Youth The Key For Boys Track Teams
Youth will be the buzzword this spring for several area boys track programs.
Whitko looks to continue its recent run of success in the Three Rivers Conference with a very young lineup.
“Our team this year is very young with only two seniors and a large freshman class,” said Whitko coach Ron Cherry via email. “We have won the TRC championship six years in a row, but we will need a lot of help from our younger athletes in order to continue that streak.”
Whitko opened its outdoor season April 1 with a five-point loss to league foe Wabash. The Wildcats turned in a strong performance in the field events with five first-place finishes.
Top returnees for the Wildcats this spring include seniors Brady Herendeen (long jump) and Maley Stewart (high hurdles), along with juniors Blake Sapp (high jump), Derek Miller (distance), Logan Patrick and Cole Eberly (hurdles).
Herendeen opened the season with a win in the long jump last week. Other winners in the opener were Walker Hobbs (shot put), Zach Hewitt (discus), Blake Sapp (high jump), Jacob Helton (pole vault) and Dillon Alma (800).
Whitko finished fifth in the Fort Wayne Wayne Sectional in 2013. The biggest loss from that team was standout Connor Stouder.
The Wildcats return to action April 17 versus Rochester.
Triton will count on quality and not so much quantity to try and improve on last year’s 5-4 record.
“Our team is small in numbers this season,” said Triton coach Curt Kreft. “We have about 20 boys on the team and quite a few first year athletes. We should be fine in the sprints with returning varsity athletes Jeremy Jones and Kevin Heckaman.”
“The distance crew is small, which means Bryce Wanemacher and Derek Johnston along with a few others will be doing a lot of doubles and tripling of events in meets. The throwing events could be an area where we show some real improvement from last year. All the throwers have returned from last year and look to improve on their distances, we have also added to the list of throwers with some talented new men. Last year the team finished the season with a 5 and 4 record and we believe we can improve on that this year.”
Triton, which opens its season April 16 at Culver Academies, was eighth in the Plymouth Sectional a year ago. Jeremy Jones led the Trojans by placing fourth in the 100 and fifth in the 200.
Tippecanoe Valley looks to a pair of regional qualifiers from last year to lead the way.
Coach Alysha Wachtmann’s team, which opens its season April 15 at Culver, features senior Nolan Sponseller and junior Michael Thacker. Sponseller was runner-up in both the 200 and 400 at the Plymouth Sectional in 2013. Thacker earned a regional berth after placing second in the 100 at the sectional.
Other key performers to watch for the Vikings include seniors Noah Clampitt, Nick Gamble, Brandon Maull, Juan Baca and Willy Inglehearn. Also expected to make big contributions are juniors Brandon Murphy, Aaron Hoffman, Jordan Fraser and Deontee Smith and sophomores Anthony Leadford, Isaac Sponseller, Neil Clampitt and Aric Shafer.
Lakeland Christian Academy coach Bryan Brumbaugh will count on Alex Plastow this spring for his your team.
“Our high school athletes this year are young but have had success at the junior high level,” said Brumbaugh. “We are excited to see what this group can do this year and the years to come as they improve and lead our program.
“I am excited about many of our athletes. Alex Plastow is a sophomore distance runner and is extremely committed to improving times and placement. He is a workhorse and would run through a wall if you asked him to. I appreciate Alex pushing our team competitively.”
LCA is scheduled to open its season April 17 at Westview.
