North Adams senior Cody Hesler claims the #2 spot on the podium at the OHSAA State Track Meet in the Boys 100M Dash. (Photo by Danielle Jodrey)
North Adams junior Beau Hesler poses proudly with his medal for placing third in the Boys 800M run at last week’s OHSAA Division III State Track Meet. (Photo by Danielle Jodrey)
Peebles senior Samantha Seas placed fifth in the state in the Girls 3200M Run in last week’s Division III State Track Meet. (Photo provided)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
An impressive and memorable spring track season for an ultra-talented group of local athletes came to its end last week, but it ended at the highest level of competition. Athletes from North Adams and Peebles High Schools competed on May 30 and 31 in the Division III OHSAA State Track meet, held this year at Welcome Stadium in Dayton. Though none of the local competitors brought home state titles, they left themselves and their fans with a catalog of memories that will most certainly last a lifetime.
North Adams senior Cody Hesler has dominated the local track scene for most of his high school career and at last week’s state meet, he competed in two events and came very close to his goal of being the state champion in the Boys 400M Dash, placing second overall in the state with a time of 48.99, with state champion Evan Hudson of Oberlin winning with a time of 47.97. Cody also was part of the finals in the Boys 100M Dash where he finished sixth in a time of 11.24.
The athletic prowess of the Hesler family was also on display in the Boys 800M Run as Cody’s younger brother and North Adams junior Beau Hesler made the podium by finishing third in the state with a time of 1:55.46. That third place slot was significant as both runner who finished ahead of Beau were seniors, which logically makes him the odds-on favorite for a state title in 2025.
The Hesler brothers were also a part of the North Adams 4 x 400 relay team, along with Garrett Emerson and Dalton Pence. The relay quartet did not make it into the state finals, placing 14th in the preliminary race with a time of 3:31.51.
North Adams boys track coach Jeff Raines was the fortunate one to coach all these athletes this spring.
“To say I’m proud is an understatement,” said Coach Raines. “Any time that you are able to go against the best in the state and accomplish what Cody and Beau accomplished, well that says a lot. Our relay team had a great season as well. I’m very thankful for our community that showed up both days to cheer on the guys.”
“It has been a very fun and exciting season.”
From Peebles High School, a pair of seniors closed out careers that saw their names etched over and over in the school record book. Educated fans know that the Seas family has been blessed with an inordinate amount of running ability and in Dayton last week, senior Samantha Seas finished her outstanding career with a podium finish in the Girls 3200M Run. Seas finished fifth in the state, crossing the finish in the grueling race in a time of 11:01.19, which was a personal record for her and quite a way to go out.
Another Peebles senior, Payton Johnson, will go down as one of the finest overall female athletes ever to grace the Adams County stage. In last week’s state track meet, Johnson competed in three events and made the podium with a seventh place finish in the Girls Long Jump, with a best jump of 16’9.5”. In the Thursday preliminaries, Johnson did not get to the finals in the 100M Dash or the 200M Dash, but in the process she set school records in both events, which gives you some idea of the strength of the competition. Johnson ran 12.35 in the 100M and 25.64 in the 200M to again put her name in the school record books.
On top of all their athletic accomplishments, both Seas and Johnson were named Academic All-Ohio.
The Defender also sends out congratulations to Whiteoak High School’s Landon Eyre. Eyre captured the school’s first-ever state championship, winning the Boys 3200M Run.
