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Williamstown overall runner-up in Fenton Relays

WILLIAMSTOWN – Although not a single meet record was broken here Tuesday night during the 24th annual Bill Fenton Memorial Relays, the Parkersburg High School track team accomplished something it had never done before – sweep the meet held at the Jack Jones Track and Field Complex.

The Big Red girls of head coach Leah Fleek pulled out a 96-93 victory against runner-up Williamstown while the red and white boys of mentor Kenny DeMoss topped runner-up Doddridge County, 91-82. In the end, Parkersburg amassed a winning effort of 187 and finished ahead of the remainder of the field which included Williamstown (166), Parkersburg South (136), Doddridge County (120), Belpre (77), reigning three-time champion Marietta (76) as well as St. Marys (31) and Wirt County (12).

“Both the boys and girls competed very well,” stated DeMoss, who watched PHS capture its first overall Fenton crown since 2004. “It was a great night for track. I think this is the first time we’ve been in the Fenton Relays when it’s not raining and it’s not cold for once, but the meet went smooth and the kids performed really well.”

Parkersburg’s boys picked up four victories overall and that included ending the meet with a win in the 4 by 400 via a clocking of 3:35.24 thanks to Nick Cheuvront, Ben Umpleby, Landon Miller and anchor Evan Rhodes. Rhodes also anchored the first place shuttles team that went 59.86 along with the help of the lead leg Miller, Erik Musgrave and Austin Allman.

Rhodes led off the 4 by 200 team and with the aid of Adam Lindamood, Miller and Chandler Hamilton the Big Reds finished in 1:32.66. Parkersburg posted the top effort in the 4 by 800 – 8:40.57 – thanks to Nick Cheuvront, Logan Wooten, Gage Graham and Umpleby.

Although the Marietta thinclads didn’t factor into the team race after finishing first each of the past three springs, the Tiger boys did set a new school record in the pole vault relay. Will Cogswell went 14 feet, Caleb Hall went 13 feet and with Garrett Davis going 9 feet, 6 inches the Tigers won the event with an overall effort of 36 1/2 feet.

The Williamstown and PHS girls won four events apiece and had the only first place tie, which came in the high jump relay as both squads went 14 feet, 6 inches. The Jackets had Megan Steele, Ciara Flowers and Cami Mossor while the Big Reds’ trio featured Sarah Bever, Lauren Leaman and Kayla Harmon.

Whitney McAtee, Vanessa Koon and Emily Smith went 289-8 to win the discus relay for PHS. The Big Reds’ other triumphs came in the 4000 distance medley (13:35.46) and the 4 by 800 (10:24.45), which featured the same quartet of Nicole Dent, Holly Ackerman, Rachel Morris and Kaylee Williams, along with a winning time of 1:08.48 in the shuttles thanks to Mackenzie Sims, Tiffany Cline, Blake Schenerlein and Sarah Bever.

Lincoln Postlewaite, who went 11 feet, was joined by Erica Amos and Brooke Shockey as Williamstown went 25-6 to win the pole vault relay. WHS also claimed the 4 by 1600 relay (Carley Ellison, Allie Robinson, Sarah Settle, Cami Mossor) in 24:00.62, the 4 by 100 relay (Brooklyn Hammer, Jessie Kerns, Postlewaite, Madelin Gardner) in 52.03 and the 4 by 400 (Gardner, Kathleen Cornell, Robinson, Andrea Chidester) in 4:13.98.

South’s girls won the 4 by 200 relay (1:49.41) and the 800 sprint medley (1:54.89) as the foursome of Lacey Cale, Demi DeGraef, Kasey Williams and Kristin Wilson were too fast.

Marietta’s lone win in the girls came in the shot put relay (Haley Bonar, Clara Hoium, Hailey Bennett; 88-11) and Doddridge County’s only victory was in the long jump relays (D’Andra Swiger, Haley Stephenson, Justice Ingram; 43-8.25).

Aside from the PHS boys collecting four wins, Doddridge County had three while Williamstown and Belpre had two event victories each. The host Jackets won the 4 by 100 relay (Jarric Hoskins, Matt Zlatkind, Trace Hart, Mitchell Goertler; 44.16) and the shot put relay (Evan Smith, Logan Raines, Nick Meadows; 134-1.75). Belpre topped the field in the long jump relay (Dakota Hoffman, Sam Petty, Devin Daniell; 54-11) as well as the 800 sprint medley. Daniell ran the lead leg and was followed by Ryan Leasure, Petty and the anchor Hoffman as they finished with a winning time of 1:40.22.

The Bulldogs went unchallenged in the 4000 distance medley going 11:23.70 with the quartet of Ashton Hinzman, Brandon Lively, Matt Zorn and Caleb Moore. Moore was followed by Zorn, Lively and Caleb Ferguson on the winning 4 by 1600 relay team which breezed to victory in 19:42.90. Also, DCHS combined to go 17 feet in the high jump relay with the efforts of Dillon Muhly-Alexander, Zach Cottrill and Dyllon Hayes.

Parkersburg South claimed the other boys win, which came with a total distance of 396 feet, 2 inches in the discus relay thanks to the throws of Dylon Rippeto, Tim Ferguson and Stoney Nolan.

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