North Adams relay lands on podium as Hesler injury derails state meet hopes

Seven North Adams athletes turned June into a countywide showcase at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, with Beau Hesler, Dalton Pence, Coy Fogle and Kaleb Eldridge carrying the boys 4x400 relay, Coy Fogle adding the 300 hurdles, and Bella Gray plus sisters Eden and Ellie Bosko earning girls state berths. It was the kind of depth that made North Adams look less like a small-school entry and more like Adams County’s standard-bearer on Ohio’s biggest track stage.

The 2026 OHSAA Track & Field State Championships were staged June 4-7 on the Ohio State University campus in Columbus, with Division 4 and Division 5 on the track June 4-5. OHSAA said the meet marked the 119th annual boys state tournament and the 51st annual girls tournament, and North Adams arrived with more local representation than most schools can dream of sending at once.

The biggest name in the field was Hesler, who entered state as the heavy favorite in the 400-meter dash after running 46.52 at the regional meet, a mark that was reported as a state record, school record and personal best. He had already earned state spots in the 100 meters and 200 meters as well, and the 2026 season had followed his 2025 state championship in the 800 meters, before he shifted to sprinting this spring. But the meet turned sharply when Hesler pulled a quad muscle in the 100 preliminaries and finished ninth, then had to be scratched from the 400 despite the trainers’ efforts to get him back on the track.

Even with that blow, North Adams still reached the podium in the relay. Dalton Pence, Coy Fogle, Kaleb Eldridge and Hesler finished sixth in 3:25.65 in the boys 4x400, a result that gave the Devils a tangible finish after the injury clouded the final day. Fogle also delivered another podium performance of his own, placing eighth in the 300-meter hurdles in 40.64.

The girls side added its own local milestones. Eden Bosko returned to state after throwing 135 feet, 8 inches at regionals in the discus, while sophomore Ellie Bosko earned a wild-card berth with a 124 feet, 5 inch regional throw. Bella Gray cleared 5 feet, 2 inches in Division IV prelims and placed ninth, finishing the day with her best jump of the meet. North Adams’ postseason run had already included district dominance from Hesler, who won three individual titles and ran on a championship relay team, and the state trip only reinforced how firmly the program has become rooted at the top of Ohio track.