Beau Hesler breaks OHSAA record, leads North Adams to state meet

Beau Hesler did more than win a regional race at Southeastern High School. His 16.52 in the 400 meters became an OHSAA state record, a North Adams school record and a personal best, turning one senior’s run into a county moment that will sit in the record book.

North Adams left the May 28 and 30 Division IV regional meet with four school records and one state record, a rare haul for a single postseason stop and the clearest sign that the Devils were not riding one standout alone. Hesler also qualified for state in the 100 meters at 11.02, the 200 meters at 21.80 and the 4x400 relay, while Coy Fogle moved on after a second-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles. Bella Gray set a girls high jump school record at 5 feet 4 inches, and Eden Bosko and Ellis Bosko both earned state berths in girls discus.

The state meet was the 2026 OHSAA Jesse Owens Track and Field State Championships, held June 4-7 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at Ohio State University. Division IV and Division V were scheduled for June 4-5, and this was the first state tournament under OHSAA’s new five-division format. The championships also carried Jesse Owens’ name this year, a fitting backdrop at the stadium that has hosted the meet since 2001.

For North Adams, the significance went beyond a fast afternoon. OHSAA official state records must come in a sanctioned meet with at least five schools and be submitted within six months, so Hesler’s mark carried the formal weight of a record, not just a meet-best time. It also added to a season already defined by high-end production from the Devils, who won the Southern Hills Athletic Conference boys title under coach Jeff Raines and saw Hesler break conference records in the 100 at 10.89 and the 200 at 22.43 while sweeping the 400 and 800 meters.

The 4x400 relay team of Dalton Pence, Kaleb Eldridge, Coy Fogle and Hesler ran 3:20.71 at regionals, another piece of the team’s depth. A year after sending three individuals and one relay to state and watching Hesler qualify as the regional champion in the 800 meters, North Adams arrived at the 2026 meet with a larger, stronger group and a state record to match it.