Athletes take aim at regional

Top 3 is the goal for area athletes in tonight’s boys track meet at KHS.

Kokomo Tribune - Thursday, May 28, 2009

The IHSAA state tournament in boys track and field returns to Walter Cross Field today for the Kokomo Regional, and for 16 seniors among the 55 area athletes, this could be their final curtain call.

And what a group of seniors it is.

Northwestern’s Kory Kennedy has been a regional qualifier in the past in both cross country and track but has never broken through to advance to the state meet.

Tonight, beginning at 6 o’clock, it’ll take a top-three finish or a performance that meets the state’s three-participant standard to reach the state meet June 5 at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Kennedy is seeded fifth in the 3,200-meter run in 9 minutes, 54.67 seconds. Alejandro Arroyo of Culver Academies, a runner Kennedy knows well from cross country, is No. 3 in 9:46.65.

“Actually we haven’t talked about that. The attitude is real positive,” Northwestern coach Dave Stevens said of the possibility this is the final meet for Kennedy, who also runs the 4x800 relay with classmates Ryan Pattison and Jeremy Robison.

“The four guys in the 4x8 [including sophomore Sam Freeman] have a mission. They want to break the school record and Kory is 100 percent behind that. He’s not said a word about, ‘Oh, this could be my last [competition].’ It’s just another meet and he knows what he’s going after. That shows a lot of maturity.”

Stevens’ other senior, Brock Ford, has been a local institution in the throws, having never lost a Howard County meet in the discus since seventh grade. He’s seeded fifth in shot put today and 10th in discus.

Ford is recovering from an illness that nearly knocked him out of the postseason.

“Brock is feeling better every day, which is great. I hope we have enough days [to get fully healthy],” said Stevens. “We’ve discussed what it takes and he’s going to go hard in both events.

“I told him if a couple guys don’t do well and you throw a personal-best, you could be traveling south.”

Western coach Marvin Boswell has the most seniors — five — including one who’s been to a state meet, Corey Scott in cross country last fall.

Scott appears completely up to speed after being slowed by injury in April. He has the No. 4 seed in the 3,200 in 9:48.30 and the benefit of having beaten Arroyo three straight times when last they met in cross country.

No. 1 seed Cameron Balser of Oak Hill comes into the regional as the Kokomo Sectional champion in the 3,200 (9:43.93).

“[Scott] is very familiar with the other competitors in the race, so I think he has been looking at this race all season as the one he really wants to compete well in,” Boswell said. “He’s sitting really good with his time and the other competitors, and he’s had a good week of practice. I think he’s going to come out and be ready to perform.”

Panthers senior Jerel Hall makes one final attempt at a state meet in both the 100 and 200 meters, where he’s the No. 6 seed in each.

“[Jerel] is real excited about [his seeds],” added Boswell. “Sometimes if you know you don’t have to run an extra 400 [he scratched], the mindset allows you to put a little more effort into [the 100 and 200]. You’re not saving something back, and I think he’s going in with that mindset that will make him stronger.”

Two more seniors, Chris Harter and Dean Shepherd, hold the Nos. 4 and 7 seeds, respectively, in pole vault. Harter was the sectional champion last week with a career-best 15 feet, and Shepherd has been over the 14-6 state standard height several times this season.

“They have brought so much to Western track and field, the tradition they have established,” Boswell said of his impending graduates, including Zac Martinez in two relays. “The thing I am most impressed with is how they train the young kids by their work ethic. They have developed into good leadership and that’s going to be hard to replace.”

Taylor is led by senior Shawn Fogleman, just behind Hall in the 100-meter dash as the seventh seed. He and Austen Conwell (110 and 300 hurdles), Walt Wheeler and Gordon Jenkins are ninth-seeded in the 4x100 relay.

And then there’s the host Wildkats and an Eastern team that doesn’t bring a single senior to the dance among its 11 athletes.

Eastern junior Kevin Jackson is the No. 4 seed in pole vault, having cleared the standard 14-6 outdoors for the first time last week.

Classmate Hansen Martin is No. 4 in the 800-meter run. Sophomore Blake Donson won the discus a week ago and is the No. 8 seed.

Kokomo’s lone individual senior, Cliff Burns, is seeded fourth in shot put at 50 feet, 6 inches. He was the top seed at sectional but wound up second.

“Maybe that will be good for him not to be the No. 1 seed,” Kats coach Tom Byrnes said after the sectional meet. “I don’t know if he got maybe a little psyched being the No. 1 seed, [but] he felt the pressure.”

Kokomo has a bevy of youthful talent Byrnes would like to see get valuable regional experience. Tops among them are sophomore John Alsup, who placed sixth in long jump a year ago, and freshman Tony Moses, the No. 5 seed in the 400.

“We hope Tony can do well at the regional and get one of those top three spots,” said Byrnes, who was concerned about the way his youngsters performed at the sectional meet.

“Hopefully our quality kids can do a little better because they won’t have as many races to run,” he added. “Hey, we’re through to the next round with most of the people we thought would get through.

“But the next round is tough. There’s going to be a lot of very good athletes who end up in fourth and fifth and have to buy a ticket to the state meet.”

• Peru’s Aaron Garretson, yet another senior, is the No. 2 seed at Kokomo in the 800 meters with a time of 1 minute, 57.42 seconds. He was a part of the Bengal Tigers’ state-qualifying 4x800 relay team as a freshman in 2006.

• At the Lafayette Jeff Regional, Tipton senior Taylor Maxey enters as the Carmel Sectional champion in the 110-meter high hurdles. He was second in the 300 intermediate hurdles as well as fourth in the high jump.

Also at the Jeff Regional, Clinton Central’s Cody Cannaday goes in having placed second in the long jump at the Jeff Sectional and fourth in the 200 meters. Teammate Corbin Orr was fourth in the 110 hurdles and the team of Jordan Henry, Kendrick Vester, Caleb Simmons and Cannaday was second in the 4x100 relay.