By Chuck Landis
A week after just missing out on a state championship, Oak Hill’s Michael Moffitt won the high jump Saturday at the Midwest Meet of Champions.
The meet at Fort Wayne Northrop High School pitted the top three senior track and field athletes from Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.
Each of Grant County’s three participants medaled in the meet. Oak Hill’s Alec Samuels ran for the first-place 1,600-meter relay and had the fastest 400 split. Marion’s Thomas Reason finished fifth in the 300 hurdles.
Moffitt won the high jump with a leap of 6 feet, 8 inches — the same height he went out at the IHSAA state finals and finished second. This time, he cleared 6-8 on his first attempt and gained the advantage on the second-place finisher from Michigan.
“After just missing out on winning state a week ago and just missing 6-8, ‘Moff’ attacked it hard today and left nothing to chance,” Oak Hill coach Paige Brunner said.
Samuels ran the second leg on the 1,600 relay and was clocked officially at 48 seconds flat. The other team members were Kokomo’s Tony Moses, Portage’s Alvin Best and Carroll’s Jon Hester.
“Alec looked strong,” Brunner said. “His second leg got Team Indiana the lead, and his split definitely helped redeem himself from a week ago (at state finals).”
Reason, who medaled at the IHSAA state finals with an eighth-place finish, ran the hurdles race in 39.2 seconds. He ran 38.92 seconds at the state finals.
Moffitt and Samuels were the first two Oak Hill athletes to compete in the meet. They had a part in two of the four gold medals that Indiana won.
“For a school our size to have one athlete make this team and meet is great,” Brunner said. “But then to have two make it and both of them win their events is beyond description.
“This has been a special season for our program and Michael and Alec helped end it on an amazing note.”
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