Minerva packs big week into baseball, track postseason

If there is a hotter athlete in eastern Ohio right now than Minerva’s Rowen Hoffee, somebody should probably alert the fire department.

Between a no-hitter on the baseball diamond and a district championship performance on the track, Minerva packed an entire month’s worth of highlights into a single week. The Lions rolled through sectional baseball play and then followed it up by piling trophies, medals, and regional qualifications into the team bus at the Division III St. Clairsville district meet.

Baseball

Minerva baseball wasted absolutely no time establishing dominance May 19 in a Division IV East 2 sectional final against Buckeye Local. The Lions scored once in the first inning, exploded for eight more runs in the second, and cruised to a 14-0 mercy-rule victory that felt less like a tournament game and more like an aggressive public announcement.

Braydon Wood was the star of the night, tossing a five-inning no-hitter while striking out seven batters. Wood attacked the strike zone all evening and never allowed Buckeye Local to get comfortable at the plate. Apparently, the Panthers were permitted to look at the baseball, but making solid contact with it was strongly discouraged.

Wood also did serious damage at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Brennan Barnes added a double and three RBIs, while Kaden Kandel finished a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBIs, two runs scored, and two walks. Kolton Almasy went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two stolen bases, Parker Linkous added two hits and two runs scored, and Cole Sivy went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

By the end of the fifth inning, Minerva had piled up 12 hits, seven walks, 14 runs, and approximately enough offense to last a normal team three games. The victory pushed the No. 8 seed Lions to 12-13 and sent them into a district semifinal showdown with EBC rival Carrollton.

Track and Field

The Lions then turned their attention to the Division III St. Clairsville district track meet, where the boys’ team captured the Division B title with 133 points, comfortably ahead of River View’s 106. In other words, Minerva did not merely win the district title – the Lions dragged it home by the collar.

Hoffee led the charge with a spectacular distance double, winning the 800m run in 2:00.70 and the 1600m run in 4:24.13. As if those two victories were not exhausting enough, Hoffee also teamed with Owen Yoder, Tyson Fetty, and Anderson Scott to win the 4x800m relay in 8:20.08.

Yoder added another district championship in the 3200m run with a winning time of 9:50.59, while Minerva’s 4x100m relay team of Timothy Kirkpatrick, Sam Blum, Owen Shick, and Nate Linkous sprinted to gold in 44.82.

The Lions piled up points all across the boys' competition. Owen Shick placed second in both the 100m dash and 200m dash, while Linkous took third in the 100m dash. Anderson Scott added a second-place finish in the 800m run, Tyson Fetty finished third in the 1600m run, and Fox Johnson took fourth in the 3200m run.

Caden Stewart placed fourth in the 110m hurdles, Minerva added third-place finishes in both the 4x200m relay and 4x400m relay, while Landon Frankford and Ben Herstine each placed third in the throwing events.

On the girls side, Minerva placed fourth as a team with 57 points, narrowly missing a share of third place by only three points.

The Lions’ lone district championship came in the 4x800m relay, where Addison Keyser, Makenzie Beavers, Charlie Galley, and Tateum Richard captured first place in 9:50.27.

Individually, Gracie Momirov-Dierick placed third in the 400m run, Richard finished second in the 800m run, Addison Keyser took third in the 1600m run, and Makenzie Beavers earned runner-up honors in the 3200m run. Ivey Rettig also added a third-place finish in the 300m hurdles, while the 4x400m relay team placed fourth.