BUTLER TWP — Freeport's Derek Durand was just trying to get healthy again. He needed it for his medal haul at the Butler Track and Field Invitational Friday.

Durand opened with a title in the 110 hurdles, a runner-up finish in the long jump, which he bettered his school record, then placed third in the 300 hurdles.

Durand, a senior, was trying to bounce back from a groin injury which sidelined him for one meet and limited him in for two others.

Durand's previous best in the 110 hurdles had been 15.2 seconds, but his winning time of 14.87 left him closing on the school record of 14.66, set by Bobby Woods (2001) and Scott Kallner (2003).

“He's very close to it,” said Freeport coach Bill Dillen. “He did a nice job.”

“I told myself I had to get to the 14s,” said Durand, who will play football at Slippery Rock University this fall. “I got 14.87 and I'm happy with that.”

Durand established a school record in the long jump to open the season — his first meet competing in that event — at 22 feet, then tacked on one-quarter inch on Friday.

Knoch's Adam Tuzikow also had a big meet, winning the shot put with a toss of 52 feet, 8Z\x inches and was second in the discus at 146-2.

“I came in here and coach (Wess Brahler) had me seeded at 50 feet and I thought I could do better and I did,” Tuzikow said.

“I need to keep progressing so I don't peak out. I want to do that at the state meet like I did last year,” added Tuzikow, who placed third in the PIAA Class AAA meet with a throw of 54 feet.

Seneca Valley's Hunter Williams and Oliver Philogene placed 1-2 in the 400 — Williams at 50.08, Philogene at 50.13 — then combined with Brian Schmelzer and Andrew Schroeder to win the 1,600 relay with a time of 3 minutes, 27 seconds.

“We were both hoping we went 1-2,” said Williams.

“No matter who won,” Philogene added.

“We knew coming in we wanted to be in the low 50s or better,” Hunter said.

“But we were shooting for 49,” Philogene acknowledged.

The Raiders' Dylan Bilka won the pole vault by clearing 13-9, not an easy task with the high winds, but he still edged Knoch's Garrett Shaw by six inches.

“When the wind would die down, I'd charge into it and hit it,” Bilka said. “I feel like the weather complicated things. I could have done better than I did.

“If the weather was nice, I was expecting a 14-3, maybe a 14-6, but my form was off to,” Bilka added.

Notes: Seneca Valley finished in third place with 50 points. North Hills won the meet with 66 points and McDowell was second with 59C\v ... Moniteau's Kyle Armagost placed second in the javelin (171-2), trailing only Punxsutawney's Brody Morgan (177-0).