ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (April 9, 2024) -- This season's second edition of the The Pirate Track Report is comprised of a pair of earl-April events, an April 3 home dual meet against Elyria Catholic and the April 5 Perkins Invitational, which was held at Perkins High School in Sandusky ...
On April 3, Rocky River swept a Great Lakes Conference meet against Elyria Catholic. The Pirate boys edged their visitors 79-56 in a taut battle at Rocky River Stadium. The Maroon & White earned wins in 12 of 16 events. Caleb Bennett swept his way to wins in both the 1600-meter and 3200-meter runs. Ruairi Zuercher won the 400 and was in for a piece of River's first-place 4x400-meter relay. Will Coleman (200-meter dash), Owen Walsh (long jump), and Grant Preto (800) were also in on that relay while winning individual events. In the long jump, Walsh posted a leap of 21-feet-6 inches, tying the program's sixth-longest in its history. Abel Sereika doubled up on individual firsts, winning the shot put and high jump.
The River girls downed EC (score unavailable) and like the Pirate boys are now 2-0 this season. The Double-R won all 16 events against the Panthers. Mary Sollars had a big night with wins in the 100, 200, and 100 hurdles. Morgyn Cruz (high jump, long jump) and Doris Kale (shot, discus) also earned multiple individual wins.
On April 3, the River boys earned 54 points to take fifth place in a field of 17 teams at the Perkins Invitational. The Pirates plundered gold in the 800 (Preto) and 1600 (Zuercher). River rocked its way to 14 points in the discus with Sereika and Alex Van Meter placing second and third, respectively. Walsh closed out his solid week by earning bronze in the long jump.
Zuercher's triumph in the 1600 was earned in a meet-record time of 4:28.34.
On the girls' side, Rocky River won the meet, posting 104 points and finishing 27 points clear of runner-up Upper Arlington (77). River's relays all earned points, and that included a 10-pointer in the 4x800. Individually, the Pirates had a win (Grace Lavelle-800), a second-place finish (Chaves-1600), and five thirds (Sollars-200, Brooke Hogan-3200, Olivia Byall-300 hurdles, Katelyn Heavey-high jump, Kale-shot).
Lavelle set a new meet record in the 800 (2:23.15) and was part of the Pirates' gold-winning 4x800. That quartet (Jane Rathbun, Corinne Angney, Chaves, Lavelle) also filed new digits in the Perkins record book (9:48.81).
Rocky River has two scheduled meets the week of April 8. The Pirates will be at Bay April 10 and then compete in the North Royalton Relays on April 12.
by Skip Snow
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