Parkersburg’s 4x4 relay team celebrates after winning the state championship. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

CHARLESTON — The final day of the state track meet here Saturday was one for the ages as Parkersburg’s Drey Grinter won the shot put and set a school record, but he was one-upped by the 4×4 team that established a new all-classes Mountain State record time of 3:19.70.

“That was fantastic because that was an all-time state record and a meet record. We had four good legs, unbelievable leadoff and anchor,” admitted boys head coach Rod O’Donnell, who watched Landon Deuley, Gavin Bowman, Rogan Mincks and anchor AJ Payne go into the record books. “Three of them are back. That’s the good thing. Deuley is going to be hard to replace. He’s that leadoff guy. We had talked about this since the first day.

“Defending the championship and making sure we did what we needed to do. They did a great job. We got as much as we could get out of them. We had two state champions. He (assistant coach Tim Ferguson) told me he’ll (Grinter) get that record next week. He does a great job with our kids. The thing about this team, if their heads are on right, almost everybody is back. Between now and next year if they decide they want to do this we can be good again next year. I’m not making any predictions.”

Payne, who had plans on winning the 400 on Saturday morning, ran a 48.77 but had to settle for a runner-up finish behind University’s Keon Arnold (48.34) as Dueley ran a 49.97 to take fifth.

After not winning the race, Payne took a few things personally and set his sights on the final event of the day.

Parkersburg’s Drey Grinter won the state championship in the shot put. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

“I came off the blocks like hot,” Payne said of the 400. “I knew Keon was going to have a kick and then I led the whole race and he just outkicked me for the last three steps. It hurt, but I took it personal and came back in the 4×4 with it. Morgantown talking trash. I’m the wrong person to talk trash to. I took that personal, too. I told Deuley (at the start of the year) it’s going to be you and me and two other people. I was like ‘let’s go back-to-back. We can do it. I believe in the team.’

“If you all can, just give me the stick and I’ll take care of the rest. Deuely ran a good leg, Gavin and Rogan did an awesome job and I just took control after that. It’s great actually. I was excited. I came in here and I was like ‘whoa, I don’t know,’ but I got close and I heard Morgantown was talking trash and I took it personal losing (the 400), so I was like let’s go back-to-back. One last race to end the year off. Give it all you got.”

Mincks also had plenty of motivation after he had to settle for eighth in the 800 (1:59.75).

“It’s great. Last year, 4×4 alternate, it sucked for me, but now came back competing in the 800 and I didn’t do so good. I was thinking “well, we got a 4×4. Might as well dominate in that’. We did,” Mincks said.

“I mean we were thinking Morgantown, they were going to be a big fight, but they were nowhere to be seen. We just ran the show the whole race. It’s amazing to run with these guys. I mean great team, great people and I mean it’s just a great community to be around.”

Ripley’s Mackenzie Durback, left, celebrates with teammate Dezzie Steele after securing a top-eight finish in the pole vault. Steele placed runner-up. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

Bowman took the baton from Deuley and passed it to Mincks before Payne brought it home down the stretch.

“We had a time all year. It was by our coach, 3:17,” Bowman said. “Not today. We didn’t have a time. We were just saying ‘let’s go out there and win’ because Morgantown was talking trash at us before so we had to show them.

“I can’t explain. It’s amazing. Last year I was always with the sprinters. This year I got moved to the quarter-milers where I ran the 4×4 and I’m just grateful to be with them, and I want to do it for the next two years.”

Deuley, who is going to Marshall University just to be a student, also wasn’t very happy with his performance in the 400.

“I didn’t open up my 4(00) too good, but the 4×4 means a lot more to me,” said the senior. “We got the record last year and it’s not just me, it’s my team, so I didn’t want to let my team down and my team came through for me as well. There’s nothing better than that. There’s no better feeling. I’m super proud of my three teammates. We didn’t come in as favorites.

Parkersburg’s Javel Chandler placed fifth in the 300 meter hurdles. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

“I just can be more proud of them for how they ran and how they did for our team. The last four years have been nothing but a blessing. To be honest, God gave me this gift and I’m super glad that I was able to execute on it. I have so many great memories and make friends I’ll never forget. It’s just nothing but a blessing.”

Grinter has had his sights set on the 2007 school record of 52 feet, 10 inches previously held by Justin Adkins.

“I’m happy to be here,” said a smiling Grinter after his victory. “It actually made me more scared because I was up at the top and I was afraid I was going to disappoint everyone. I’m just happy to achieve what I wanted and I got the school record and the state championship. I’ve known what it was all year. I’ve been trying to hit it all year. Just been practicing and switching stuff up this week. Just been working on it. I knew what I was doing coming in here.

“Last year was my first ever year doing track and I made it to state in the shot. Just hard work. I feel like I’ve been trying to play catchup, so that put something into my head where I got to work harder than everybody else just to catch up, and now I’m caught up and I’m in the lead. Just striving for bigger and better things now. I’m so happy, so really, really, really happy to finally do it. I’ve been told I’m able to do it all year and now that it’s finally done, it’s just exciting. It’s awesome.”

Also placing on Saturday individually for the red and white were Javel Chandler (5th, 300H, 40.02) and Carter Thorpe (5th, 1600, 4:19.98).

Parkersburg’s Morgan Metz receives the baton teammate Daysha Hastings in the 4x400 meter relay. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

The 4×2 team placed third with a time of 1:29.61 thanks to Bowman, Chandler, Deuley and Payne at anchor.

Parkersburg South’s Jordan Foster picked up all three of the Patriots’ points via a seventh-place effort in the 110 hurdles (15.98) and an eighth-place showing in the 300 hurdles (40.88).

PHS head girls coach Lia Fleek watched her program amass 43.5 points to finish seventh in the first year of Class AAAA.

Daysha Hastings (4th, 100H, 15.88), Kelina Utietiang (6th, 300H, 48.61), Morgan Metz (7th, 1600, 5:20.28) and Bella Bowman (7th, discus, 109-11) all placed individually on Saturday.

“I’m really proud of how these athletes competed and never gave up,” said Fleek, who watched the 4×4 run a 4:16.03 with Hastings, Metz, Olivia Carpenter and Utietiang to place eighth. “We had several athletes and relays run their personal bests this weekend and that is what it is all about.

Parkersburg South’s Jordan Foster, center, competes in the 110 meter hurdles. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

“We are losing some really exceptional seniors who have shown great leadership and competed like champs this weekend. They will be missed. We will have some work to do next year to fill their shoes, but I’m not worried. We have a great group of underclassmen.”

In Class AAA, the Ripley girls just missed out on a top-10 showing, settling for 11th with 23 points, while the Viking boys placed 12th with 18 points.

Leading the way for the girls on Saturday was the pole vault duo of Dezzie Steele (2nd, 10-0) and Mackenzie Durback (8th, 8-6). Kyndyll Butler also earned a point after placing eighth in the 400 with a time of 1:01.32.

The top finish for the Viking boys belonged to Cooper Eastman, who cleared 5-10 to finish sixth in the high jump. Mason Casto placed seventh in both the 100 (11.50) and the 200 (22.72) and also ran the anchor leg on the fourth-place 4×1 that clocked in with a time of 43.70 with the help of Jordan Adkins, Everett Kish and Isaac Butcher.

In the 4×4, where the Vikings took eighth (3:34.83), Sawyer Thacker anchored it and was joined by Butcher, Ronan Holmes and Easton Haile. RHS also took fifth in the 4×2 (1:32.10) with Adkins, Thacker, Butcher and Casto.

Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com

Parkersburg’s Bella Bowman placed seventh in the discus. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)

Ripley’s Mason Casto crosses the finish line in the 200 meter dash. (Photo by Jordan Holland)