Bull Dogs squeak past Trojans for sectional title

COLUMBUS

With no teams ranked in the state’s top 20, the Columbus North boys track sectional appeared there for the taking.

The host Bull Dogs took it on Thursday, edging three-time defending champion Center Grove by the slimmest of margins, 132-131.

Any sting of missing a fourth consecutive title was lessened for the Trojans by the fact they’ll be represented in eight events at next week’s Franklin Regional. Three of those include senior Matt Fleener, who won the 200- and 400-meter dashes and anchored the victorious 4×400 relay.

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“I was happy with the fact Fleener hadn’t run this many events all year long. We put him in the 200 to try to pick up points and he ends up winning the event. I’m very proud of him,” Center Grove coach Eric Moore said. “It was his meet tonight.

“Sam Hohlt was unbelievable in the 300 hurdles. His time was amazing, and on we go. This is a team that’s a year away from being really, really good.”

The Trojans capped the evening by dominating the 4×400 relay. Preceding Fleener with the baton were Hohlt, Steven Mills and Gavin Matheson. Overall, they posted a time of 3:27.44.

Franklin finished third in the team standings with 89 points, followed by county and Mid-State rivals Whiteland and Greenwood with 83 and 77, respectively. Woodmen athletes took home blue ribbons in four of the events.

The meet’s first race was dominated by Whiteland, which coasted to a near school-record time of 8:08.96 in the 4×800 relay.

Senior Bailey McMahon established momentum for the Warriors as the leadoff runner. From there, Dalton Spangler, Mika Long and David Ryan teamed to expand the lead over runner-up Center Grove.

“It’s a huge PR for us. Our previous best was 8:17,” McMahon said. “We’re not running as an individual. Our goal is to win and get the school record. We’re right there.”

Ryan, a senior, later placed second in the 800 to qualify for regional as an individual.

The night’s most exciting finish came in the 200-meter dash, as Fleener rallied over the past 30 meters to edge Columbus North’s Damon Hunter, 22.36 to 22.41.

In the discus, Greenwood senior Nick Young won with a top throw of 159 feet, 3 inches. His personal best of 170-8 came earlier in the season at the Mid-State Conference meet at Decatur Central.

“I definitely wanted to win, which I accomplished,” Young said. “I wish the distances were a little better going into regional, but I’m definitely happy. Getting the win was the main goal.”

Young capped his night by winning the shot put with a best of 54 feet, 10 inches.

Two of Young’s Woodmen teammates were equally dominant in their respective events.

Junior Nick Patton ran a time of 14.84 seconds to claim the 110-meter high hurdles. Senior Ethan Pine took the lead early in the 1,600-meter and won that event by just a shade under six seconds.