Wash High’s Isbell gets WPIAL titles, qualifies for states
Washington’s DeQuay Isbell won WPIAL Class AA championships in the 200- and 400-meter dashes Thursday at Baldwin High School.
Ryan Stienstraw of McGuffey captured the shot put event during the WPIAL Class AA track and field championships.
Raymond Sitton of Monessen won the 110-meter high hurdles in the WPIAL Class AA track and field championships.
PITTSBURGH – Does vomiting before a race help shake any nerves?
It does for DeQuay Isbell.
As he prepared for the finals of the Class AA 100-meter dash finals at Baldwin, the Washington High School senior vomited by the high jump just feet away.
Thirty minutes later, he didn’t feel any better. Isbell finished eighth in the race and failed to qualify for the PIAA championships. It was a far cry from his reaction later in the evening.
Isbell, who has lost count of how many medals he has won at the championship meet, placed first in the 200- and 400-meter dashes to qualify for the PIAA meet next weekend at Shippensburg University.
“Once I threw up, I felt better,” Isbell said with a smile. “That 100 result frustrated me because I knew I could do better. I just kept thinking to myself, ‘next race.’ Not everything is going to go the way you want it to, but I had to get myself back into it.”
Isbell also qualified with the Prexies’ 1,600-meter relay team, which placed fourth with a time of 3:29.27. He won the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.99 and continued his dominance in the 400-meter dash with a time of 48.77.
The victory in the 400 held a greater meaning to Isbell. The time broke the school record, which was held by Isbell’s cousin, Dustin Fuller.
Washington assistant coach Richie Barnes worked with Isbell on his starts for the dashes. When Isbell took off in the finals of the latter, Barnes knew he was in trouble. Isbell started slow and could not gain ground against the WPIAL’s best.
“We have to work on those starts, but he came back and that was nice to see,” Barnes said. “He had a good day. I know he was mad and disappointed. The work he is putting in paid off. Hopefully he can come out this week and get ready for states.”
Ryan Stienstraw’s track and field career began with a casual conversation in the McGuffey High School locker room in March.
His classmates, Damian McCloskey and Nathan Whipkey, were talking about how McGuffey’s field athletes were certainly not the biggest in the WPIAL. Stienstraw had a simple solution.
“I told them to add me and I’ll fill out the roster,” Stienstraw said with a laugh.
The 6-3, 250-pound senior joined the Highlanders’ track team and their practices were never the same. After Thursday afternoon, the school’s trophy case isn’t either.
Stienstraw pulled off the upset by winning the WPIAL championship and qualifying for the PIAA Track & Field Individual Championships with a throw of 172-9.
The winning throw, his third in the first flight in Class AA, beat his personal best by almost 30 feet. Stienstraw and Isbell were two of three male athletes who won WPIAL titles. The other was Monessen junior Raymond Sitton in the 110-meter hurdles.
“It was a little rough throwing at first, but we worked on it and I kept getting better,” Stienstraw said. “I knew my distances would go up, but I never expected to win the WPIAL.”
Calling those early practices rough would be an understatement. Dangerous would be more appropriate. Stienstraw’s first throw went just over 60 feet and he hit the back of his head with the javelin on the follow through.
McGuffey head coach Justin Crothers never expected Stienstraw to develop into a championship-caliber javelin thrower. He thought success in the shot put or discus was more likely.
“We weren’t sure what to expect from Ryan, but his speed, strength and athleticism is second to none,” Crothers said. “He put it all together today. He had really good technique and had state qualifying distances on three throws.”
Stienstraw was one of five McGuffey javelin throwers to medal, including Whipkey (seventh), McCloskey (eighth), Rachel Czulewicz (third) and Katie Demi (sixth).
Stienstraw broke his personal best 10 feet at a time. On his second throw at Baldwin, Stienstraw threw 171 feet. He quickly walked over to Czulewicz and Demi for advice.
The result was a throw that Stienstraw and Crothers will never forget.
“It’s crazy to think I’m going to states,” Stienstraw said. “I never would have thought it’d happen. I was just hoping to medal.”
Other male qualifiers for the PIAA Class AA championships in Shippensburg include Ben Bumgarner of Waynesburg in the 1,600-meter run, Washington’s Zack Blystone in the shot put, Brelan Skinner of Fort Cherry in the long jump, Ben Heim of Washington in the 800-meter run and Sean Hilverding of Waynesburg in the 3,200-meter run.
Qualifiers in Class AAA are Canon-McMillan’s 3,200-meter relay team, Nick Wolk of Peters Township in the 1,600-meter run, Canon-McMillan’s Caden Meier in the 400-meter dash , Ethan Linderman in the 3,200-meter run and Canon-McMillan’s 1,600-meter relay.