Reynard takes 5th (06/02/08)

BLOOMINGTON - Two years ago, Brandon Reynard was strictly a sprinter. Now he's one of the best hurdlers in Indiana.

Reynard, a Jay County High School junior, exceeded even his own expectations Saturday by finishing fifth in the 300-meter hurdles at the IHSAA Boys Track and Field State Finals at Indiana University.

"I was ecstatic," he said in an interview this morning. "It was crazy. I had my family there, and, oh, they were jumping for joy. I was shaking with all the adrenaline."

He was fourth in the third and final heat of the 300 hurdles, just one hundredth of a second ahead of Greg Lane of Wabash, and fifth overall in 39.29 seconds. The last Patriot to medal at the boys state meet was Nick Hoffman, who was sixth in the 300 hurdles in 2002.

"We couldn't have asked for anything better," said JCHS coach Greg Garringer. "We're pretty excited. And the great thing is, knock on wood, we're going to go back next year. It's fantastic. It was a pretty proud moment to see a kid up on the stands wearing blue. It was pretty neat."

Dexter Shreve also competed for the Patriots Saturday, finishing 19th in the long jump. The top nine competitors in each event earn state medals.

Reynard, who was seeded ninth, said he wasn't nervous until just before the start of the race. And the fact that Nick Huber of Perry Central ran a 38.62 from the second heat put on a little more pressure.

But the junior rose to the occasion.

After running a blistering start as he finished third at the regional meet a week earlier, Reynard came out more under control at the state finals. Some of the pressure eased when Logan Griffith of South Bend Adams took a tumble two lanes over, and "I just powered through and the end and ended up fourth in my heat," Reynard said.

"What he needed to do was run a comfortable race," said Garringer, noting that he was happy Reynard ran in lane nine. "If he was going to get people it was going to be on the curve. ... He just ran really strong down the stretch. He wasn't going to let anyone come up from behind and pass him.

"We couldn't have asked for it to go better. He stayed real focused and ran a perfect race."

The state results also left Reynard with some lofty goals for next season.

D'Juan Richardson, who finished third in 2007, won the state title in 37.18 seconds to top a senior-laden field. Of the medalists, Reynard was the only junior along with eight seniors, leaving him as a top contender for the 2009 state championship.

"Next year, I'm looking for number one," said Reynard, who will also continue to chase Hoffman's school record of 38.21. "I'm going to practice extra hard. I'm really happy I get to come back."

Shreve didn't quite match his 21 foot, 10¼-inch effort from the regional meet, but still performed to his seed as he tied for 19th with Malcolm Washington of South Bend Washington and Michael Campbell of Warrant Central.

His first jump was the one that counted as he soared 21 feet, 1½ inches. He scratched on his second attempt, and went 20 feet, 5½ inches on his third.

Scottie Alora of Bloomington South won the state crown at 23 feet, 3 inches. Two more jumpers reached at least 23 feet, seven of the top nine went 22 feet, 6 inches and the ninth-place finisher was Broderick Lewis of Lafayette Jefferson at 21 feet, 10¾ inches.

"It was definitely different," Shreve said of his first state finals appearance. "Everybody was good. There were a few inches separating a lot of the places. Anybody could have had a good jump and been able to win."

The junior, who was also a contender to reach the state finals in the 400-meter dash and the high jump this year, also already has his sights set on next season.

"My goal next year is ultimately to win, but to place at the state," said Shreve, who won sectional titles in all three of his events. "If I can work this summer and next year and try and start off in the beginning of the year with some good jumps ... hopefully I can be jumping in the 22s and 23 feet."

Garringer is also hoping the Jay County program can build off of what his junior stars accomplished this season.

"I think with Brandon and Dexter, their success, some of the other kids are going to see that and want to be a part of it," he said. "Saturday was a pretty emotional day."[[In-content Ad]]