Warren sophomore Mason Francis, third from left, stands on the podium at the Ohio state swim meet after finishing second in the 50 freestyle finals Friday in Canton. (Photo Provided)

CANTON, Ohio — In just his sophomore season, Warren swimmer Mason Francis has reached All-Ohio status.

The Warrior qualified Thursday for the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle finals, which took place Friday. Francis turned in the best time of his life in the 50 (20.85) to finish as the state runner-up. He then placed fifth in the 100 with a time of 46.71 to reach the podium in two events.

In the 50, he finished behind only Kenton Ridge’s Evan Blazer, who turned in a time of 20.45 Of the 16 people competing in the 50 free finals, 14 were either juniors or seniors. Francis was the only sophomore.

In the 100, Dover’s Lucas Lane won the event with a time of 45.12. Blazer was second (45.19), Bexley’s Nicholas Minkin was third (46.27) and Wapakoneta’s Alex Honingford was fourth (46.48). Francis edged out sixth-placer William Harpster of Columbus Academy by six-hundredths of a second.

“He had a great season,” said Francis’ head coach and father, Mike. “He’s put in so much hard work. He dropped a lot of time in both events. To be able to compete like that with so many older kids, he’s doing very well.”

At the beginning of the season, Francis swam a 49.26 in the 100 and 22.60 in the 50. Finishing the year at 46.71 and 20.85 shows impressive progression throughout the year in those events.

Also representing the Warriors at the state level was Mia Janes, who placed sixth in the girls 50 freestyle para and seventh in the 100 backstroke para. She clocked in at 58.51 seconds in the 50.