High Expectations
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Numbers are certainly not a problem for the Emporia High track team this year.
With about 120 athletes out, head coach Randy Wells has plenty of bodies to fill out all the spots on his squad.
The key, however, is filling those spots with not just quantity, but also quality, something that has yet to come to fruition, Wells said.
“We’ve got to develop some depth,” he said. “Depth is a problem right now.”
But while Wells singles out areas like the girls field events, and sprints on both the girls and boys side as areas that need the most help, in the same breath he lays out very high expectations for both squads this season.
In all, the Spartans return 18 State qualifiers from a year ago — nine boys; nine girls — after the EHS girls finished fourth at State while the boys came in fifth.
“We’ve got some really talented kids across the board, and we’re looking to compete to be in the top five in the state — if not top three — in both girls and boys,” he said.
Much of that enthusiasm comes from the strength of Emporia’s distance runners on the girls and boys sides and the potential depth of the boys field events. There are also several promising young athletes that could fill the holes Wells spoke of, which would fix the depth issue in a hurry.
The first meet of the season is a dual with Shawnee Heights on Thursday.
Sprints
The area of most concern for Wells lies in the sprint events on both the boys and girls squads. Wells will rely on some unproven faces to fill the spots in many of the sprints.
“We just don’t have a whole bunch of guys that have that really short burst that can get out there and run a 10.9 100 meters,” Wells said.
Edd Noonan and returning State-qualifier Kevin Coe on the boys side are expected to be two of the primary frontrunners in the sprints, while on the girls side, Angela Finch returns after a State appearance last season.
Two newcomers expected to produce in the 400-meter dash are freshmen Lindy Arndt for the girls and Mark Kolmer for the boys. Both are also expected to compete in the javelin.
One area where there appears to be ample depth is in the hurdles on the girls side.
State-qualifier Rhani Henry leads the way, along with Finch, Keshia Harris, Leslie Stanbrough and Becky Wilkerson.
Wells said he expected Kyle Goodwin to make some noise in the boys 300-meter hurdles.
Another returning State athlete, Rachel Meinholdt, will add depth in the relays and also will pole vault. Juvie Stewart returns in the 400 and in the relays on the boys side after a State showing last season.
Distance
There is no denying that the strength of the EHS track team on both the boys and girls squads lies in the middle and long distance events.
“We’re really good in the distance events, which we’ll always be,” Well said. “Coach (Mark) Stanbrough does a good job with them.”
Perhaps it all starts with senior Layne Moore, who has committed to run track at the University of Missouri next year. Moore already holds school records in the 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter runs, and has a chance to break all three of those marks this season. She also is coming off winning State titles last season in the 400 and 800.
Junior Michaela Reynolds also is a force in the 1,600 and 3,200, as she won the 3,200 State title last season and finished fourth in the 1,600.
On the boys side, State-qualifier Ryan Parks returns as a 1,600 and 3,200 runner, while big things are expected out of junior Asher Delmott in the 1,600 and 3,200 after a breakout cross country season in the fall.
“This is the year for Asher, there’s no question about that,” Wells said. “He’s paid his dues.”
The Spartans’ boys 4x800-meter relay team will have a decidedly different look to it this season after three of the four athletes on last year’s State champion team graduated in Mauricio Morales, Marcus Delgado and Francisco Villanueva.
The lone returner from the quartet is junior Jacob Davies.
“I know that we have runners that will be able to step up and fill their shoes,” Davies said. “It’s hard to lose three guys, but I think we’ve got the people to do it.”
Juniors Tyler Anliker, Mike Robinson and Andrew Wayman and freshman Lance Sadler are expected to battle for the other three spots, as well as provide depth in the individual distance events.
On the girls side, look for senior Heather Coe and freshmen Jenna Stanbrough and Makenzie Harder to make waves in the relays and some of the middle–distance events.
Field events
A pair of pole vaulters leads the way in the field events for the Spartans, as junior Samantha Kraft placed first at State last year for the girls while junior Caydrick Bloomquist came in third on the boys side.
“We’re pretty decent in the pole vault,” Wells said.
Kraft, who also splits time as a long jumper, attended a pole vault camp last summer in Lawrence with the goal of further separating herself from the rest of the state’s competition.
“I really want to improve a lot this season, especially on my height in the pole vault,” Kraft said. “I’m really excited to start competing again. I’m ready to get back out there.”
Senior Lindsay Hollond also fared well in the pole vault last season, as she took fifth at State a year ago. Holland also will participate in the high jump and the relays on the track.
Brandon Childs returns in the triple jump and high jump after going to State last season.
The throws on the boys side appear to be relatively deep, starting with senior Eric Dorsey in the shot and the disc, along with Eric Wells in the javelin. Juniors Matt Pierce and Troy Pierce provide able bodies in the shot, while senior Miles Ringgold returns as a promising javelin and disc thrower.
“In the shot and disc, we have Eric Dorsey and Troy Pierce in there, and they should be able to put that thing out there pretty far this season,” coach Wells said. “We have some potential in the throws, we’ve just got to get better and better and better.”
Big things are expected of sophomore Raelynn Pearson in the shot and disc on the girls side after making in to the State meet last year as a freshman. Seniors Kira Douglas in the javelin and Anna Young in the javelin and shot are expected to help score points.
“We had a couple kids that aren’t going to come out that will probably hurt us,” Wells said, “but we’ll pick up the slack somewhere in there.”