This week in Toledo sports history: Kynard breaks a City League mark

5/14/2018
BLADE STAFF
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    Rogers junior Erik Kynard sets a City League record of seven feet in the high jump in 2008.

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  • This week in Blade sports 10, 20, and 30 years ago, high school track and field took center stage. A future Olympian starred in the City League meet, where another school simply dominated. In baseball news, the Mud Hens enjoyed some star power on the mound, northwest Ohio saw one team make the NCAA tournament, and a high school team stayed perfect for the season, though just barely.

    ■ May 14, 1988: Brown, DeVilbiss win track title — Chris Brown put it best: “I wanted to leave a City League champion.” Brown and his DeVilbiss teammates did just that at the city’s track and field championships at Bowsher. The state champion Tigers, led by Brown’s four victories, won eight events and totaled 133.5 points to 87 for second-place Macomber.

    ■ May 15, 1998: Trammell’s blast buries Hens — Bubba Trammell belted a towering three-run home run to left field as the Durham Bulls beat the Mud Hens 5-3 at Skeldon Stadium. Toledo, which has lost 10 of its last 14 games, will start its longest road trip of the season. “We’ll have to keep trying,” manager Gene Roof said.

    ■ May 16, 1998: Hens’ Taylor absorbs loss — Both the Mud Hens and the Ottawa Lynx tried to refute the claim they were the International League’s worst-hitting teams. Ottawa scored the game’s last runs in a three-run third inning, then relied on pitching to win 5-4. Toledo’s Kerry Taylor allowed five runs on eight hits in six innings. He struck out two and walked three.

    ■ May 17, 2008: Rogers’ Kynard clears 7 feet — Most of the excitement at the City League track and field championships was generated by the nation’s top-rated high jumper, Rogers junior Erik Kynard, who cleared 7 feet to set the meet record. “I left it a little low so I can break it next year,” Kynard joked after missing at 7 feet, 2 inches. “Everything worked out.”

    ■ May 18, 2008: Hens’ defense backs up Willis — Dontrelle Willis, in his third rehab start as he recovers from a right knee injury, gave up one run on five hits in six innings as the Mud Hens won 8-5 in Columbus. He struck out four and walked four. “We’ve got some good defense on this team, and it was good to help them get back in the dugout,” Willis said.

    ■ May 19, 2008: Carter goes extra mile to win ARCA race — Matt Carter didn’t just have to drive around Toledo Speedway’s half-mile oval 200 times to win the Hantz Group 200 ARCA race. Carter needed to weather a series of challenges — including the weather, and needing to go 203 laps — to earn his first ARCA Series victory.

    ■ May 20, 1998: Unstoppable Start — The Start baseball team used a big break in the bottom of the seventh inning to rally past St. John’s Jesuit 6-5 in its Division I district semifinal at Skeldon Stadium. Winning pitcher Jason Wanner (8-0) doubled home two runs in the seventh for the Spartans (24-0).

    —Compiled by Tommy Gallagher