Can Grizzlies stage a repeat?
Boys track squad lost a lot from last year’s surprising group
Wadsworth’s boys track team has no shortage of athletes for the 2017 season. Photo by GLEN RUTHERFORD/Glen Rutherford Photography
By surpassing all expectations last season, Wadsworth’s boys track team now has raised the bar and with its expectations. It’s unfair to expect a repeat performance, though, to be fair, the performance last year was unexpected.
The Grizzlies started by winning the first Suburban League National Conference championship, then won the Brunswick Division I District, and were second at the Amherst Regional. They capped the spring by tying for 10th in the state.
Then came graduation. Among those walking from the track program were three-event state qualifier Matt Blamble, and three other state qualifiers, including Danny Malkowski, who placed fourth in the pole vault.
Wadsworth has plenty left in the tank, though. Junior Gabe Szalay was a four-time regional qualifier and Nick Miller made it in three. The two will be back in the 4x800 this year, too, an event the Grizzlies finished fourth in at the state meet. Senior Matt Galek, another 4x800 member, also returns.
There is no heir apparent to Blamble or Malkowski, but the Grizzlies have plenty of hopefuls throughout the lineup.
“We have a group of athletes who are passionate about the sport of track and field and who love to compete,” Wadsworth coach Chris Beery said. “We do not have the depth and experience that we had last spring. We will be a much younger, less experienced team this year, but we have shown a lot of potential throughout the indoor season and in early workouts. We need to develop depth quickly in order to have a well-rounded team.”
Galek leads a group of seniors that includes Alex Jones (sprints), Kyle Hibinger, Joe Pavlak (pole vault), Brandon Henderson (throws), Justin Bunday (throws) and Jared Rogers (sprints).
Miller and Szalay highlight a junior class the features Andrew Robinson (sprints), Lucas Mills (sprints, jumps), Josiah Sovine (sprints), Mitchell Blackburn (hurdles), Derek Kraft (hurdles), and Joe Fernholz (throws).
The sophomore class is fairly deep and includes sophomores Kai Wagner (sprints), Owen Porpora (distance), Benji House (distance), Jacob Atlas (pole vault), Sam Brown (distance), Gabe Currens (hurdles), Noah Alic (sprints), Ryan Salzberger (sprints), and Dominic Hamilton (throws), among others.
Matthew Flaker (distance), Tim Bergan (jumps), Jacob Russell (hurdles), Zachary Kidd (sprints) and Cole Lamp (throws) are part of a freshman class that will be heard from at some point.
“We have the athletes to be a championship-caliber team, and we look forward to the challenge of continuing the Wadsworth track program’s tradition of success,” Beery said.
The Grizzlies finished 12th out of 23 teams in the GlenOak Invitational last weekend. The meet featured several state powerhouse teams and drew from all over the state. Earlier, they finished third in the 15-team Marilyn West Invitational at Collinwood.
Defending the SL National will be Wadsworth’s first order of business. That won’t be easy. The conference is full of tradition-rich groups.
“At the 2016 Division I State Meet, the SL National Division had three of the top nine sprinters in the 100-meter dash and three of the top nine runners in the 1,600 meters,” Beery said. “This shows the balance, depth and talent in our league. Nordonia and Hudson tied for Suburban League Runner-up in 2016 and return the majority of their teams for 2017. They should be considered the two favorites to win the league.”
The Grizzlies started by winning the first Suburban League National Conference championship, then won the Brunswick Division I District, and were second at the Amherst Regional. They capped the spring by tying for 10th in the state.
Then came graduation. Among those walking from the track program were three-event state qualifier Matt Blamble, and three other state qualifiers, including Danny Malkowski, who placed fourth in the pole vault.
Wadsworth has plenty left in the tank, though. Junior Gabe Szalay was a four-time regional qualifier and Nick Miller made it in three. The two will be back in the 4x800 this year, too, an event the Grizzlies finished fourth in at the state meet. Senior Matt Galek, another 4x800 member, also returns.
There is no heir apparent to Blamble or Malkowski, but the Grizzlies have plenty of hopefuls throughout the lineup.
“We have a group of athletes who are passionate about the sport of track and field and who love to compete,” Wadsworth coach Chris Beery said. “We do not have the depth and experience that we had last spring. We will be a much younger, less experienced team this year, but we have shown a lot of potential throughout the indoor season and in early workouts. We need to develop depth quickly in order to have a well-rounded team.”
Galek leads a group of seniors that includes Alex Jones (sprints), Kyle Hibinger, Joe Pavlak (pole vault), Brandon Henderson (throws), Justin Bunday (throws) and Jared Rogers (sprints).
Miller and Szalay highlight a junior class the features Andrew Robinson (sprints), Lucas Mills (sprints, jumps), Josiah Sovine (sprints), Mitchell Blackburn (hurdles), Derek Kraft (hurdles), and Joe Fernholz (throws).
The sophomore class is fairly deep and includes sophomores Kai Wagner (sprints), Owen Porpora (distance), Benji House (distance), Jacob Atlas (pole vault), Sam Brown (distance), Gabe Currens (hurdles), Noah Alic (sprints), Ryan Salzberger (sprints), and Dominic Hamilton (throws), among others.
Matthew Flaker (distance), Tim Bergan (jumps), Jacob Russell (hurdles), Zachary Kidd (sprints) and Cole Lamp (throws) are part of a freshman class that will be heard from at some point.
“We have the athletes to be a championship-caliber team, and we look forward to the challenge of continuing the Wadsworth track program’s tradition of success,” Beery said.
The Grizzlies finished 12th out of 23 teams in the GlenOak Invitational last weekend. The meet featured several state powerhouse teams and drew from all over the state. Earlier, they finished third in the 15-team Marilyn West Invitational at Collinwood.
Defending the SL National will be Wadsworth’s first order of business. That won’t be easy. The conference is full of tradition-rich groups.
“At the 2016 Division I State Meet, the SL National Division had three of the top nine sprinters in the 100-meter dash and three of the top nine runners in the 1,600 meters,” Beery said. “This shows the balance, depth and talent in our league. Nordonia and Hudson tied for Suburban League Runner-up in 2016 and return the majority of their teams for 2017. They should be considered the two favorites to win the league.”