Coaches, Teams Prepared For League-Wide Experiment

GSL boy’s track

The new experiment begins today when Greater Spokane League track teams open the season.

Competition is nearly three weeks sooner than before, now that the league has split into a divisional setup. At the end of the year the top two teams in each division meet for the league championship.

Third-place teams, fourth-place teams and fifth-place teams will compete for the final league standings.

Some coaches like the new format.

“I like going against one school,” said North Central coach Matt Wakabayashi. “It kind of evens out the teams a bit. And the way they drew the divisions really came out even-Steven.”

The change matters not to Gary Baskett, coach of league power Mead.

“I don’t care,” he said. “It’s kind of an inevitable thing and there’s not much more we can do with it.”

The GSL has expanded to 10 teams with the inclusion of Mt. Spokane, making scheduling difficult. And in two years the league will include East Valley.

Thus the new format. Rogers, Shadle Park and Gonzaga Prep are in Division A. Mead, North Central and Mt. Spokane are in Division B.

Mead remains team to beat

Mead, says Baskett, will be very good.

What do you expect from a team that has won 149 straight dual meets and 12 straight GSL titles? During that time, Mead finished first in state five times and second three others.

Additionally, Baskett is a finalist for National High School Coaches Association track coach of the year.

“We have 12 boys coaches, are two or three deep in every event and will be pretty respectable, especially as a dual meet team,” he said.

The Panthers are loaded in the sprints and field events, including last year’s state runnerup javelin thrower Chris Callahan.

Joe Zelinski, Nate Adams, Chris McCullough, Nick Mangini and Mark Stenersen are all capable of running 11.0 or lower, said their coach.

Seth Normington and hurdler Eric Stutzman will run the longer sprints, Chris Bertholf and Ryan Carpenter both hurdle.

Pole vaulter Zack Cassel has already cleared 14-6 this year. Nick Hale and Seth Knutson back him.

Ossim Hatem is a 55-foot shot putter currently recovering from knee surgery. He’s joined by junior Justin Robbins, already beyond 50 feet.

Discus throwers are Andy Johnston, Jeff Hultquist and Brian Wolverton and Nick Slind.

Behind Callahan in the javelin is a host of guys including Jeff Lochhead, Tom Castillo, Kevin Hughbanks, Joe Amend, Wes Urbat and Stutzman.

McCullough and Stenersen give the team two long jumpers with 22-foot potential. They are joined by John Lindow, Brian Lindberg, Robbie Forbes, Brandon Rickman, Jason House and Zelinski.

Mead’s even distance runners include cross country veterans Chris Deulen, Josh McLellan, Ryan Nash, Matt Utley, Andy Walton, Todd Fayant, Vince Dressel, Joe Ames, Jon Houk and Drew Strait Highlanders remain young Shadle’s boys track team is young on the track, but it’s in the field where coach Ivan Corley expresses concern.

“We lost a lot and that’s where we have questions,” said Corley.

Gone are graduated state placing javelin and triple jumpers which means there is building to do.

Brock Fehler, Brian Swanson, Darin Corte and Chris Ryan are back in the throwing events.

Grant Caldwell, Mike Boston, Tim Rainer and newcomer Eric Singleton will handle the jumping contests.

Josh Schauls is Shadle’s most accomplished pole vaulter.

Things are more settled on the track where athletes turned in lifetime bests or were ahead of last year’s performances during an early-season jamboree.

Veteran hurdlers Adam Peters, Greg Forni and Lindsey Moon keep those events strong.

Anthony Walters, Nick Kimmett and Brian Moon are the Highlander sprinters.

Distance runners include Jeff Klages, Scott Nelson, Rocky Steele, Tyron Lindquist, Eric Wynne and 800 runner Joel Landrus.

“We’ve established ourselves as a team you can’t overlook,” said Corley. “It would be a big accomplishment to say we’re in the championship meet. That’s our goal.”

Distance runners pace Prep

Gonzaga has but nine seniors on its team and seven of them are distance runners who will account for scoring this year.

“We’ll count on running depth from the 400 on up to get points for us,” said coach Tony Maucione.

Veterans Jim Rucker and Rick White are among the league’s best in the long runs.

They’ll be joined by 400 runner Chris Shogan and longer distance athletes Brian Walker, Jim Falkner and Adam Leskis in pacing the Bullpups.

Kelvin Bacon is Prep’s sprinter-long jumper, backed by Tony Valentine, John Saraceno, Nick Agostinelli and Matt Blaine.

Hurdlers are Nick Shrope and Seth Stoner.

Finding field events people is Maucione’s priority. Blaine, Brian Daley, Matt Turner, brother of graduated state champion Ryan, and James Diedesch are pole vaulters.

Blaine, Bacon and Stoner are vertical and horizontal jumpers.

Throwers include Valentine and veteran Ian Brown in the discus.

“We lost numbers in terms of sprints and jumps,” said coach Tony Maucione. “People will have to learn the field events and it will take time.”

NC team makes progress

A larger turnout coupled with some veteran athletes is encouraging for Wakabayashi.

“The guys are making progress,” he said.

Leading the way is wrestling state champion David Sandberg, a state-placing shot putter last year.

“His goal is to break the school record and he really is motivated to be a double state champion,” said Wakabayashi. “He’s got the drive and determination.”

Joining him in the throwing events are brothers Brian and Joel Eschenbacher, Billy Payne, Josh Simpson and Isaac Robinson.

Jeff Peterson and Wes Perez, who also sprint and run distances, will throw the javelin.

Joining Peterson in the sprints are Brian Mack, Ben Johnson, Jake Martin, Jim Lehman, Victor Hines and distance runner David Robinson.

Along with Perez in the distances are Brian Donovan, Ryan Keeny, Ben Clark and Charles Degnan.

Hurdles events are thin. Ty Carter is back, but Rich Bosaaen is in Europe.

Tom Cushman is back in the horizontal jumps, joined by Johnson. Matt Hilson and Mack will high jump. Damon Phillips is the team’s pole vaulter.

Pirates provide excitement

While Rogers doesn’t have requisite dual meet depth, coach Aaron Hansen said they do have individuals who can provide excitement.

Ryan Craig already has run a 9:35 3,200 meters, putting him among the league’s best.

“He has a great chance of being in the top three or four in league,” said Hansen.

Injured during cross country, Craig missed state, but teammate Chris Olinger did qualify and Lerrin Hatch last year set a freshman 800 record.

Shot putter Justin Ulmer is already at 50 feet. Max Devore triple jumped 43 feet last year. New to the team is football standout Mike Dorton, a sprinter-jumper.

Veteran throwers include Adam Lindsey, Chris Plumb, Titas Lucas. Freshman newcomer is Spencer Jackson.

Basketball star Greg Pugh returns in the high jump.

Sprinters include Chris Parrat, Mike Mosher, Pat Johnson and Lucas Anderson.

Hurdlers are vets Brian Safran and Ryan Dravland, joined by Kevin Safran and Jimmy Parrat. Kris Clarke is back in the pole vault.

Coach back at the helm

Mt. Spokane boys track coach Joe Kostecka spent five years as head coach at University High before moving into the Mead School District for family reasons.

Now he’s back coaching and happy to do so.

“I’m just excited to be back in the league and also honored that Duane Hartman is coaching with me,” said Kostecka. “He’s the one who built the whole Mead system.”

Hartman is retired coach of the Community Colleges of Spokane.

It doesn’t hurt that high jumper Casey Clark and state cross country champion Tom Becker head up the turnout.

In their first meet, Clark, Becker and sprinter Josh Wilson were all victorious. Wilson also is a 21-foot long jumper.

Joining Clark and Wilson in the jumps are Jared Adams, Pat Ray, Tim Konek, Lakeside transfer Jay McMahon and Rashad Wood.

McMahon and Chris Nutt hurdle. Other sprinters are Josh Logan, Anthony Hardman, Robert Smith and Troy Bishop.

Smith and Adams pole vault along with Kevin Gaunt.

Along with Becker, Wildcat distance runners include Tim Robinson, Chris Amistoso and Zach Meyers.

Throwers include Cameron Stewart, Jesse Snyder, Brian Perks, Jeff Wyrick and Mike Bafaro.

“(Winning) has been tough at our school, but who knows, we might surprise people,” said Kostecka. “I’m just pumped up. It’s awesome.”

, DataTimes