DAYTON — Cale Wilson gave it everything he had in the finals of the 400-meter dash Saturday at OHSAA Division II Track and Field Championships at Welcome Stadium.
Wilson, the Clinton-Massie junior, finished third in the race which was as tight as it could be with five runners within 0.51 of a second at the finish line.
“I really think I ran a good race,” said Wilson, who was ninth on Friday in the long jump competition. “Just some other guys ran a little better today.”
In Friday’s preliminary heats, Wilson ran 49.26 which was fourth best behind Isaiah McCallum of Glenville (48.48), Rob Bonchak of Chardon NDCL (49.08) and Jack Kittle of Chagrin Falls (49.27).
In all, there were nine runners on Friday within 1.05 seconds of each other.
Saturday’s final didn’t disappoint in terms of closeness.
Bonchak repeated McCallum’s run of 48.48 to win it while McCallum was second at 48.50. Wilson clocked in at 48.85 with the next two times 48.92 and 48.99.
Wilson was fourth coming in to the final 100 meters, then went back and forth with Damarius Chrisman of Clyde down the stretch before nipping the Fliers speedster at the line.
“I think I ran as smart as I could,” said Wilson. “I think (my final 100 meters) could have been a little bit better.”
Wilson received his medal from track and field legend Butch Reynolds, former world record holder in the 400 meters.
“Oh my gosh … I didn’t know that was him,” Wilson said. “That’s crazy.”
Wilson said he’ll work on race strategy for next season, “When I’m going to stay smooth and when I’m going to push hard. And obviously with the weights in the off-season.”
Looking forward, though, all of the top four finishers are eligible to return. Bonchak will be a junior while McCallum, Wilson and Chrisman are all going to be seniors. Despite the stacked field that could again take to the Welcome Stadium starting blocks in the 2025 400 meters, Wilson vows to be on top of the podium.
“I’m coming back and I’m winning it next year,” he said.
