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By all accounts, this has been a storybook season for the Western boys track and field team.
Beginning with a state championship at the Hoosier State Relays indoor meet for Class 1A-3A in March, the Panthers have never been beaten on the track.
That string of successes includes Kokomo Relays, Howard County and Mid-Indiana Conference titles — all this month.
Today, defending champion Western reaches for another gold ring, the Kokomo Sectional championship at Walter Cross Field, where action begins at 5 p.m.
“Everything has come up positive so far, but I tell the kids when you do things like that, that target goes up on your back and becomes a little brighter for everybody else,” Panthers coach Marvin Boswell said.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us. Between Kokomo and Oak Hill coming in, I think there is really going to be some tough competition this year.”
This sectional used to be the almost exclusive province of the host Wildkats, who own more sectional titles than any other school in the state besides Richmond and Elkhart Central.
Kokomo won 16 straight sectionals from 1981 to 1996 and 5 of 6 from 2001 to 2006, but the Kats have fallen off to a fifth-place finish in 2007 and fourth place last year.
Whether or not Kokomo can overtake Western or 2007 winner Oak Hill remains to be seen, but Wildkats coach Tom Byrnes does expect his young team to open some eyes.
“I don’t feel like people have respected us the last couple years and I hope that they realize we have some great, hard-working kids that deserve respect from the area,” said Byrnes. “I’ve been really proud of the way they’ve come around this year. I told people I thought we were going to be better this year and I think we are better.”
AHEAD OF THE PACK: Northwestern’s Kory Kennedy, left, shown leading a pack of Western runners earlier this month, is part of Northwestern’s top-seeded 3,200 relay team heading into today’s Kokomo Boys Track and Field Sectional. Individually, Kennedy is also seeded third in the 3,200of a second..
Senior Jerel Hall was a quadruple winner for Western a year ago and has been dynamite in the month of May, capturing high-point honors at both the county and conference meets.
Hall is seeded No. 1 in the 100-meter dash, No. 2 in the 200, No. 3 in the 400 and anchors the No. 3-seeded 4x400 relay team.
“Jerel has been very focused this year,” Boswell said. “He has some high goals for what he wants to accomplish, and he and I have sat down and talked about those — not so much just what was going to be good for around this area, but possibly being able to take him to the next level.
“Jerel has gotten into the weight room and gotten so much stronger this year and I think it’s paying off out on the track.”
Western is no one-man team, though. Senior Corey Scott and junior Austin Young form a powerful 1-2 punch in the 1,600 and 3,200, where Scott is No. 2 and Young is No. 4.
Versatile junior Indy Mathew holds top-eight seeds in four events — both hurdles races, the 4x100 relay and long jump, where he’s No. 3. Seniors Dean Shepherd and Chris Harter are Nos. 1 and 2 in pole vault, respectively.
Kokomo sophomore John Alsup will duel Hall in the 200 as the No. 1 seed. He’s also No. 1 in long jump, No. 5 in the 100 and runs a leg of the top-seeded 4x400 relay team that includes senior Darius Williams and freshmen Tony Moses and Michael Clifton.
Moses is the No. 1 seed in the 400, where Clifton is No. 5. He’s also No. 5 in the 200 while sophomore Robert Lancaster is No. 4 in the 110 high hurdles and No. 2 in the 300 intermediate hurdles. Senior Cliff Burns is the top seed in shot put.
“We can score points in most events and I hope the kids are challenged in those areas that we’re not counting on points to squeak a few out and give Western a run for the money,” said Byrnes. “We don’t want to talk about next year because there’s a lot of things to get accomplished this year. We’re kind of excited over here.”
Northwestern brings the top-seeded 4x800 relay team of Sam Freeman, Kory Kennedy, Ryan Pattison and Jeremy Robison.
Pattison is No. 6 in the 400 meters and runs a leg of the No. 4 4x400 relay team. Kennedy will forego the 1,600 meters to concentrate on the 3,200, where he is No. 3.
“We’re looking forward to it,” said Tigers coach Dave Stevens. “The 4x8 is ready to go. They’re looking at breaking a school record possibly and moving on to the regional.
“We’re going to bring [Kennedy] down to just the two races. I think that’s better for him and better for the team.”
Senior Brock Ford was thought to have had a medical emergency after the MIC meet May 12, which would have kept him from competing today, but since has been cleared to throw.
Ford’s season-best toss of 154 feet would seed him No. 1 in the discus.
“So now we’re going through the steps to get [Ford] back into the meet,” Stevens said. “We plan on him being ready. He should be back to full strength for regional.”
Stevens sees everyone still chasing Western and hopes his team, which has finished fourth and third the past two years, can be in the mix once again.
“It’s going to be how many boys go and get those sixth-, seventh- and eighth-place points,” Stevens said. “I’m hoping my guys come up with those points. Whoever does is probably going to finish the closest to Western.”
Austen Conwell carries Taylor’s lone top seed. A third-place finisher in 2008, the junior Titan is No. 1 in the 110 high hurdles and also is No. 3 in the 300 hurdles.
Taylor senior Shawn Fogleman is No. 2 in the 100 and No. 4 in long jump, and both Conwell and Fogleman run legs of the 4x100 relay team that is No. 4.
Eastern’s 4x800 relay team, anchored by Hansen Martin, has staged some classic battles with Northwestern already in May and is No. 2 behind the Tigers.
Martin is the No. 3 seed in the 800 run and pulls triple duty on the No. 2-seeded 4x400 relay team as well.
Blake Donson would wind up the No. 3 seed in discus if or when Ford returns, and Kevin Jackson is No. 3 in pole vault. |
