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NEW CONCORD -- The East Liverpool boys 1600-meter relay team saved its best for last.
The Potters' team of sophomores Gavin Wright, Quintin Conrad and Julius Jones and freshman Maddox Roach captured a Division II state berth in the last race at the regional meet at Muskingum University on Saturday.
The Potters finished second in a season-best 3 minutes, 28.21 seconds. Steubenville won in 3:24.19.
The top four finishers in each event advance to the state track meet June 2-3 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus.
The Potters will run in the state semifinals at 4:10 p.m. Friday.
Jones and Conrad just missed qualifying as individuals. Jones was fifth in the 800 (1:59.67) and Conrad was sixth in the 400 (51.13).
Former Beaver Local state champion Caleb White had his high school career end after injuring his hamstring Thursday.
White posted the top time in the 100-meter dash preliminaries in 10.82 seconds. After nursing a slight hamstring injury most of the season, it gave out on him in the 200 dash preliminaries.
He was hoping to overcome it, but could not run Saturday.
White had eight state medals in the past two seasons, including a Division II state title in the 100-meter dash in 2021 and was the state runner-up in the 200 dash each of the past two seasons.
Beaver Local's lone state qualifier is sophomore Savannah Nign in the girls wheelchair 100-meter race. Nign finished third in the event last year and will race in the state semifinals at 5:40 p.m. Friday.
Minerva had six more state qualifiers Saturday -- senior Cloe Mueller was second in the girls long jump (17-2); senior Hera Hoffee was second (11:08.70) and sophomore Hannah Ison was fourth (11:58.03) in the girls 3200 run; sophomore Kayla Crissman was third in the girls 1600 run (5:12.46); senior Garrett Ault, was fourth in the boys 300 hurdles (40.25 seconds); and freshman Rowen Hoffee was fourth in the 1600 run (4:27.65).
Not advancing Saturday were East Liverpool junior Dacianelle Andrews, 15th in the girls long jump (15-0); Edison freshman Josie Lesnansky, sixth in the girls 3200 run (12:06.06); Minerva sophomore Katie Ison, fifth in the girls 1600 run (5:23.03); Minerva sophomore Grasyn Rettig, seventh in the boys 3200 run (9:55.92); Minerva junior Mason Steele, ninth in the boys 1600 run (4:37.08); Minerva sophomore Kayla Crissman in 13th (2:28.24) and Minerva sophomore Annabelle Crissman in 14th (2:28.36) in the girls 800 run.