Warsaw saw both of its 4×400 relay and Tanner Stiver compete at the IHSAA Boys Track State Finals Friday evening. Photo courtesy the Warsaw Track Twitter

By Mike Deak
InkFreeNews

INDIANAPOLIS – Not too shabby for a pair of locals at the IHSAA Boys Track State Finals Friday night.

Warsaw senior Tanner Stiver ran a personal record 1:55.09 to finish eighth in the 800 meters and Tippecanoe Valley junior Dawson Perkins was seventh in the high jump, clearing a personal record 6-6 to obtain his state glory.

Stiver was part of a advanced group of runners in the 800 that had the champion, William Neubauer of South Bend Adams, win at 1:53.91, separating first from ninth by 1.2 seconds. Stiver, who will run for Purdue next year, was less than a half second from fifth place.

Stiver came back to help Warsaw’s 4×400 relay to a 24th place finish of 3:30.42. Running for the Tigers were Stiver, Andrew Frush, Nathan Dailey and Colton Martin. Carmel won the state championship in the relay at 3:18.90.

Perkins made this first appearance at the IHSAA State Finals, and his 6-6 tied Penn’s Vincent Nierzwicki-Trifilett, the Penn leaper taking sixth on jumps. The height achieved by Perkins was a half-foot short of the Valley school record. Lawrence Central’s Kamyren Garrett was the clear-cut champion, reaching 7-0 after coming into the finals with a 6-10 standard.

NorthWood’s Brady Hunsberger moved up three spots from his seed position, placing 22nd in the 1,600 run at 4:30.91. Camden Marshall of Corydon Central won the event with a time of 4:07.31.

A handful of area athletes of note were podium achievers, including Elkhart’s Derrick Woods in two events, taking seventh in the 100 dash at 10.89 and helping the Lions’ 4×100 relay to a fifth-place time of 42.24. Northridge’s Jack Moore was sixth in the 3,200 run at 9:14.16 and Goshen’s Drew Hogan was ninth in the 1,600 at 4:21.70.