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Benco shows no inexperience, finishes 5th in javelin

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Luke Campbell/Observer-Reporter

Waynesburg’s Scott Benco prepares to throw the javelin at the PIAA Class 2A Track & Field Championships Friday at Shippensburg University.

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Luke Campbell/Observer-Reporter

Monessen’s Darnel Howell tries to clear the bar in the Class 2A high jump at the PIAA Track & Field Championships Friday at Shippensburg University.

SHIPPENSBURG – Scott Benco was just a shy face in the crowd at last year’s state track championships.

It was a new atmosphere for the home-schooled junior from Waynesburg High School, who had made the conversion from baseball player to track athlete in the spring.

“I was the odd ball out,” Benco remembers. “I was just the guy standing in the corner not talking to many people. I didn’t know anybody. I was never in the track world before that.”

Strictly relying on arm strength built on throwing something with seams, Benco was left off the medal stand with a 16th-place finish.

Returning as a senior, it was a different story Friday morning.

Chatting, laughing and joking with his competitors, Benco launched his first throw in the finals 179-4 to finish in fifth place in the Class 2A javelin at the PIAA Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg University.

“I’m thrilled to be on the medal stand,” Benco said. “I’m really happy. At the beginning of the year I had high hopes. As the year went on, I was just hoping to medal. I really just tried to stay focused and in my own head. I couldn’t focus on what other people were doing.”

Evan Niedrowski of Wyomissing won the event with a throw of 191-3. Benco, who won gold in last week’s WPIAL championship by throwing 173-7, was 11 inches away from tying for fourth place.

Benco’s throw Friday was more than 20 feet further than his throw at states last season.

“Last year, I just kind of came in and threw using my arm strength,” he said. “I worked a lot on my speed and the release being closer to my head. I lifted almost every single day, if not two times a day, this offseason.”

The dedication turned him from a kid who had never done track to being a Kent State recruit.

“He is still a youngster,” joked coach Butch Brunell. “Most of the kids he was throwing against have probably been doing it for four or five years. This is only his second year. He had to learn the fundamentals and technique to just get the basics down. For him to make as much improvement as he has is just a tremendous effort.”

Benco raised eyebrows multiple times throughout the season, including a personal-record throw of 195-2 at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association Outdoor Championships at West Mifflin High School in mid April.

“He has a great attitude and work ethic. You can’t beat it,” Brunell said. “When I first saw him I thought what an athletic specimen. He is tall and lanky. He has been tremendous. This was the best gift the baseball team has ever given us.”

Layton cruises in prelims: Waynesburg’s Daniel Layton not only won his preliminary heat but ran to the fastest time of the four groups in the 110-meter high hurdles.

Layton finished the prelims in 14.62 seconds, one of only two hurdlers to finish with a time under 15 seconds. Littlestown’s Derek Herr was the closest to Layton with a time of 14.96.

The Waynesburg senior was the top seed in the event entering the state championships.

Howell places 7th in high jump: Darnel Howell never expected to make it this far.

But in his first year competing in track, the Monessen senior soared to a seventh-place finish in the Class AA high jump with a height of 6-2.

Howell nearly cleared the next height, which was two inches higher, but clipped it with his calf on his first attempt and butt the next two times.

“I thought I was going to get it the very next jump,” Howell said after he failed to clear the first time. “I probably just let the hype get to me.”

Howell’s personal record was 6-8 earlier this season but a knee injury suffered two weeks ago limited him.

“I tried not to worry about it but could feel it wasn’t as strong as it used to be,” Howell said. “Even though I lost, this whole experience was fun. I won WPIALs and finishing in seventh is great.”

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