Ready to roll

BOYS TRACK: Howard County 2025 season preview

Kokomo Tribune - Friday, Apr 16, 2021

Kats return 2 state qualifiers; Panthers have big turnout

Kokomo’s boys track and field team has plenty to work with this season after taking the title at the Kokomo Sectional last spring. The Kats have lots of experienced athletes, including a pair of state qualifiers in junior Jeremiah Young and senior Jedaiah Beard as they get rolling in the new season.

“We obviously have last year’s sectional title as motivation, but our athletes are continually reminded that last year’s title doesn’t bring us success this year,” Kokomo coach Zenova Williams said. “While we can’t hang too tight to last year’s success, we can allow the work ethic, the intensity, and the team effort to carry over from last season. We are determined to do that, plus more.”

Williams is confident that a roster balanced between upper and lowerclassmen, which can score in a lot of events, can keep performing at a high level.

“There has been an ongoing presence of effort, grit and determination since we started optional workouts, and that has given me high hopes for this season,” she said. “With a well-rounded team and dedicated coaching staff, we have our sights set on keeping the intensity high, growing as a team, and making this season count. We are determined to achieve personal bests across the board, success at sectionals, regionals and having state qualifiers.”

The jumping squad includes Young and junior high jumper Derrick Ross. At last year’s state meet, Young took 12th place in the long jump with a leap of 21-7. Williams said Young “has shown great progress and exceptional growth in his speed and strength, with early indications that he’s poised for personal bests this season.”

Beard and senior Chance Duncan anchor the throwing group. Beard was 27th in discus at the state meet last year. Williams said of Beard and Duncan that “both athletes have been putting in the work during the offseason, and early marks suggest they could be among the best in the state.”

Hurdlers include sophomore Omar Daniels. Leading the sprint and mid-distance squad are juniors Malachi Harper, Marcus Houston, Dayveon Williams and Braxton Frederick, and senior Henrique Alvarenga.

The distance crew features junior Cooper Cage, senior Connor Frederick, as well as juniors Preston Arreola and Ben Wallace and sophomore Micah Taflinger.

“My expectations/hopes for this team are the same as they always are: for my team to have fun with what they’re doing, and for things to click and come together at the right time — NCC, sectionals and so forth. I am hoping that we can embrace the moments and make every day and every moment count.”

Below are looks at the other Howard County squads.

WESTERN

The Panthers have 49 athletes, which coach Gary Jewell thinks is the most in 10 years, with each grade represented in double digits. That gives the team a lot of flexibility but also makes for a longer time determining who competes where in order to have the best team and get competitive in big meets.

“We have to plug the right people into the right places,” Jewell said. “If we can do that, then we’ll be ahead of where we were a year ago.”

One thing evident early on is that this team is faster than last season.

“Overall, our team speed seems to have improved,” Jewell said. “That’s a good thing because speed is the tide that lifts the boats. We started working on off-system speed development with our distance group seven years ago, so it was no coincidence last year when our fastest 400-meter runners mostly came out of the distance group.

“We’ve been striving for this the last couple years, but we had to wait for guys to physically mature.”

Frequently distance squads are the strength of the team, this season the Panthers need more balance to compete for trophies.

“Four years ago, we had a really deep distance crew that carried the team to a sectional championship,” Jewell said. “Seventy-five percent of our season points that year came from guys who ran cross country. This year though, we can’t rely on a single event group to carry the team. We need contributions across the board.

“One of the areas we think will be a big contributor for us will be the pole vault. We have three vaulters who we think can score consistently for us.”

That group consists of senior Milan Bennett, who cleared 13 feet, 6 inches recently at the indoor Hoosier State Relays and was a regional qualifier in 2024, sophomore Camden Oyler, the sectional champ in 2023, and sophomore Rylan Hart. Other vault candidates include freshmen Beck Bennett and Noah Keyes, sophomore Deegan Shoaff, junior Mio Neuhaus, and senior Mika Herrmann.

Another group Jewell is confident will score consistently is the sprint squad, headlined by junior Matthew McKitrick, who reached the regional in the 100 last season. Manning the shorter sprints are seniors Cameron Hobensack, Porter McKillip, Troy Tettey and Shane Paulison, sophomores Parker Bates and Eli Wenger, and juniors Brennin Walters and Touko Haapaniemi. Tackling the long sprints are freshman Brett Kallio and seniors Kody Musgrave and Ashton Tso.

Hurdlers are Milan Bennett, and sophomores Jacoby Allen, Dawson Garrett and Jamir Taylor.

Leading the distance crew is junior Camden Raab, who won the 3,200 at the sectional last season and had an excellent cross country campaign this past fall, reaching state as an individual. He and sophomore Maddox Carver have the flexibility to run from the 400 to the 3,200. Beck Bennett, senior Lincoln McKillip and Musgrave also have key roles. Further distance runners include senior Noel Wittenbach, freshman Avery Franklin, sophomores John Gilbert and Emerson Rhum, and junior Aidan Mawbey.

Throwers are seniors Gavin Bourff and juniors Owen Mashino and Jace Smith, joined by senior Brandon Griswold, juniors Matthew Davis, James Qualls and Nathan Roesler, and freshmen Gannon Montgomery and Parker Scrima. Long jumpers are Paulison, Bates and Porter McKillip.

finishes at the Big Orange, Hoosier Conference and sectional meets. “After placing twice in the

“We need to show improvement in the big meets,” Jewell said, pointing to seventh-place top two at conference [winning in 2017 and placing second in 2021], of late we’ve been closer to the bottom of the standings. That’s a trend that has to end. We need to get back near the top of the standings.

“The same thing applies to sectional. After winning in 2021, we’ve placed fourth, sixth and seventh the last three years. We need to get back in near the top.”

EASTERN

With a lot of pieces returning to the squad and an experienced senior class, Comet coach Blake Donson expects an improved season.

“I have high hopes for this team,” Donson said. “We return the vast majority of our team from last season while losing a couple key components, but replace them with incoming freshmen. It’s going to be exciting to see what this team can do because of the amount of growth we as a coaching staff have already seen this early in the season.

“Out of the seven seniors, six come with track experience and four have been out all four years of high school. Two or three of those four started track in sixth or seventh grade so their knowledge and leadership is going to be crucial in helping build our freshmen class of nine into stud athletes.”

Last spring, distance runner Obadiah Greene won the 1,600 and thrower Andrew Cavazos won the shot put at the sectional meet. They pace a senior class that includes Tim Leopard and Jase Forgrave in distances, A.J. Ewing in throws, and Levi Ramer and Noah Wright in sprints. Ramer is also a long jumper.

Juniors are high jumper/long jumper Ke’Mari Butler, sprinters Erick Krogstie and Isaiah Pickett, mid-distance runner Chase Roseberry, distance runner/pole vaulter Reagan Long, and thrower Aiden Paul. Sophomores are sprinter/pole vaulter Gavin Doll, and distance runners William Kuntz and Alex Leopard.

Freshmen are sprinters Kay’Den Butler, Jaylen Delagrange, Tristan Elmore, Zena Geary, Riley Helmberger, Matthew McGuire, and Noah Zook, with Elmore and Butler long jumping. Zane Crow is a thrower, and Sam Thomas is in distances.

“My hope for this team is to finish at the top of the [Hoosier Heartland Conference] meet this year,” Donson said. “We have been just a few pieces away each year and I think we may have what it takes this season to win. I would also like to be making a trip to regionals and possibly state for a few guys who have been working their butts off to get to where they are now.

“When it comes to how competitive they can be, I feel like the sky’s the limit. We have some talented young men who have either never done track before or not even played a sport before and are already shaving seconds off their times without realizing it.”

TAYLOR

The Titans return a core of athletes from last season and the coaching staff feels the group is talented and energetic though newcomers face a learning curve to get up to speed.

The strength of the team is in the field events, with throwers looking like the team’s most bankable group to generate points.

Throwers include seniors Britten Dillon and Elijah Flynn, freshmen Easton McCorkle and Anthony Bowman, and sophomore Angelo Flynn. Sprinters include sophomores Royce Martin and Syncere Shelton, senior Jalyn Wooten, and junior Santana Howard. Wooten is also in jumps.

Freshman Draven Davis is in the 400, sophomore Xander Snow is in mid-distances and distances, sophomore Owen Collins is in mid-distances, and junior Braden Wunderlich is in distances.

The Titans expect that a mix of experience and youth combined with a robust throwing crew will make them competitive.

Pier is focused on being sharpest when the sectional rolls around after taking eighth last season.

“We look to be our most competitive in May in the state tournament,” Pier said. “Our place last year at the sectional does not reflect the day we had as a team. The performances were some of our bests on the season across the board. The boys closed well by really putting out their best efforts at peaking time.

“We look to replicate the same sort of day at sectional this year, just further up the places. This team has bought into the hard work to improve success.”

NORTHWESTERN

Northwestern coach Alex Pier expects a balanced Tiger squad to score in all facets and push to improve.

“The air at practice and the meets we have had is completely different than in years past,” Pier said. “Everyone expects the best of themselves and the best from their teammates. That mentality feeds into itself. Each day is an opportunity to get better and to get better together. I am excited to coach them each day.

“We have one of the most balanced spreads of returners and new athletes we have had. We have several returners who are three- or four-year guys. These young men have really taken the charge of guiding the younger and new athletes into the roles they are expected to fill. This mentorship has allowed us to make much faster-than-expected progress with the new additions this year.”

Senior Tigers include sprinter/hurdler/high jumper Peyton Tarrh, sprinter/long jumper Michael Groves, sprinter Declan Aaron, and throwers Sam Craig and Kam West. Juniors include distance runner Ryland Barnes, hurdler/sprinter/pole vaulter Sam Martin, and throwers Maverick Harrell, Wyatt Lay, Seth Pohlman, Gavin Pyatt, and Aiden Swope.

Sophomores include distance runners Mason Broeker and Isaac Everson, mid-distance/sprinter Bryan Burkhalter and sprinters Mason Hartwig, La’Ron Johnson, Adam Lesko, Henry Neher and DeWayne Perrigen. Lesko and Neher also high jump and Hartwig is a pole vaulter. A freshman expected to be in the mix is high jumper Braxton Schieffer.

“We will be looking to pick up points all over the place, but undoubtedly our biggest improvement we will see over past years will be our sprint crew,” Pier said. “Our distance and throws look to pick up where we left off last season and keep climbing the ranks.