LHS boys leading after Day 1

Lions' Zangeneh wins pole vault competition

? Leave it to tradition-rich Lawrence High to take some motivation down to Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium thanks to a pre-state track meet speech by former LHS standout David Johnston early Friday morning.

“I know he definitely pumped me up,” said LHS senior Ramin Zangeneh, who turned a quick life lesson from Johnston – a 1990 LHS graduate who won five state titles in distance events – into a gold medal-winning jump in the pole vault.

“He pretty much summed it up that there are two kinds of people – those who make excuses and those who go out and get the job done,” said Zangeneh, who claimed the Class 6A crown with a height of 13 feet, 6 inches.

It would have been pretty easy for Zangeneh to make excuses too, especially considering a strong crosswind switched directions just before the boys competition began.

“I was kind of disappointed that we didn’t turn around and run the other way, but it probably helped me out a bit because I knew I had the confidence to overcome the weather obstacle.”

Lawrence High’s boys were beaming with confidence on the first of the two-day meet.

Senior Scott Penny took second in the discus, and junior Brandon Lassiter broke an LHS school record with a second-place leap of 23-3 in the long jump.

Lawrence High track assistant Scott Huffman gives Ramin Zangeneh a congratulatory hug. Zangeneh cleared 13 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault to win the title at the Kansas state track meet Friday in Wichita.

The Lions were leading the Class 6A competition after four field events with 30 points, 17 more than second-place Hutchinson.

“It feels really good, but, obviously, it’s early, and we probably don’t have as many points coming today,” first-year LHS coach Scott Stidham said. “Still, we had kids stepping up all over the place.”

So too did Free State, especially in Emma Brooke and Courtney Barber, who were involved with a weird four-way tie for third place in the high jump.

“That was a pretty unique scenario, but I was pleasantly surprised with our showing in that event,” Free State coach Steve Heffernan said.

Heffernan also said that senior Ryan Rastok also “ran the race of his life” with a third-place qualifying time of 39.51 in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles.

“It was a pretty good day overall, considering that almost all our kids were coming down here for their first trip,” Heffernan said. “But (today) we have a bunch of our scorers going, and we need them to step up and get some big points.”

Lawrence High's Kameron Demby takes flight during the triple jump. Demby placed fourth in the event Friday in Wichita.

Lawrence High’s Kameron Demby was the first Lion out of the gate, when he took fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 43-05 1/2.

“We knew we needed a good start, and we sure got it,” Stidham said. “We didn’t get a few points in some events, but we really made up for that with some great points in other events.”

Some of those points came from Penny, who should have a great shot at the shot put state title today.

The senior tossed 157-09, but Overland Park Aquinas’ Josh Mathiasmeier outdistanced him with a throw of 159-10.

Lassiter thought he had the title when he set the school mark by nearly a foot and a half, but Olathe North’s Alex Jones won on his last jump with a distance of 23-07.

Friday wasn’t just a fabulous start for the LHS boys either. Sophomore Amy Magnuson, who took second in the 100-meter high hurdles last season, qualified for today’s finals in a time of 15.19.

Meanwhile senior Chelsey Ornburn nearly matched Zangeneh’s mark with a second-place showing of 10-06 in the pole vault.

“Everyone just came out and performed awesome today,” said Zangeneh, who was slightly disappointed that he couldn’t match his personal record of 14 feet.

“It’s pretty overwhelming to think of yourself as a state champion.”