Not only does the Emporia High track and field team return a load of talent this season, but head coach Randy Wells also believes the returning faces bring a little something extra to the squad this year.
“Right now, we’ve had really, really good senior leadership, and that’s a plus,” Wells said. “We’ve got a lot of people that have been around track and field for quite some time, and that makes things much smoother. The young kids can learn from them and can look up to them.
“We really haven’t had it like this in the past. We’ve had some good seniors, but this group, they are something different.”
Both the boys and girls squads return some familiar faces from a season ago that saw the EHS boys place second at State while the girls came in fourth.
For the girls, it starts with seniors Michaela Reynolds and Samantha Kraft, both former State title winners looking to go out on top. On the boys side, a potentially dominating collection of distance runners and field athletes could have the Spartans in the thick of a State-title chase come May.
With an infusion of new, up-and-coming talent to the 120-member squad this season, how it all comes together over the course of the season will go far in determining just what comes out of the 2008 season.
“It’s a matter of progression and if you are going to take care of yourself and if you’re going to come out and work hard and be dedicated and committed,” Wells said. “All those things go into this for these kids to be able to perform at a high level like you want them to. That’s the key — to get them to that high level before the Regional and State meets.
“In years past, we’ve done a good job of that, and last year especially. We did some things really well last year going into the Regional and State meet, so we’re going to try to duplicate that and even make it a little better.”
Sprints
As was the case a year ago, many of the question marks on both the boys and girls squads come in the sprint events.
The Spartan girls do return some considerable talent, though, and will look to some new faces to help fill some holes.
Leading the way will be senior Angela Finch and junior Rhani Henry.
Finch competed at State as part of the title-winning 4x400 squad, and also joined Henry on the State-qualifying 4x100 squad. Finch is less than a second off the school record in the 300-meter hurdles and will continue to be a part of the sprint relay events, as will Henry.
Wells said he also expected big things from junior Vanessa Rogers and freshman Courtney Waldner in both the sprints and hurdles, while junior Keshia Harris will be called upon to add depth at hurdles.
“There’s a good nucleus on the girls side,” Wells said. “If we can get a few girls developed and get some of these younger, talented freshmen to come along, our girls will still be very competitive.”
On the boys side, the lone State qualifier from a season ago in the sprints is senior Kyle Goodwin, who made it as a 300-meter hurdler and as part of the 4x400 relay squad.
The biggest boost for the Spartan boys might be the return of two familiar faces to the track in junior Taylor Euler and senior Edd Noonan.
Both are expected to provided much-needed speed to the squad after not competing a year ago, and Wells said the added experience would help the Spartans in their goal for a State title.
“Our Region’s going to be fairly tough in the sprints,” Wells said, “but it’s good to get a few more guys back in there, and we’ve got some other guys that are coming out for the first time. We’re just trying to put all the pieces together in the puzzle right now. We’ve got a long ways to go.”
Wells also pointed to freshman Brock Sheldon, sophomore Cory Obermeyer and junior Brian Tabares as three who could score in the hurdle events this season, while freshman Blaze Witten is expected to contribute in the 400-meter dash.
Distance
Perhaps the single strongest sub-group for either squad lies in the distance events on the boys side.
The Spartans return a wealth of upperclassmen experience, most of whom competed on the State-champion boys cross country team this past fall.
“That’s been a good group for four years,” Wells said. “But, last year, we really didn’t take much to the State meet on the guys side in the distance events, and those guys are looking to rebound, and they’ve got a fire in their eyes.”
The headliner is senior Jacob Davies, who returns after winning the 800-meter State title last season. He has run the 800 in 1:55.54 and will aim to break the school record (1:53.40) this season not only in that event, but perhaps also in the 400, where his time of 50.21 seconds is less than a second off Jeff Bradley’s mark of 49.34 seconds.
He also will compete in the 1,600-meter run, and after finishing second individually at the State cross country meet, he said he entered the track season with a much higher level of focus.
“I’ve been running clear through the winter,” Davies said. “I feel like I’m more in shape. I’ve set some goals that, now, I finally feel confident enough that I can get them. Before, I was like, ‘They’ll eventually come.’ Now, it’s my last time, so I’ve got to get them.”
The stable of runners alongside Davies is impressive with seniors Asher Delmott, Tyler Anliker and Andrew Wayman, as well as sophomore Lance Sadler and freshman Tyler Tilton.
On the girls side, the early favorite to dominate Class 5A in the distance events could be senior Michaela Reynolds.
Reynolds, after winning the 3,200-meter State title as a sophomore before struggling through an illness-filled junior season, came back and dominated the cross country scene in the fall, capturing her second State cross country title along the way.
“I definitely proved to myself (in cross country) that I am capable of much more than what I had done earlier in my running career,” Reynolds said. “I’ve set the bar higher and set higher goals for myself this year.”
Sophomore Jenna Stanbrough also could provide a big boost in the 800- and 1,600-meter runs if she can finally shake a nagging hamstring injury that she suffered last spring.
Field
The Spartan boys return a trio of heavy hitters in the field events that could spur on a run at the State title.
It starts with senior jumper Brandon Childs. Already the school-record holder in both the triple jump (46 feet, 1 3/4 inches) and the high jump (6-9), Childs is coming off second-place State finishes in both events in which he finished behind a pair of seniors, making him the favorite to break through and win a title in either event.
Senior pole vaulter Caydrick Bloomquist also picked up a second-place finish at State a year ago, as he vaulted a school-record 15 feet in Wichita.
After attending a camp at the University of Kansas this past summer, as well doing other individual work, Bloomquist has cleared 15-6 and hopes to reach 16 feet this season.
“I feel real confident coming into this season,” Bloomquist said. “I feel confident that I can go a lot higher than last year.”
The other returning State qualifier on the boys side is sophomore Mark Kolmer, who finished sixth in the javelin as a freshman and is less than 10 feet off the school record of 189-2 1/2.
The Spartans must replace Eric Dorsey in the shot put, but they return senior Troy Pierce in the event, with Noonan, senior Jose Alvarado and sophomore Lorenzo Serna also expected to provide help in the throws. Senior Andrew Heerman will add depth in the jumps, while junior Brian Dorsey and senior Matt Sedgwick in the pole vault and junior Ryan Dorsey in the triple jump are also expected to contribute.
Headlining the girls field athletes is senior Samantha Kraft, who placed second at State a year ago after winning the State title as a sophomore.
Also, junior Raelynn Pearson returns after reaching State in two events — the shot put and the discus — last season, and Wells said Pearson could just be beginning to come into her own in the throwing events.
“She’s got a lot of room for improvement,” Wells said. “She’s just scratching the surface of where she’s going to be if she really dedicates herself to it and decides, ‘Hey, I want to go on to the next level and be that type of athlete.’ She’s going to be pretty good this year, but she’s got the potential to be an outstanding thrower.”
Sophomore Lindy Arndt will compete in the high jump and long jump, as well as work as a short-distance runner and as a javelin thrower. Junior Mariah LaFave will be called upon to add depth in the javelin and the discus, as will sophomore javelin thrower Noell Waters.
Seniors Jenna Fugate and Tarra Nichols and freshman Ciera Hastings all will add to the pole-vaulting depth, while freshman Sarah Kolmer is expected to make some noise in the long jump and triple jump.