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Sports

Solon's A.J. Hicks Claims Discus State Championship

Solon girls earn All-Ohio honors at state meet in Columbus

Frustration turned to elation for Solon senior A.J. Hicks at Sunday's Division I state track and field meet in Columbus.

Hicks, holder of the school record in the shot put, failed to score a point in that event during competition at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The North Carolina recruit was hoping to battle a strong state field in the shot but fouled on his first two throws before settling on a toss of 54-0.25.

An 11th-place finish was not exactly what Hicks had in mind. It didn't take him long to make up for that effort.

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All Hicks did in the discus was uncork an otherworldly throw of 200 feet, seven inches, over 20 feet better than his previous school record. It set a new stadium record and became the third-longest throw in the 104-year history of the state meet.

How good was Hicks' effort? He bested runner-up Michael Bennett of Centerville by a full 15 feet.

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"A.J. is on his own planet," said Comet head coach Dan Iwan prior to the meet. "He really looks forward to competing against the best."

Unfortunately for Solon's boys, Hicks' Herculean peformance was the lone highlight of the weekend. The regional champions scored just 10.5 points in the meet, with Hicks' 10 points for first place and Karl Pierce gaining a half-point for his eighth-place finish in the pole vault (14-0).

The regional champion Comets were hoping to contend for a team title, but failing to advance their sprint relays from the regional hurt. The talented and deep field at Columbus took its toll on Solon.

The Lady Comets came up with two clutch efforts Sunday, earning the team a 17th-place finish with a total of 12 points.

Solon's 4x200-meter relay of Tinisse Kandakai, London McNair, Jelvon Butler and Paige Yaeger earned All-Ohio honors as they posted a time of 1:40.57, good for fourth place.

Yaeger added a fourth-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles with a 44.35 clocking. Distance specialist Therese Haiss also got an All-Ohio nod after her seventh-place effort in the 1600 meters (5:00.46). Haiss also placed 10th in the 800 meters, posting a time of 2:18.78.

 As good as both the boys'and girls' teams were this season, next year could well be another banner season for the Comets.

The boys lose just Hicks and sprinter Matt Thompson to graduation. Junior Max Haiss and sophomores Zach Zimmers and Eric Hansen return from the state qualifying 4x800-meter relay while sophomore sprinter Khoury Crenshaw returns along with junior hurdler Rod Jackson and junior vaulter Pierce. Crenshaw, Jackson and Pierce were all state qualifiers this season.

Yaeger, a junior, leads a strong contingent of returners for the girls. The 4x200 relay is back intact with juniors Yaeger and McNair and freshmen Butler and Kandakai. Haiss may have the brightest future of all as a sophomore.

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