Mexico track and field brings bigger boys team scoring potential

As is the case with previous years, Mexico track and field has more boys than girls.

Head coach Bucky Green said that number for the boys is even larger this season with a sizable freshman class and a good bulk of juniors. Some of those boys are returning state qualifiers as well.

Charlie Fisher, Tyler Grimes, Alex Rowan and Davontae Frame each made up several state relay teams for Mexico while Grimes also ran in the 800 meters. No medals were won from last year, but this year is a new season. Green said having bigger numbers and other returning letterwinners like hurdler Guy Fairchild, runners Taye Potter, Andrew Peuster and Carter Nading and thrower Eli Arnold will help the team.

“I believe that we will see a vast improvement in team points as we will score in more events,” Green said. “Our goals at this point will be focused on individual growth and improvement.”

Among the returning girl letterwinners are runners Alexis Smythe, Maggie Ramsey and Ella Raines, hurdler Emma Seibert, jumper Lucy Gleeson and runner and pole vaulter Alexandra Terry.

Green said he is blessed to have a quality coaching staff that includes distance coach, and cross country head coach in the fall, Lucas Breneman; Leslie Dickherber, who will coach throwers and others; and Greg Jackson, who will coach sprints and relays. Mexico adds Katie French as a thrower coach, which she knows something about after being a multiple-time NAIA All-American shot put thrower at William Woods University in Fulton. Austin Miller is retired but will make some appearances, Green said.

“This team has been working hard, making use of the good weather and showing very positive signs,” Green said “We have some new faces that we are excited about.”

Community R-6 track and field going for redemption

Community R-6 track and field was close to having more state representation a season ago.

Victoria DiSalvo and Gavin Allen each qualified in their senior years, but Community has several athletes wanting to make up for how last season ended.

Head coach Trenton Pummill said the girls and boys each had relay teams that had state potential but couldn’t advance further. The girls 4x100 team consisting of returners Alyssa Beamer and Adriana Woodson missed state by four-tenths of a second while the 4x100 boys team that has Aaron and Lane Carter were disqualified at districts due to exchanging the baton out of the zone.

“A major strength for this season will be our relays for both boys and girls,” Pummill said. “We have multiple options for each leg in every relay, so if an injury or dip in production occurs, we have backups who can effectively fill those roles if need be.”

Pummill said he believes Community’s state-meet streak of five years will be extended due to the promise of these relay teams. Peyton Schafer replaces the graduated Sarah Angel as the lead for the girls 4x100 and 4x200 teams, and Kylie Brooks will slot in to the 4x100 team along with long and triple jump events following a junior-year hiatus. Caden Thomas and Masom Carroll will be newcomers to round out the boys 4x100 team.

Pummill said there are plenty more kids to be excited about, including newcomers Brett Beamer, Mason Rohan, Will Swaim and Nick Henke, who will all appear on the boys 4x800 relay after Community went a long time without one. Those boys make up 17 – 13 freshman – of the new varsity track athletes of the 31 Community has this season.

“Weaknesses this season will be the inexperience at the varsity level for over half of our athletes,” Pummill said. “I look for this weakness to be short term, as once those athletes get into the routine of what a varsity track meet looks like, they will rise to the level of their competitors.”

Pummill said the Lady Trojans were seven points away from third place at the Central Activities Conference meet so he hopes to make it in the top three this season. He said there are 10 school records within reach.

Van-Far track and field going for goals on new track

Two years after being dedicated, Van-Far track and field will host meets this year on its all-weather track.

It is one of the new aspects for the program this season as Van-Far hosts two varsity and one junior varsity meet. Van-Far also has 10 freshmen joining the team this year out of the total 29 on the roster.

Head coach Kris Cross said she hopes those new faces can accomplish personal goals throughout the season and follow the lead of Van-Far’s returning athletes. Gage Gibson is at the top of the team’s crop of returners, being Van-Far’s only sectional qualifier a year ago. Gibson finished seventh at sectionals in the 300-meter hurdles to miss state.

“We overall hope to have a few more qualifiers for sectionals this year and then some to move on to state,” Cross said. “My goal always is for the athletes to improve in their times during the year and find success in their own personal goals.”

Gibson is one of seven boys that will participate in baseball and track in the spring out of the total 18 boys on the roster. Cross said Jackson Fischer and Evan Utterback are returning throwers she expects to see great things out of too since they placed at several meets last season.

Out of the 11 girls on the roster, Cross is looking forward to seeing good things out of returners McKenna Engh-Hoffman, Erin Childs and Trinity Skwirtz. Liek the boys having 13 underclassmen, the girls have a fair amount of younger kids with eight.

“They are a young team this year so we hope to see a lot of growth throughout the season in times, throws and jumps,” Cross said. 

North Callaway track and field looking to make it past sectionals

North Callaway track and field has veterans that could go far this season.

Seniors Isiah Craighead and Pressley Schmauch missed the Class 3 state meet by one or two spots in the boys javelin and girls 3,200-meter run, respectively, but are back for a follow-up campaign.

Head coach Reid Randolph said North Callaway is relatively inexperienced this season with its roster of 53 kids, including 10 seniors for the lowest portion on the roster and 28 freshmen and sophomores. He said the team’s older kids could go far this season.

“Right now, for the boys, our field event groups are emerging as a pretty strong group,” Randolph said. “For the girls, it is looking like we’ll have some strong performers evenly spread throughout the events. Our outlook for the season will depend upon our veterans performing to their potential and the development of everyone else.”

Randolph said some more of the North Callaway boys field athletes that return this season include sophomore jumper Austin Brown among other Thunderbirds who have competed in the past like senior and state champion wrestler Lane Kimbley, who expects to be a multi-event athlete, and junior middle-distance runners CJ Cunningham and Levi Drake.

For the girls, junior Faith Cash is the school record holder in the javelin; junior Isabelle Borcherding, senior Emily Martin, junior Cora Tripp and sophomore Grace Rasmussen compete on the track; sophomore Kymorie Myers and senior Cassidy Murphy are back in the field; and junior Lia Bondurant and senior Corynne Miller do events on the track and field.

A group of freshmen that bring a capability on the track and the field includes Rachelle Atterberry, Alex Craighead, Madyson Gordon, Megan Schmidt, Icey Tomlinson, Cade Miller and Collin Moore while Emerson Reinhard is a distance runner and Gunnar Wenneker is a thrower.

Randolph said winning a meet at Hermann was a highlight of last season, and the team wants to be in the mix for team titles this season.

“We want to finish in the top three as a team at our meets and show improvement as the season progresses,” Randolph said. 

Missouri Military Academy organizing on track for another state appearance

Missouri Military Academy track and field has been putting thought into how it uses its roster.

The Colonels had their second straight season of a state presence that they want to turn into a streak of three years so head coach Traevonne Smith said roster management is important.

“My roster consists of most of the core at the school, so there’s great detail in how we place kids in events and training for those events,” Smith said. “Organization will be huge in preparation for all that.”

Smith said the team’s numbers could be a strength or weakness that will be fully clear at the end of the season. There are kids returning experience that will aid him and the coaching staff in developing the athletes but also a lot of new track athletes that will take time to develop.

“My goals for my athletes this season is simply to improve in their event from the beginning of the season,” Smith said. “This will allow them to see the progress of hard work. And this is an attribute that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.”

He said some cadets that are returning and should be depended on this year include Ryan Miles, Samuel Stevens, Alexander McBride, Kyran Carter, Ky-Mani Erskine, and Bradley Thumbi. MMA’s awards from a year ago included Miles as the “Most Dedicated,” Erskine as the “Best Newbay” and McBride as the “Most Improved.”

“I am high on each of these cadets because they bring high energy, determination, and leadership back this season,” Smith said.