Mount Union college hosted an indoor track meet Friday night that featured
the return of Brian Hartline of Canton GlenOak to competitive action. Hartline,
who broke his leg playing football in the fall, competed in the 55 meter sprint.
Hartline, who will play football for Ohio State next season, is one of the
top hurdlers in the state, but competed in the sprint event only.
"I'm not looking to put up a great time," Hartline said. "I
just want to get out here and test my leg against some other great athletes. I'm
just glad to be competing against other people. I'm tired of running the halls
at GlenOak."
In the sprint event, Hartline was matched with some of the top football
players in the state according to Ohio High magazine. Canton McKinley's Brad Jones, who signed to play football at Cincinnati next fall and is one of the top
track athletes in Ohio, also ran in the sprint. Other notables were Alliance
Marlington junior Troy Pascley, Canton South sophomore Devon Torrence, and
Massillon freshman K.J. Herring, all among the top football players in Ohio in
their respective classes.
Brian Hartline won his semifinal heat, but failed to qualify for the finals.
In the 55 meter sprint, knowing how to get out of the blocks and maintaining
proper form are keys to success. It was clear that Brian had not run this event
much, but it was just as evident that he can fly. He showed no effects of his
injury, and his performance was impressive to everybody watching him. There's no
doubt he'll be ready to go this fall when practice starts at Ohio State.
Hartline, who will play in the Big-33 All Star game in July, will be looked at
as one of the top hurdlers in Ohio this spring.
Brad Jones showed why Cincinnati is counting on him to crack the two-deep
this fall. He won the sprint final with a time of 6.32. Jones, now at 200
pounds, helped lead McKinley to the championship game last fall. There are no
plans to redshirt at Cincinnati.
"The coaches want to see me play right away. There is a great
opportunity at safety if I work hard and pick up their schemes right away. My
goal is to make the traveling squad," Jones said. "I was thinking of
enrolling early but I decided against it. I'll be going to Cincinnati early this
summer to start working out."
Devon Torrence might have been the most impressive athlete at the meet.
Torrence plays baseball in the spring, so he wasn't used to getting off to a
great start, nor did he have great technique, but he has speed to burn. He won
his semifinal heat and advanced to the final round. In the final, his lack of
technique caught up to him and he finished an impressive fourth -- impressive to
all but Torrence. Without proper training and coaching, this flyer still ran a
credible 6.6. He was so disappointed in not winning the final, he asked his
older brother to take him to work out at 10:00 that evening. While most of the
athletes were headed for pizza, Torrence was looking to get better.
Torrence is hoping to be able to run track on the nights there is no
baseball. Devon is one of the top rated football players in the state, being one
of the only sophomores invited to a game by Ohio State last season. Torrence is
working out four nights a week and should have a huge season next year for the
Wildcats.
Pascley was also disappointed in his showing and not making the finals. Troy
was invited to Ohio State's Junior Day and will be going to Wisconsin to visit
the campus in two weeks. He also competed in the long jump at Mount Union and is
a super looking athlete.
Freshman K. J. Herring is a name many football fans might not be aware of. He
is hoping to get varsity time next year at Massillon. In his heat in the 55
meter sprint, he ran stride for stride with Troy Pascley, an impressive feat.
While he didn't qualify for the finals, this youngster showed tremendous burst
and has a great frame. At 5' 11" and 180 pounds, he is someone to keep an
eye on. His father, Keith Herring, is a former star athlete with the Tigers.
Another impressive performer was junior Mike Hartline of GlenOak, one of the
top quarterbacks in Ohio. Hartline finished third in the 55 meter hurdles,
running a time of 7.8. Mike also competed in the high jump, where last year he
jumped 6' 6" for GlenOak. At 6-6, you might not think of him as an athlete,
but that would be a mistake. Mike is a tremendous athlete, exhibiting great
speed, quickness and jumping ability.
When asked how football recruiting is going, Mike replied, "It's going
great. I'm going to Purdue on Saturday and over to Notre Dame on Sunday. I was
up at Michigan last weekend, and I've spent a lot of time at Ohio State. I'm
enjoying all the visits, and my top three schools are Ohio State, Purdue and
Michigan, in no particular order.
"I'm planning to see Michigan State at some point. Their coaches told me
they're offering me a scholarship now. They said my offer, in writing, was being
mailed to my house. I've also been offered by Kent State."