COLUMBUS — Clear Fork coach Dave Carroll wasn’t the only one holding his breath during the Division II shot put competition Friday morning just outside The Ohio State University’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Eric Jackson, Carroll’s prize pupil, was a little nervous, too.
Carroll could hardly stand to watch as Jackson entered the shot put circle for his third throw during the opening day of the state track and field meet. Jackson had fouled on his first two attempts and another mishap would mean the junior wouldn’t advance to the finals after finishing as regional runner-up last week.
“Oh, I was nervous,” Carroll admitted. “Eric is such a good kid and he has worked so hard to get here. I just wanted to see him succeed.”
The big junior did just that.
Jackson unloaded a throw of 54 feet, 3.5 inches and it help up for a sixth-place finish.
Genoa Area’s Logan Bryer, who beat out Jackson for the regional title at Lexington last week, won the event with a throw of 55-8.
“I’m happy, but I know I could have done a lot better,” Jackson said. “I fouled my first two and on the third one I was a little nervous and I actually fell away from it to make sure I didn’t foul and I (threw) a 54.”
So what was running through his mind as he stepped into the circle after the early fouls?
“In all honesty, fear,” the personable Jackson said. “I had a lot of people there watching me and I just didn’t want to disappoint them with all fouls and not even make it to finals.”
During the days leading up to the event, Jackson had himself convinced that nerves would not be an issue. He said Friday he may have underestimated the magnitude of the event.
“I saw all the people and I was like, ‘Oh!,’ ” Jackson said. “I’m actually very disappointed with myself. I know I could have done a lot better. I’m mad at myself for fouling that much.”
While Jackson, who will be in action again Saturday morning in the discus competition, was a little disappointed with his performance Friday, the Lexington 4×800 girls relay team couldn’t have been more pleased with its effort. The quartet of Mackenna Curtis-Collins, Abby Miller, Lillian Freundlich and Dominique Clairmonte finished fifth in 9:32.63. The foursome shaved eight more seconds off their record-breaking regional performance a week earlier — which was news to Freundlich, the team’s lone senior.
“We did?” Freundlich said incredulously when informed of the team’s time. “I didn’t even know that.
“For me, being a senior, it meant so much to be on the podium with my best friends. It was a really great experience.”
Lex was in seventh place when Clairmonte took the baton from Freundlich for the anchor leg.
“I was hoping I’d be able to keep our spot or move up,” Clairmonte said. “I didn’t want to lose our spot and I just hoped for the best. Just try to hold on.”
Miller said the big crowd helped push her during her leg. She ran second after Curtis-Collins.
“Everyone is watching every spot on the track,” she said. “If you get tired, you can’t slow down because everyone is watching.”
Most everyone in the crowd was watching the dual between Crestview’s Ben Olewiler and Dawson-Bryant’s Brandon Adkins in the Division III high jump competition. Olewiler finished as state runner-up with a leap of 6-foot-7. Adkins won the event with a jump of 6-8.
“It feels amazing. It’s a humbling experience … to be state runner-up,” Olewiler said. “It could always be better. I could have the gold around my neck instead of silver, but I (matched) my personal best. That is really all I could ask for.”
A junior, Olewiler came in as the top seed. Adkins cleared 6-6 at the regional meet and was the No. 2 seed.
“It was stressful,” Olewiler said. “He just made a great jump.”
Olewiler missed on his first two attempts at 6-4, adding to his unease.
“I was like, ‘I’ve got to start making them now,’ ” Olewiler said. “(On the third attempt) I was just trying to focus on my rhythm and make a fluid jump.”
In other finals Friday, Clear Fork senior Wyatt Tilton tied for 12th in the pole vault competition with a vault of 13-6. Galion’s Alex Armistad was 10th in the long jump with a leap of 21-1. Ontario’s Bronson Krull was ninth in the shot put with a throw of 53-10.5, while teammate Cole Gehrisch was 11th with a heave of 50-10.5.
Finals in the remaining field events and all running events begin at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
