Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes McDonald senior Carson Klase (right) participates in the Division III boys 1600-meter run, taking silver at 4:11.54 in a photo finish with Whiteoak’s Landen Eyre. Klase medaled in three events at the state meet, helping McDonald earn a team title.

COLUMBUS — While having qualified for state all four seasons of his high school track career and having a relay medal to his name, the individual medals have been elusive for McDonald senior Carson Klase – until the finale.

On the second day of track and field action at Jesse Memorial Stadium, Klase took silver during the Division III boys 1600-meter run, posting a personal best time of 4:11.54 during a photo finish with gold medalist Landen Eyre. Later in the afternoon, Klase earned fifth for the 800, running a 1:56.04.

Of course, this came following the Blue Devils silver-medal performance in the 4×800-meter relay to open the boy’s meet, with the platoon of junior Joey Cappuzzello, freshmen Josh Krumpak, senior Eddie Baldwin and Klase putting up a time of 8:01.38.

Cappuzzello later tallied an individual medal during the second day, taking eighth in the 3200 at 9:37.51.

Klase’s 20 points helped McDonald tie for the state championship with Huron (31 points), McDonald’s first since 2011 and third overall.

“Being able to find something, especially after the mile today, just being on the podium is special,” Klase said. “You have to keep up on the fluids, you have to really be careful what you’re doing in between events, even in between days, getting enough sleep is huge and keeping your mind focused and not worrying yourself.

“It’s almost a culture you’re born to (at McDonald), success is expected almost, high expectations that everyone wants to live up to. In the mile earlier, I was able to break the school record. To get my name up on that board with some big names, it’s something special. Looking back as a kid, I always dreamed one day of getting my name up there, and it’s definitely something I’ve been trying to reach since my entire career.”

Baldwin, a previous state qualifier in the 4×800 last season, leaned on his experience.

“I originally ran in the 4×800 at Dayton last year, and that was insane, but here at Jesse Owens, it’s honestly even crazier, the atmosphere and everything,” Baldwin said. “In this competition, there’s just so many guys around you that you can hang onto, but we’ve been practicing handoffs and tough conditions for a while, so we were all ready for it.”

After a fifth-place finish at regionals and earning an at-large bid, the opportunity to just reset presented itself for Cappuzzello and his team against a field that included Maplewood and Mineral Ridge.

“Coming out of the regional race, it was nerve wracking not knowing if we made it. To be able to bounce back here, drop a few seconds and beat a few teams that beat us at regionals is a great feeling,” Cappuzzello said. “Jesse Owens is a great place, it’s so fun to race here. The stands are packed, everyone gets you going, it’s an adrenaline rush, really.

“Just being able to settle your nerves – it’s still nervous to run here – but you kind of get used to it a little bit, and it just makes it easier to come here and race.”

Krumpak was the fresh face on the relay group, just taking in the ambiance that state track has to offer.

“It was awesome. We got here yesterday, just kind of walked around the track. It’s really cool just seeing everyone in the stands,” Krumpak said. “It’s surreal how many people are here. All of these people are coming out here to support. It’s a drive for them. Just showing out and showing what we can do, it’s a great feeling.”

With a school record to his name, and some individual and team hardware, Klase’s track journey isn’t over. This fall he’ll be suiting up for Wright State University.

“It’s huge, being surrounded by older guys, more experienced guys, just guys that like to work,” Klase said. “I’m excited for it.”