Reynard DQ'd

INDIANAPOLIS - Brandon Reynard was the first runner across the finish line in the 300-meter hurdles. But he will not be competing in the state finals.

After seeming to win his signature event Thursday at the regional boys track meet hosted by North Central, the Jay County High School senior was later disqualified. A judge ruled his trail leg did not clear a hurdle, or the plane of the hurdle extended, early in the race.

The disqualification shut the Patriots out of the state meet. Their next-best efforts came from Dexter Shreve and the 4x800 relay team, both of which finished seventh.

Only the top three finishers in each event earn a state berth.

As a team Jay County totaled five points, placing it 18th out of the 29 teams that scored at the meet. Ben Davis won easily with 130.

Reynard ran a tremendous race in the 300, staying with the pack over the first two hurdles before moving into the battle for first place over the third. On the curve he took sole possession of the lead and broke for the home stretch several strides ahead of the field.

"I knew it was going to be a tough race," Reynard said afterwards, noting that he was seeded No. 2 behind Duane Brown of Ben Davis. "I didn't do what I did last year and try too hard. I went out and ran very smooth.

"I didn't come out as hard as I could, to save a little bit."

As the runners traversed the final 50 meters - the other two top contenders were both from Ben Davis - no one made a serious challenge. Reynard cleared the final hurdle and ran to the finish line as the unquestioned winner of the event.

His unofficial time was 38.08 seconds, which was more than seven tenths of a second faster than runner-up Robert Rose of Ben Davis. Brown was third in 38.99.

"Coming onto the straight-away, that's when I felt like I had a pretty good chance," said Reynard. "I was going over the hurdles really smooth. ... I just powered through it.

"It felt really good. It means I have a really good chance for state because this is such a hard regional. I'm just looking forward to state now."

Reynard was announced as the winner of the event at Thursday's meet. It was not until about 10 to 15 minutes later, when Reynard was back on the track preparing to run the 200 dash, that revised results for the 300 hurdles were announced with Reynard having been disqualified.

The turn of events left Jay County's contingent of athletes and fans at the meet stunned and upset. The Patriot coaching staff filed a formal appeal; but because it was a judgment call, it was not subject to appeal.

"I thought he ran the best we've seen him run all year long," JCHS coach Greg Garringer said this morning. "The time he ran was a school record, a regional title we thought.

"Based on someone's judgment, it was taken away in a heartbeat. I just feel bad for him as an individual."

Reynard would have been a contender for the state championship. His time Thursday was the second fastest in the entire state behind only Max Tuttle of Bloomington North, who won the regional title on his home track in 38 seconds flat.

The time was also faster than the Jay County school record of 38.21 set by state medalist Nick Hoffman in 2002.

"He was like a man possessed," said Garringer, noting that Reynard set the state title as his target after finishing fifth in the state finals last year. "That has been his whole goal this season.

"It's just been really emotional. ... We're just devastated."

Reynard, who won three events and finished second in another at the sectional, scored for the Patriots in the 100 dash.

Despite entering the meet as the No. 12 seed, the senior turned in the ninth-fastest time in the preliminaries to qualify for the finals. He outran Olympic Athletic Conference rivals Jay Mohr and Jamie Mallory of Anderson Highland to the finish line to earn eighth place in 11.2 seconds.

Reynard also competed in the 200 dash, qualifying for the finals and finishing 10th in 24.28.

"In the 100 meters he bettered his seed. He ran what he had to run and proved himself," said Garringer. "In the 200 meters he was just exhausted. ... He ran his heart out."

Dexter Shreve, also a senior, recorded the top individual finish for the Patriots, taking seventh in the 400 dash in 51.35. He was also ninth in the high jump, clearing the bar at 6 feet even.

Jay County's 4x800 relay team matched Shreve's seventh-place effort. Joe Rasmussen ran to the lead on the first lap before settling into the pack, and Brady Mills, Kyle Simmons and Tevan Nichols held seventh place throughout as they finished in 8-minutes, 22.08 seconds.

"The 4x8 ran a really nice time," said Garringer. "I was very happy with that. It was the second-best, I think, this season."

Nichols ran a solid race in the 1,600 run, sitting in 11th place after the second and third laps. He put together a strong finish, passing a pair of competitors on the final lap to take ninth in 4:38.61.

Zach Cash finished 11th in the 300 hurdles in 42.99, and Lance Franklin was 14th in the discus at 117 feet, 10 inches.

Simmons and Rasmussen each turned in 16th-place finishes, posting times of 55.67 in the 400 dash and 2:16.21 in the 800 run respectively.

Simmons, Mills, Shreve and Rasmussen ran the 4x400 in 3:40.9 to place 14th.[[In-content Ad]]