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Boys Track Overview: Individual talents dot landscape

rob mccurdy, marion star
·5 min read
River Valley's Grant Butler competes in the Division II boys high jump at the state track and field championships last season at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
River Valley's Grant Butler competes in the Division II boys high jump at the state track and field championships last season at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

High-level performers will be all over the area this spring when it comes to high school boys track and field.

River Valley has more than a couple who have state meet aspirations.

Senior Grant Butler, who went to the Division II state track and field championships at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium last year in the boys high jump, will try to do it again. Recovering from an ankle injury that saw him miss all basketball season, he showed he was back in form at the Division II-III state indoor meet a few weeks ago, going 6-foot-2 to finish fourth. Butler was also a regional qualifier last spring in the long jump and in the 4x100-meter relay.

Junior Cooper Miller competed in last year's state meet in the pole vault, and he's progressed to a 14-6 vaulter who finished as a state runner-up at the indoor meet and as a top five finisher at a national indoor meet in Virginia Beach.

Junior Ethan Lyon qualified for regionals in both the shot put and discus last spring and took sixth at the state indoor meet this winter. Fellow junior Gabe Douce is a middle distance standout who qualified for regionals in three events a year ago.

"Our strengths will be our field events with three indoor state meet placers and our sprinters," RV coach Aric Smith said.

River Valley's Cooper Miller competes in the boys pole vault last year at the Division II track and field state championships at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
River Valley's Cooper Miller competes in the boys pole vault last year at the Division II track and field state championships at Ohio State's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

Marion Harding sprinters Trinity Keith and Caden Jones are a pair of All-Mid Ohio Athletic Conference talents as sprinters, and teammate Kade Sutherland enjoyed a big cross country season and is ready to show his improvement as a distance runner in track. Saxon Sharp and Cameron Rayner in the throws and Juan Ruiz in the sprints are other Presidents to watch.

Pleasant has a larger team than in past seasons with 30 athletes and 16 letter winners. They also have some performers who will look to take the next step in their development.

"Being Division III will give us a better opportunity at qualifying more athletes to the regional and ultimately the state meet," Pleasant coach Rich Nelson said.

Junior Hudson Warner went to regionals in the 110-meter hurdles in D-II last year, and he will be a threat in the long jump as well. Sophomore distance runner Will Lichtenberger is coming off a standout cross country season. Jonah Bowdle, Brookes Nelson and Joey Songer are the team's trio of senior leaders as a large junior class makes up the bulk of the returnees.

Also in the MOAC, Highland has 48 athletes and 16 letter winners back, but the Scots will be led by their distance crew of Hunter Bolton, Corban Benedict, Grath Garee and Joel Roberts who are all three-year letter winners.

"We have some very big shoes to fill with the graduation of Mason Duncan, Jay Melchiori and Caden Holtrey, all regional qualifiers, and three of our top five scorers from last season," Highland coach Eric Myers said.

Marion Harding's Trinity Keith brings home the baton in the boys 4x200-meter relay during the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships inside Harding Stadium last spring.
Marion Harding's Trinity Keith brings home the baton in the boys 4x200-meter relay during the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships inside Harding Stadium last spring.

The most successful track team in the area has been Mount Gilead in recent years as it is coming off another Knox Morrow Athletic Conference title and Division III district championship as well as a regional runner-up trophy performance after sending 13 to state.

Graduation took a lot of those performers, but there are enough remaining in the fold to allow the Indians to go for more trophies. Sophomore distance ace Will Baker, sophomore hurdler Gavan Davis, junior distance runner Parker Bartlett, junior sprinters Quade Harris and Logan High, senior sprinter and long jumper Matthew Bland, senior high jumper and sprinter Owen High and senior distance runner Aaron Gannon all have state meet experience.

The Indians also won the Division III state championship in boys cross country in the fall.

"Putting our student-athletes in the right spot individually for a chance to compete at Jesse Owens Stadium is a goal, but earning team championship hardware at districts and regionals is important to our team. The right combination of unselfishness and team-first mentality will help our boys team continue their season until June," MG coach Lauren Huelsman said.

Northmor has a bigger squad that is uber youthful, but distance runners like junior Ryan Lehman, senior Lucas Weaver and senior Connor Radojcsics are coming off a state cross country berth and looking for similar success on the track.

"Our distance team and field events will need to score points for our team," Northmor coach Kevin Ruhl said. "Our distance guys are athletes who have qualified for the state cross country meet several times now. They are our older athletes and definitely have the most experience."

North Union's Lincoln Harrah, left, runs in the Division II boys 100-meter district race last year at Westerville South.
North Union's Lincoln Harrah, left, runs in the Division II boys 100-meter district race last year at Westerville South.

Like a lot of the teams in the area, North Union has seen a surge of newcomers who have swelled the ranks.

"This is the biggest boys roster we have had since I have been coaching," North Union's Cole Krawczyk said, who is in his fourth season as head coach, "but only time will tell how good this team can be."

Senior sprinter and jumper Lincoln Harrah went to the regionals last spring in the 100 and 200, while senior middle distance runner Trey Bossaller and junior distance runner Tyler Huff were All-Central Buckeye Conference runners.

Elgin's boys were hit hard by graduation, especially with the loss of state runner-up sprinter Cy Starcher. This year the Comets will be guided by their distance crew of seniors' Ethan Marshall, Kolby Wasserbeck and Sage Brewer, by senior thrower Gabe Freshour and by senior hurdler and high jumper Isaac Dillon.

Elgin has 23 athletes this year, but only one junior and two sophomores, so the makeup of the squad is mostly newcomers and final-year athletes.

"We should be in the middle of the pack (of the Northwest Central Conference), but if the young kids come along with our senior experience, we may surprise a few," Elgin coach Jeff Ferrell said.

Ridgedale has three letter winners returning with sprinters' Ashton Fosnaugh, Gage Gleespen and Landon Murphy, but the Rockets are still a squad that numbers just seven.

"Our goals are to keep the team placing in every meet," Ridgedale coach Asch Tilley said.

Cardington's boys track program did not offer any preseason information.

∎ For a capsule look at all the area's boys track teams for 2023, visit MarionStar.com or its app.

rmccurdy@gannett.com

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Pleasant's Hudson Warner competes in the boys long jump during the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships inside Harding Stadium last spring.
Pleasant's Hudson Warner competes in the boys long jump during the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships inside Harding Stadium last spring.

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Boys Track Overview: Individual talents dot landscape