FLOYDS KNOBS — Columbus East junior Rhett Myers scored 20 points in winning both throwing events in Thursday night’s Hoosier Hills Conference boys track and field meet.
That boosted the Olympians to a third-place finish with 84 points in the eight-team field. Host and 11th-ranked Floyd Central ran away with the title, scoring 180 points, while Jeffersonville came in second with 96.
Myers was the star for the Olympians, throwing a personal-best 51 feet, 4 1/2 inches in capturing the blue ribbon in the shot put and going 147-5 in soaring past the competition in the discus.
While he won the shot put by almost two feet, he was more than 13 feet ahead of the runner-up in the discus.
“Rhett Myers had a great night,” East coach David Miller said. “He PR’d by five feet in shot put, which was amazing. Discus, not his best, but still good enough to win.”
This was Myers’ first time coming out a double winner in the HHC.
“It was good,” Miller said. “He stepped up and threw really well obviously in shot put, and hopefully that carries on to next week.”
Junior teammate Aaron Kruchten also scored in the throws, placing fifth in both the shot (43-10 3/4) and discus (132-5).
On the track, East’s best finish was by the 4×400-meter relay team of Chase Thompson, Caleb Pettit, T.C. O’Neal and Steven O’Neal, who placed second in 3 minutes, 32.79 seconds. Bedford North Lawrence won in 3:31.34.
Other top-five finishes on the track for the Olympians were by Paul Bean, placing third in the 1,600 (4:39.61) and fifth in the 3,200 (10:10.72), Cam Wilson and Jason Groover going 4-5 in the 100 (11.70 and 11.86), Steven O’Neal taking fourth in the 400 (52.07) and the 4×100 relay team of Jamon Hogan, Josiah Edwards, Groover and Wilson placing third (44.90).
In field events, fourth-place finishes came from Matt Buffo in the pole vault (12-0) and Steven O’Neal in the long jump (20-4 1/2).
“It was a solid night,” Miller said. “In the last couple years, we haven’t competed real well for some reason in conference. I think for the most part, we ran well and jumped well and threw well, so it was a good night.”
Miller noted that his squad maintained its seeding.
“It would have been nice to place a little higher, but Floyd Central is a heck of a team,” he said.
Jennings County wound up in fifth place with 57 1/2 points. The Panthers had runner-up showings by Kyle Lewis in the 1,600 (4:34.59) and 3,200 (10:01.26).
Also, Zach Miller was third in the 100 (11.46) and fifth in the 200 (23.67) and long jump (20-3 3/4), Aaron Smiley was fifth in the 110 hurdles (16.47), Konner Logan was fifth in the 400 (52.40), Wes Furgason tied for fourth in the high jump (5-10) and the 4×100 relay team of Blake Cardinal, Furgason, Tyler Campbell and Miller was fourth (45.50).
Seymour was led by Daniel Hauersperger’s pair of wins in the 1,600 (4:32.46) and 3,200 (9:48.26). The Owls finished seventh with 49 1/2 points.
