Boys Track & Field prepares for upcoming season
The HCHS boys track and field team is focused on showing opponents just how good they are in its new season set to get underway March 10 at the IATC Indoor Championships at the Lied Recreation Athletic Center in Ames.
“I’m really excited for the season,” said Cyclones Head Coach Sam Brummer. “When you get a chance to hit the reset button from each year, the prospects of it are big for us. Getting the chance to go out and prove ourselves and prove to other people that we have a really good team is always kind of a fun task to embark on.”
Last season, the Cyclones had a lot of talent on their roster that graduated, but Brummer is excited that a lot of the underclassmen are returning.
“We have kids like Aidan Hall and Wil Neuharth, who both were Drake Relays qualifiers last year in multiple events,” Brummer said. “Then you throw in guys like Jacob Birch, Cade Sears, Brehden Eggerss, Lukas Francis, Will Arkfeld and Jozef Reisz. Then there’s always other kids that step up and move into new roles.”
The Cyclones finished in the top five in multiple events last season, including the Ram Relays on April 4, where they finished fifth and the Sergeant Bluff-Luton meet the following day, finishing in fourth place.
They also took home fourth place in the Council Bluffs Boys Track Invite April 14, the Carroll Invitational April 21 and second place at the 3A-5 State Qualifying Meet at Denison High School May 12. Brummer feels health is key to improving on events this year.
“I think just finishing, whether that’s finishing with health or finishing the races,” he said. “Handoffs are always a huge thing in track and field. The quicker you can move the stick around or not have the stick slowdown, usually goes well for you, so just kind of keeping that process going. I think we have a pretty good foundation and a lot of that helps with returners that kind of know what to expect in terms of practice and how we do handoffs with technique or things of that nature.”
Some new faces will be joining the team this season, including some freshman that are new to high school track and field, but not strangers to the sports.
“We have a decent contingent of freshman,” Brummer said. “I think we have about seven or eight out and they have varying levels of experience from middle school and maybe ran some things in middle school that we won’t need them to run in high school this year, so we’re kind of trying to transition and find some hurdlers and distance runners. They’ve been really receptive to that. I think a lot of them just want that varsity experience.”
Junior Franz Reisz will be returning to the team after missing last season due to a torn ACL from basketball.