Drought ends: East wins first sectional since 2001; Bull Dogs take second

Adi Minor was 1 year old the last time Columbus East won a gymnastics sectional title.

Now, she’s the driving force behind the end of the drought.

The second-ranked Olympians put up a 111.75 team score Friday night to win their own sectional. The sectional crown is their first since 2001.

“That is a fantastic team score for sectional,” Minor said. “We still have two more meets, so we can celebrate this. But we have to work hard these next two weeks before we get to state and we’re going to get the results we deserve.”

Co-No.4 Columbus North finished second with a 109.775. Seymour edged Owen Valley 104.575 to 102.95 for the third and final qualifying spot to the March 3 Connersville Regional.

Minor won the vault (9.75), bars (9.825) and floor (9.8) and finished second on the beam (9.275) on her way to claiming the all-around title with a 38.65.

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“I wasn’t really focusing on myself tonight,” Minor said. “My main goal was for these girls to go out there and do the very best that they can and to get everything they deserve from what they’ve done this season. That’s what they did tonight, and winning the all-around is an extra bonus.”

Minor had help from her three all-around teammates. Taylor Gaskill scored a 37.05, Taylen Lane had a 26.275 and Abby Lewis finished with a 35.55. Gaskill (9.55) and Lane (9.35) took second and third on the floor.

Columbus North’s Claire Thompson was the only gymnast besides Minor to win an event. The two-time defending state beam champ took that event with a 9.625.

Thompson also finished second on the vault (9.5) and bars (9.75) and fourth on the floor (9.4) to take second in the all-around with a 38.275.

“I think I competed the best I could,” Thompson said. “I had a few wobbles that I could have fixed, but overall, I’m very happy with how I did today.”

Also for the Bull Dogs, Sami Heathcote had a 37.0, and Tova Edwards scored a 31.9 in the all-around.

Both North and East started on the beam, which is generally regarded as the toughest event on which to begin. The Bull Dogs had to count a pair of falls on the beam, which put them behind the Olympians from the outset and had they playing catch-up the rest of the way.

“It’s not starting on beam, it’s starting with not the confidence that we need,” Thompson said. “With those falls, after beam, we had to work our confidence back up and not let that affect the rest of our performances, and we did well in all the other events.”