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LEHMAN TWP. — For a guy who’s fairly new to the sport, Je’Vondrea McClair is sure feeling comfortable on the track.
And his long leaps in the pits left the defending division champion Mohawks right at home, too.
McClair was a three-time winner Wednesday, Nazir Dunell also won three times and Namir Murphy captured two throwing events as Meyers picked up this season where it left off the last one by recording the program’s eighth straight duel meet victory with a 91-46 lashing of Lake-Lehman in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 season opener at the Lake-Lehman track.
“First day, put it in the books,” McClair said. “It was good. If we have that dedication we had last year, we have a chance to chase a championship. I believe we have the talent. I sense it.
“Got to want it.”
Lake-Lehman star thrower Emily Johns wanted to get back in action for the longest time after suffering a broken foot early last year, and successfully started her comeback toward what she hopes will be another run to the PIAA championships.
Johns, a senior who sustained her injury working out after the 2016 season-opening meet, captured the discus and shot put throws to spark the Lehman girls to a 94-43 victory over Meyers.
“Emily, she won with some pretty respectable numbers,” Lake-Lehman coach John Sobocinski said. “Coming out of the gates with her injury, it was encouraging.”
Johns tossed the shot put at distance of 38-9 and flung the discus 133-9, giving the former state medalist in each event something to build on. She joined Black Knights star distance runner Jade Fry as a two-time winner in individual events, as Fry captured the 1,600 run in 5:51 and won the 3,200 race in 12:48.
Jace Garnick took the 800 run in 2:47 for Lehman and ran on the winning 1,600 relay team.
“I’m encouraged by what I see,” Sobocinski said. “We’re getting there. I thought our hurdlers were much-improved from last year. We have the middle distance crew, obviously they’re really good. Today, we just wanted to get better. And I think we did.
“It’s a step in the right direction.”
McClair took his steps, hit his stride, and captured the triple jump and long jump.
He continued the success that made him a District 2 jumping medalist as a junior last year, during his first season on the track.
“My friends, the good ones who went to district last year, they talked me into it,” McClair said. “They thought I had talent for it, they were like, ‘C’mon, try it out.’ I like it. I like the sportsmanship. Even when you don’t do well, everybody’s picking you up, giving you encouragement, even the other team. You don’t stay down for long.”
Better known in the high school sports spectrum as a defense back for the Meyers football team, McClair said he kept in shape during the recent stretch of inclement weather by weightlifting through the winter.
He blasted out of the blocks Wednesday to hit 40-10 on his winning triple jump and reached 19-5 in the long jump.
“Jumps felt good today,” McClair said. “It felt pretty good. My second year (in track), I just want to have consistency this year.”
Dunell was pretty consistent on the track, winning the 110 hurdles in 15.6 seconds and taking the 100 meter dash in 11.7 seconds. He also took the baton from McClair on the winning 400 relay team.
“Je’Vondrea’s returing from last year, we’re expecting a lot of good things out of him,” Meyers coach Hayden White said. “Things kind of went the way I expected. We’re not where we want to be yet, in any of the events. We’re going to have to hit the track hard the next couple weeks. We were treating this like a scrimmage where we kept score. Right now, we’re just looking at scoring points in the right positions.
“I really wasn’t worried about times or distances.”
BOYS
Berwick 85, Northwest 65
Mitchell Martin captured the 3,200 run and helped key the winning 3,200 relay victory as Berwick won its debut in a move from Division 1 to Division 2.
Martin finished first in the 3,200 in 10:54.
Bao Le won the 400 dash, Jude Goddard captured the high jump and both ran on winning relay teams for Berwick, while Harrison Kuchka helped two relays to victory for the Bulldogs.
GAR 68, Holy Redeemer 64
Tashawn Qualls captured the high jump and triple jump and the Grenadiers leaped to victory by upsetting the Royals on opening day in the WVC Division 2.
Hazleton Area 84, Coughlin 66
Franklin Cunningham and Joe Grula were three-time winners as the Cougars handed two-time defending WVC Division 1 champion Coughlin its first loss in three years in a 2017 season opener held Tuesday at Hazleton Area.
Cunningham captured the 1,600 and 3,200 runs and led off the winning 3,200 relay.
Grula won the high jump, long jump and javelin throw.
Vincent Todd was a triple winner for Coughlin, capturing the 100 and 200 dashes and running anchor on the winning 400 relay.
GIRLS
Berwick 93, Northwest 56
Payden Montana won all three throwing events and Sam Dyer and Amber Koshinski were also triple winners as the Bulldogs won their WVC Division 2 debut.
Montana finished first with throws of 42-5 in the shot put, 99-6 in the discus and 169-9 in the javelin.
Dyer captured the 1,600 run in 6:03, the 800 run in 2:52 and the 3,200 run in 13:41. Koshinski won in the 100 dash with a time of 12.9, and the 200 dash in 28.7. She also finished first in the pole vault, clearing 8 feet.
Holy Redeemer 110, GAR 17
Nicole Kerestes was a four-time winner and Autumn Kaminski won both hurdles events to spark the defending Division 2 champion Royals to an opening-day win.
Kerestes captured the long jump, high jump, 200-meter dash and was part of the winning 400 relay team.
Kaminski finished in 17.6 seconds in the 100 hurdles, 51.5 in the 300 hurdles and also captured the 100-meter dash.
Hazleton Area 107, Coughlin 43
Kayla Merkel swept all three throwing events and Megan Reed was a double winner as the Cougars cruised to victory in a WVC Division 1 season opener held Tuesday.
Merkel, a returning state silver medalist in the javelin throw, captured that event with a distance of 138-11. She also launched the shot put at a distance of 33-3 and hurled the discus at 102-0.
Reed won the 400 dash in 64.3 seconds and took the 200 dash in 27.6 seconds.
Coughlin’s Le’June Berry set the Coughlin school record in high jump by clearing 5-2 to capture that event.
Boys
Meyers 91, Lake-Lehman 46
3200 relay — 1. LL (Wnuk, Morris, Natasiak, Newman), 9:26. 110 hurdles — 1. Mey, Dunell, 15.6; 2. Mey, Wilborn; 3. LL, Kovaly. 100 — 1. Mey, Dunell, 11.7; 2. LL, Gorski; 3. LL, McRoy. 1,600 — 1. LL, Newman, 5:04; 2. Mey, Kosloski; 3. LL, Natasiak. 400 — 1. LL, Wnuk, 56.6; 2. Mey, Smith; 3. Mey, Dessoye. 400 relay — 1. Mey (McClair, Dunell, Hood, Wilborn), 46.3. 300 hurdles — 1. Mey, Wilborn, 43.7; 2. LL, Kovaly; 3. LL, McRoy. 800 — 1. LL, Newman, 2:19; 2. Mey, Langdon; 3. Mey, Judge. 200 — 1. LL, Gorski, 24.5; 2. Mey, Brewster; 3. LL, McRoy. 3,200 — 1. LL, Kosloski, 11:59; 2. Mey, Natasiak; 3. Mey, Morel. 1,600 relay — 1. Mey (Langdon, Smith, Hood, Wilborne), 3:53.
Pole vault — 1. LL, Albertson, 7-6. Long jump — 1. Mey, McClair, 19-5; 2. Mey, Brewster; 3. Mey, Morel. Triple jump — 1. Mey, McClair, 40-10; 2. Mey, Hood; 3. Mey, Brewster. Shot put — 1. Mey, Murphy, 37-10; 2. Mey, Shaffer; 3. Mey, Horvath. Discus — 1. Mey, Murphy, 122-2; 2. Mey, Shaffer; 3. Mey, Horvath.
Girls
Lake-Lehman 94, Meyers 43
3,200 relay — 1. LL (Patla, Pembleton, Martin, Newman), 13:03. 110 hurdles — 1. Mey, Adams, 17.0; 2. LL, Motovidlak; 3. LL, Klopp. 100 — 1. Mey, Harris-Johnson, 12.4; 2. Mey, Sutton; 3. LL, Fleeger. 1,600 — 1. LL, Fry, 5:51; 2. LL, Martin; 3. LL, Newman. 400 — 1. LL, Kubiski, 62.6; 2. LL, Kaminski; 3. Mey, Harris. 400 relay — 1. LL (Paczewski, Gregory, Fleeger, Motovidlak), 58.7. 300 hurdles — 1. Mey, Adams, 52.3; 2. LL, Motovidlak; 3. LL, G. Chaga. 800 — 1. LL, Garnick, 2:47; 2. LL, Vasey; 3. LL, Patla. 200 — 1. Mey, Harris-Johnson, 26.8; 2. LL, Fleeger; 3. LL, Paczewski. 3,200 — 1. LL, Fry, 12:48; 2. LL, Martin; 3. LL, Newman. 1,600 relay — 1. LL (Garnick, Paczewski, Fry, Newman), 4:28.
Pole vault — 1. Lockavitch, 7-6. Long jump — 1. Mey, Harris-Johnson, 17-6; 2. Mey, Howard; 3. Mey, Sutton. Triple jump — 1. LL, Marchakitus, 30-0; 2. Mey, Formola; 3. LL, Barker.; Shot put — 1. LL, Johns, 38-9; 2. Mey, Morel; 3. LL, McMonagle. Discus — 1. LL, Johns, 133-9; 2. Mey, Glover; 3. LL, Salus.
