Today’s This Week newspaper reports on the state championship run by Worthington Christian 3,200-meter relay team of Jake Bertelsen, Kyle Smith, Luke Smith, and Taylor Vallangeon over the weekend. (Worthington Christian High School is a ministry of Grace Polaris Church, a Charis Fellowship congregation led by Pastor Mike Yoder.) A portion of the story appears below. Click here to read the complete article.
Worthington Christian Roundup: Boys 3,200 relay earns another state title
Returning to a familiar formula paid off for the Worthington Christian High School boys track and field team June 1 at the Division III state meet at Ohio State.
At last year’s Division II state meet, the 3,200-meter relay of Jake Bertelsen, Kyle Smith, Luke Smith and Jordan Jackson captured the championship in 7 minutes, 50.65 seconds.
The Smith brothers and Bertelsen were joined throughout this year’s postseason by junior Taylor Vallangeon and won district and regional championships.
However, minutes before the event at this year’s state meet, the Warriors substituted Jackson in for Vallangeon and the results were nearly identical to a season ago as the Warriors ran 7:50.92 to win another title.
The all-senior relay helped Worthington Christian score 38 points to finish third behind East Canton (64) and Smith-ville (40) as 72 teams scored.
“We didn’t know who the lineup would be and we put in Jordan Jackson 20 minutes before the race, but we thought we had it and it ended up all good,” Kyle Smith said. “It was very fun.”
Kyle Smith placed second in the 800 (1:55.68) and Jackson was runner-up in the 400 (49.04).
Then in the 1,600 relay that closed the meet, senior Ethan Crary and the Smith brothers ran the first three legs and had the Warriors in second place behind East Canton.
Click here to read the complete article.