshonyak earlier teamed with Gavin Waibel, Nate Rieth and Isaac Clady for a meet-record winning time in the 4x8 (8:25.35). Caden Fike added a win in the pole vault (13-0). The Buckeye girls also enjoyed a good meet, finishing third with 86.5 points behind Oberlin (108) and Padua (96.5). Junior Ellen Steppenbacker won the pole vault (10-0) and senior Alyssa Bengough took the discus (111-11) to lead the Bucks. Contact Paul Heyse at sports@medina-gazette.com.