Varsity track teams to be filled out as year goes on

Neither veteran girls' head coach Tracey Bogina nor first-year boys' head coach Jeff Armstrong will use a lot of the athletes they take with them to today's season-opening Labette County track meet at the varsity level.

The season-opening LCHS meet runs both varsity and junior varsity divisions and the lower level is where most of the evaluation will be done. Both coaches said earlier in the week that they would each only use five athletes in the varsity division.

The goal for the teams are long-term: developing the younger kids and see how many of them will be able to contribute by the time the league and regional meets are held.

"In the last few years, we've carried probably about a dozen girls for the league meet," Bogina said Tuesday afternoon. "We keep the young ones on JV and let them get a lot of experience and have some success and figure out what track is about. Then we bring up the girls we feel can contribute on the varsity level at the end of the season."

Armstrong, also Fort Scott's head girls' basketball coach but who also was a standout track athlete during his years as a Tiger, doesn't want to rush any of his JV boys but also says there aren't as many meets to evaluate them. The JV schedule only has five events, the last of which is the Tigers' home meet -- and that's less than a month away.

"The beauty of track is that the 100-yard dash on the JV is the same as the 100-yard dash on varsity," Armstrong said Thursday afternoon. "if their times start looking like times that can compete at the varsity level, then we're going to give them a great look at that spot."

The five girls Bogina will use at the varsity level today are senior Paige Denton and junior Katren Rienbolt in distance running events and juniors Jillian Lattimer, Brianne Lawrence and Ingrid Diaz in throws.

Rienbolt and Denton both qualified for the Class 4A State meet last season. Rienbolt was the Southeast Kansas League champion in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, regional champion in the 1,600 and runner-up in the 3,200, and finished fourth at State in the 1,600 and fifth in the 3,200. Denton placed 12th at State in the 1,600 last season and in 2010 and was 10th in the 3,200 as a sophomore.

Lattimer was the Regional javelin champion last season and third in the SEK in shot put and javelin, and third at Regionals and eighth at State in shot put.

Armstrong has three seniors but two of them are out for track for the first time. Garrett Reynolds will run the 800 and 1,600 meters as will first-year runner Jordan Hervey. First-year senior Austin Sather will run the 200 and 800 meters.

Junior Brendan Blackburn is the only returning athletes with extensive varsity experience and classmate Chris Allen has some varsity experience. They'll both be in throws -- Blackburn in shot and discus, Allen in shot and javelin.

Junior John Hughes also has some varsity experience but is still recovering from an injury he suffered during wrestling season.

Bogina feels she has a good group of sprinters hurdlers that she will bring up though the JV program. They include Maddie Barbour, and Makayla Webb, both back from last season, and freshman Kiera Meadows. She also feels freshman Cassidy Westhoff could become a good hurdler and would be the first one that she's been able to put on varsity in several seasons. She also expects Elisha Haseplaugh to eventually come up in events such s the 400 meters, triple jump and relays.

First-year juniors Garin Sinn and Weston Woodring are among those Armstrong expects to move up from the JV ranks eventually. Sinn has looked good in discus, he said, and could also move up in discus and javelin. Woodring is running middle- and long-distance events.

Armstrong also expects to have a good group of sprinters and from that group to also have good relay teams, even a 4-x-800 team, which is rare in high-school track.

The track teams haven't had as many problems getting practices in during bad weather as other sports. The all-weather track doesn't have to be completely dry to work out. Throwers and jumpers can work out inside on the worst days.

"It's the same scenario for everyone," Bogina says. "I'm not concerned at all about Labette County. We'll continue to work hard every week and look to get better for league and Regionals.

"Ten years ago, I probably would have been freaking out. But now, you can't control it. We can still run on Thursday on an all-weather track and we can throw in some mud and jump in some wet sand."

A few of the girls' athletes and Armstrong himself missed practice time early on as the girls' basketball team made its trip to the State Tournament. Athletes from the boys' basketball team also missed the first week during basketball Sub-State.

Armstrong credited Bogina and veteran assistant coach Kelly Toll with keeping things on track -- no pun intended -- while he and assistant coach Curt Toll were at State with the basketball team.

"We have four new staff members out of six," Armstrong pointed out. "Kelly and Tracey really are the only two returning coaches and there was a lot on their shoulders. Coach (Bo) Graham and coach (Eric) Yoakam are new but coach Yoakam has coached track before, so he had some familiarity. They allowed us to enjoy the end of our basketball season and it was nice to have a staff able to do that for us."

The Southeast Kansas League is down to seven schools after Iola and Columbus left for different leagues over the summer. Since the league meet will continue to score to six places, it gives opportunities to more athletes from the remaining schools to score for their teams.

"We may have someone who runs a 2:10 in the 800," Armstrong says. "We may have to look at him because now he could score for us in SEK. We're going to be flexible as coaches and allow them to try some things.

"We want to be competitive and get back to where Fort Scott is one of the elite teams in this league. We're going to have to be a balanced team and get a lot of points."

The absence of Iola will especially shift the balance of power. During its time in the league, Iola won 11 boys' championships (fourth most behind Coffeyville, Pittsburg and Fort Scott) and a league-record 8 girls' titles (tied with Pittsburg). Columbus, on the other hand, never won a league title in either boys' or girls' track.

"Columbus never brought a lot of numbers," Bogina said. "But they kids they brought were quality kids. They have some very high-quality athletes. And Iola had high quality and high numbers on both sides, boys and girls.

"Iola was a good host for meets. Coach Smith and his staff is very knowledgeable and I learned a lot from those guys. We'll see them at (some) meets, but I'll miss them."

FORT SCOTT HIGH SCHOOL

2013 TRACK

Varsity

Today...........at Labette County, 2 p.m.

April 5..........................at Paola, 3:30

April 12...at Pittsburg State Relays, 3 p.m.

April 16..................at Columbus, 1:30

April 19......FORT SCOTT RELAYS, 3:30

April 26.......................at Girard, 3:30

May 3......................at Chanute, 3:30

May 9...........Southeast Kansas League

Relays at Pittsburg, 3:30

May 17...Class 4A Regional Meet, site TBA

May 24-25............Class 4A State Meet

at Wichita State

Junior Varsity

Today...........at Labette County, 2 p.m.

April 2..................at Pittsburg, 4 p.m.

April 8...................at Chanute, 3 p.m.

April 15......................at Paola, 3 p.m.

April 23...........FORT SCOTT INV., 3:30