DAILY JOURNAL SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS
Center Grove High School senior Derek Grimmer said he felt it was time to hang up his baseball cleats this season.
“I kind of got burned out because I’ve been playing since Little League,” Grimmer said. “I thought I would change to an individual sport and see how far I could push myself. So far it’s been good. I’m very happy running track.”
Grimmer captured the 100- and 200-meter dashes and helped lead the 400 relay team to victory as the Trojans won the Columbus North Sectional on Thursday.
They tallied 161 points, well ahead of second-place Columbus North with 126. Whiteland was third with 77.
“(Grimmer) had himself a really nice meet, one of his nicest,” Center Grove coach Eric Moore said. “Not his best times, though.”
Grimmer won the 100 meters in 11.01 seconds and 200 in 22.62.
“It was pretty cold, but I just pushed through and tried to get first,” said Grimmer, who was an outfielder on the Trojans baseball team. “Times weren’t as good as they should have been, but I’m happy to move on the regionals (at Connersville) and see what I can do there, and hopefully go on to state.”
Grimmer’s best time this season in the 100 was 10.9 seconds in winning the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference meet. However, Grimmer, who is hoping to run track in college, said the 200 is his best event.
Other winners for the Trojans were Jackson Hohlt, 400 meters, 50.0 seconds; Trevor Hohlt, 300 hurdles, 39.93; and Cameron Tidd, discus, 170-6. The Trojans also won the 1,600 and 3,200 relays.
“It was a good win. We scored more points than I thought we would,” Moore said. “Our times weren’t as good as we needed to be. I’m a little concerned about some spots. Going into regionals and state, bad times get you bad lanes. It was a little cooler, maybe that affected everybody.
“Looking all over the state, the results are a little weird. Keeping kids peak for three weeks is tough, especially seniors with graduation. I’m not making excuses. Hopefully we got to focus and go from there.”
Moore said the team seemed to hit a peak at the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference meet.
“And my teams never peak early,” Moore said. “This weather has been hard to train this spring. It’s really throwing curves at us.”
Center Grove senior Griffin Miller, who signed to run cross-country and track at IUPUI last fall, placed second in the 1,600 and third in the 3,200.
“It’s hard to run a double,” Miller said. “This is the best times I’ve run for both of them except for indoors. That’s what we train all season to do two events and do well.”
For the distance races, Miller said it was perfect weather.
Miller, who finished 15th in the state cross-country meet in the fall, said it’s up to the coaching state but said it’s likely he will concentrate on the 3,200 in the regional.
Winners for Indian Creek were Logan Cobb in the 110 hurdles (14.75 seconds) and Elijah Maness in the pole vault (12-4). Franklin’s Tyler Hendricks won the shot put (49-10.5).
