Jun 9, 2025
Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes. The McDonald Blue Devils pose with their Division III boys state championship trophy, scoring 31 points to tie Huron for first-place honors on Saturday at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus. McDonald is one of only 32 schools in the state to have won three or more team titles.
COLUMBUS — Something much more challenging than winning an individual state title is hoisting the trophy as a team.
A team title in track represents the sum of its parts, and a very deep Blue Devils team found itself taking some precious hardware back to McDonald on Saturday.
McDonald’s boys squad tallied a two-day total of 31 points, tying Huron to become Division III co-champions. At the end of the Division III portion of the meet, the Blue Devils stood together as a cohesive group, smiling from ear to ear at Ohio State’s Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Of course, with a tradition-rich program like McDonald, the state meet comes with its own set of expectations.
It’s the third time in program history that the Blue Devils have earned the state title, having previously won in 1999 and 2011. McDonald is now one of only 32 schools to win three or more team titles, dating back to 1908.
But, the Blue Devils earned the runner-up title during the 2021 and 2022 state meets, as well. This is the final state meet under the three Division system that’s been in place since 1990, with an expansion to five Divisions set to begin during the 2025-2026 academic year.
“It’s awesome, the feeling is awesome. There’s relief because there’s so much hard work that goes into everything that we do at our program. We have a rich tradition on the boys and girls side in track and field,” head coach Louis Domitrovich said. “We have state champions, state championships in both running and cross country for both boys and girls. I think when the kids come to practice, they know that we mean business and that it’s time to work and they work really hard. Before school, after school, in the evenings, it’s a long time coming, but it’s been there.”
A trio of seniors suited up in the navy and white for a final time, including Carson Klase, Eddie Baldwin and Garek Deluga.
“I think relief is another one (for the seniors), I think there’s a lot of pressure that we put on ourselves, and when things work out like this, it makes it a little easier,” Domitrovich said. “The bus ride home will be nice and relaxed, I hope.”
As an individual, junior Drew Zajack earned the state crown during the boys discus on Friday afternoon, throwing 178-3 feet.
“It’s just such a blessing. To be surrounded by such great people, it’s astonishing to just look around, look at the record board and look at the Ohio champions. It’s just a blessing to even look at it, it’s just insane,” Zajack said following his discus win on Friday. “The job is never done. I did it once, why can’t I do it again and work even harder?”
Domitrovich added, “We have such a rich tradition in discus at our school with quite a few discus champions. The other tradition that we have are our boys and girls 4×800 relay teams — we have quite a few state champions in that. I think that helps, my sister Mary is the throws coach and she is absolutely amazing. Our coaching staff, top to bottom, junior high all the way through high school, they get these kids ready through seventh and eighth grade and they’re ready to roll when they get to us.”
Klase was one of the many contributors for the Blue Devils over the weekend, scoring points in a trio of events, which included silver medals in the 4x800m on Friday, then the 800m on Saturday.
As a senior, he’s well versed in the high standard surrounding the Blue Devils’ program.
“It’s almost a culture you’re born in. Success is expected almost. Just high expectations that everyone wants to live up to,” Klase said. “In the mile, I broke the school record. To get my name up on that board next to some big names is something special. Looking back as a kid, I always dreamed of wanting to get my name up there. It’s definitely been something I’ve been trying to reach my entire career.”
At the end of the day, the seniors at McDonald find themselves leaving their high school careers on a high note, with a large slew of underclassmen returning athletes still able to build off the success in Columbus.
“We had a lot of alumni show up and make their way around the tent during the day today, and I think those kids were pulling for our athletes and our seniors especially,” Domitrovich said. “It feels good.”
On the girls side, the Blue Devils tallied 28 points to earn sixth place overall as a team.
SCORING FOR THE MCDONALD BOYS
4x800m relay, Carson Klase, Joey Cappuzzello, Josh Krumpak, Eddie Baldwin, second place, 8:01.38….discus, Drew Zajack, first place, 178-3 feet……800m, Carson Klase, fifth place, 1:56.04….1600m, Carson Klase, second place, 4:11.54….3200m, Joey Cappuzzello, eighth place, 9:37.51.
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