Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

CHILLICOTHE — In the Division III district finals at Southeastern, there were plenty of local athletes who qualified for the regional meet.
The top four finishers in each event advance to the regional tournament Wednesday at 5 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Friday at Lancaster Fairfield Union High School.
Minford won the boys’ meet with 104 points while the Hornets were runners-up with 81 points.
In the girls’ meet, Wheelersburg took first place and Coal Grove was fifth, Ironton 10th and Rock Hill 18th.
Coal Grove’s Kylee Thomas ran a 16.40 and was second in the 100-meter hurdles while Ironton’s Loralei Griffiths was fourth at 16.48 to advance to the regional meet.
In the 300-meter hurdles, Thomas was second at 47.37 seconds. Teammate Sarah Cecil was sixth at 49.61 and Griffiths eighth at 51.63.
In the boys’ 110 hurdles, Coal Grove’s Jed Whitworth was second at 16.01 seconds and Greg Keeney third at 16.12. Green’s Zach Huffman was fourth at 16.24 seconds as all three advanced.
Green’s Troy Otworth was seventh at 17.28 seconds.
In the 300-meter hurdles, Huffman place second at 40.92 seconds. Keeney ran a 43.42 and was fourth to advance. Whitworth was fifth at 43.40 and Otworth sixth at 44.30 seconds.
In the girls’ 100-meter dash, Ironton’s Kyleigh Pauley was fifth at 13.2 seconds and Erica Collins eighth at 13.46.
In the girls’4×200-meter relay, the Chesapeake was seventh as Chloe Hayes, Natalie Hetemeyer, Faith Fletcher and Shia Ervin ran a 1:56.77 time. Coal Grove was eight with Cecil, Mikayla Daniels, Kaylee Harris and Abbey Hicks running a 1:56.81 time.
Coal Grove was second in the 4×200 relay with Justin Hicks, Evan Holmes, Austin Stormes and Kyle Sites posting a 1:35.24 time.
Sites, Holmes, Hicks and Dylan French ran a 3:40.16 to place second in the 4×400 relay. Green was seventh as Zach Huffman, Ethan Huffman, Derifield and Otworth had a 3:50.52 time.
The Lady Panthers’ Kelsie Hegemeyer advanced to the regional meet in the 1600-meter run with a 5:28.37 time to place fourth. Rock Hill’s Camryn Miller was seventh at 5:47.25.
Hegemeyer was third in the 800 meters at 2:30.49. Coal Grove’s Elli Holmes was eighth with a 2:42.22 time.
Green’s James Hallan was seventh at 4:59.70 in the boys’ 1600.
In the boys’ 800 meters, Coal Grove’s Dylan French was second at 2:06.31. Green’s Baley Derifield was seventh at 2:10.77.
The Ironton Lady Fighting Tigers’ 4×100 relay team of Griffiths, Collins, Lilly Zornes and Pauley had a 51.26 second clocking and was third to earn a regional berth.
Coal Grove’s boys were first in the 4×100 relay as Hicks, Stormes, Sites and Nathan Harmon ran a combined 45.03 time.
In the girls’ 200-meters, Thomas was fourth at 29>96 while Pauley was eighth at 27.14.
Hicks ran a 14:04.74 to place eighth in the girls’ 3200 meters.
Hallam was third in the boys’ 3200 with an 11:15.31 times.
Coal Grove’s quartet of Cecil, Daniels, Thomas and Harris was third in the 4×400 relay with a 4:25.05 time.
In the boys’ high jump, Ethan Huffman of Green was second at 6-1 and third in the long jump at 19-2.5. Coal Grove’s Holmes was sixth in the high jump at 5-6 and Hicks eighth in the long jump 1t 17-2.5.
Daniels was seventh in the girls long jump at 14-11.
Coal Grove’s Ben Compliment was fourth in the shot put at 42-feet, 9-inches after qualifying earlier in the week in the discus. Austin Stapleton was sixth in the shot put at 40-9.
The Lady Hornets Lauren Holliday won the pole vault as she cleared 9-feet for a new district record. Rock Hill’s Ally Nell and Makayla Scott each went 7-6 and tied for sixth place.