Armentrout makes last try at 14-6 but misses bid for record

Only in the pole vault can a competitor soar to satisfying heights one moment and crash-land the next.

Just ask Matthew Armentrout.

The Deep Run High School standout won the Central Region championship yesterday with a successful vault on his last attempt at 14-6, then fell awkwardly and painfully on the last of three unsuccessful attempts at 15-0. He landed in a semi-sitting position on the back edge of the plant box. The “thump” was audible.

“I knew I was short, but I thought I would at least reach the pit” and its inflated cushion, Armentrout said. Then he shook his head. His expression was rueful.

“I guess I was wrong. Probably, I’ll have a nice little strawberry tomorrow. But other than that, I’m OK.“

His performance was more than OK. Armentrout, a junior, and Prince George senior Alex Habermehl were the only vaulters to clear 14-0 on a bright, windy afternoon at Sports Backers Stadium. Each missed his first two attempts at 14-6. Armentrout, the reigning Colonial District champion, cleared the height with room to spare on his third attempt.

Armentrout described his day’s work as a mixed bag. Yes, he said, his Central Region championship was deeply fulfilling. But his failure to clear 15-0 - a height that would have established a meet record - annoyed him more than somewhat.

“I really thought I could hit 15-6 or maybe 16-0,“ he said. “But that’s the way it goes sometimes. You can’t get a [personal record] every day.“

He said he enters every competition with the belief that a gaudy height is within reach.

“It’s just a question of: Is everything going to come together on that particular day?“

Habermehl’s pursuit of Armentrout was fueled by scarlet and gray incentive. Habermehl will enroll at Ohio State in the fall and has been told by the school’s track coaches that financial assistance could be forthcoming if he moves into the 15-0 neighborhood.

“I’ve been training a lot harder and a lot more intensely,“ he said. “I’ve improved by leaps and bounds since the beginning of the season.“

Other highlights on the first day of the two-day Central Region meet included a smooth, swift takeoff by Deep Run’s powerful girls team and a formidable performance in the discus by Meadowbrook senior Michael Williams.

Deep Run’s girls, the meet favorites, bolted to a 12½-point lead over second-place Manchester. The Wildcats won the long jump (Ashley Orr, 19-3¼), the high jump (Briana Hudson, 5-5) and the 3,200-meter relay (9:36.64).

Williams won the discus with a toss of 165-06 - more than 15 feet farther than the runner-up.

Contact Vic Dorr Jr. at (804) 649-6442 or .
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