COLUMBUS - Springfield Local senior Stephen Lyons remembers what happened during last year's Division III boys shot put.
He came into the event as a slight favorite, but former McDonald standout Matthias Tayala had some of the best throws of the year en route to winning the event.
Lyons settled for second.
"Last year I was pretty hurt, but that pushed me a lot coming into this year," Lyons said. "I thought about that on the way up here."
Friday, at the state track and field meet outside Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, Lyons won the shot put with a throw of 59 feet, 10.5 inches.
Lyons' personal trainer is former Springfield Local standout Nick Panezich, who won the Division III shot put in 2005 before attending the University of Tennessee.
Panezich won the '05 shot put with a throw of 58-4.5.
"I came to state to do the best I can," Lyons said.
In the discus, he took fifth. Lyons was aiming for a second-place finish. He took fifth with 163-11.
"I gained 10 feet in a year, but I was 11 feet from my PR (personal record)," Lyons said. "I worked my butt off for this."
Nonetheless, Lyons leaves Springfield Local and heads to Eastern Michigan University as a state champion.
"Winning was amazing," he said. "I worked four years for that. It was a good way to end my senior year."
