Idaho 1A track
Clark Fork Wampus Cats
Coach: Richard Hanna
Top returners: Boys – Clayton Hewitt, senior, throws/relays; Jeremy Belville, junior, middle distances/relays; Nate McChesnie, sr., relays/triple jump; Brian Young, jr., hurdles/relays; Lance Siple, sr., throws. Girls – Cali Candaux, jr., high jump/sprints.
Top newcomers: Boys – Stephen McDaniel, sr., distances; Austin Martin, freshman, hurdles. Girls – Brittany Shane, jr., distances.
Outlook: Hewitt, Belville, McChesnie and Young combined on three medal-winning relays at state – the medley (fourth), 1,600 (fourth) and 800 (fifth). Hanna said the foursome will definitely return in the 1,600, and most of them will run the other relays as well. “They’ve got the kids and they’ve got the facility,” Hanna said on why no North Star League teams can challenge Kootenai’s boys and girls. “That’s a tough combination to beat.”
Coeur d’Alene Charter Panthers
Co-coaches: Chris Sears, Lewis Watkins
Top returners: Boys – Michael Gleixner, sophomore, distances; Julian Lemke, soph., sprints. Girls – Josi Speer, sr., sprints; Kalyn Lovlyn, soph., throws.
Top newcomers: Boys – Mark Weller, fr., middle distances; Cameron Hjeltness, fr., distances. Girls – Heidi Ronnigen, fr., sprints.
Outlook: In its first year fielding a track program last spring, Charter qualified three seniors to state and two earned medals. “That was a pleasant surprise,” Sears said. “It got the kids excited for this year.” Sears reports nearly double the turnout of last year (15). He is sharing head coaching duties with Lewis Watkins, former head coach of the defunct North Idaho College program.
Kootenai Warriors
Coach: Shannon LaFountaine
Top returners: Boys – Adam White, sr., middle distances; Tony Kraack, sr., pv/sprints; Robert Goodson, sr., hurdles/throws; Cameron Lockard, jr., distances; Scott Pankratz, jr., sprints/jumps; Kellen Gustin, soph., throws. Girls – Darcy Collins, jr., hurdles/jumps; Jordan Kincheloe, jr., pv/middle distances; Nikita Amy, jr., throws; Kendra Willms, soph., hj/sprints; Stefanie Blackburn, soph., pv/sprints.
Top newcomers: Boys – David Palmiter, sr., jumps/sprints; Frank Donohoe, fr., sprints/jumps; Patrick McHail, fr., distances. Girls – Hannah Nyrop, fr., sprints; Lynette Andersen, fr., throws.
Outlook: If Kootenai’s girls capture a fourth consecutive state title, there’s no doubt Collins will be in the middle of things. She has won seven state titles in the seven events she’s qualified for the past two years, and she’ll be heavily favored to win for a third time in both the high jump and 300 intermediate hurdles and a second time in the 100 high hurdles. Her other two gold medals came on relays. Amy took second and third in the shot put and discus, respectively, last year, and Kincheloe will be out to improve on fourth in the pole vault. Kootenai’s boys expect to have a handful of state placers.
Lakeside Knights
Coach: Brad Veile
Top returners: Boys – Tim Wolfe, sr., jumps/distances; Keith Sperber, jr., sprints/jumps; Travis Miller, soph., throws. Girls – Wynonna Johnson, jr., jumps/hurdles; Sara Gauthier, soph., sprints/jumps.
Top newcomers: Boys – Mike Hensley, sr., sprints/jumps; Sam Torpey, fr., jumps/middle distances.
Outlook: After not fielding a program for two seasons, Lakeside is offering the sport for a second straight year as 12 boys and six girls turned out. Johnson placed fifth at state in the high jump last year, and Wolfe is the lone returning state qualifier among the boys. Veile is hopeful that the sport is here to stay with just five seniors and a solid turnout in the middle school.
Mullan Tigers
Coach: Dave Rounds
Top returners: Boys – Randy Scales, sr., sprints/relays; Cory Pehan, jr., jumps. Girls – Anali Carrico, sr., sprints; Kathryn Valerio, soph., sprints.
Top newcomers: Boys – Scott Flood, soph., sprints/middle distances; Seth Gray, fr., jumps. Girls – Katie Knapp, fr., sprints; Felicia Rice, jr., hurdles.
Outlook: Carrico will add more state medals to her collection after picking up three in the sprints last year. She placed third in the 400, fourth in the 200 and fifth in the 100. Scales, Pehan and Valerio will challenge for state medals. Under a co-op agreement, Mullan practices with Wallace and is coached by Rounds, Wallace’s head coach.
Post Falls Christian Eagles
Coach: Warren Delcomte
Top returners: Boys – Donald Cansino, sr., sprints; David Park, jr., hurdles/sprints. Girls – Katie Hoye, soph., jumps/sprints.
Top newcomers: Boys – Andrew Danning, soph., shot/sprints. Girls – Sabrina Vick, fr., middle distances.
Outlook: For a second straight year, Post Falls Christian reports the smallest turnout among NSL teams (three boys, three girls). Delcomte suspects that track is getting the short end of the turnout among three spring sports (tennis and golf) at the private school. Park (300 hurdles) and Hoye (long jump) are returning state qualifiers.
Wallace Miners
Coach: Dave Rounds
Top returners: Boys – Nick Caron, soph., sprints/long jump; John Ramirez, jr., sprints/jumps; Rich Ramirez, soph., middle distances. Girls – Shannon Michael, jr., sprints; Lisa Carver, soph., discus/sprints; Amanda Legard, soph., 400/relays; Bryn Cotter, soph., relays/sprints.
Top newcomers: Boys – Tom Norris, fr., sprints/relays; Elliott Philp, soph., sprints/relays.
Outlook: The drop from 2A to 1A this season for the Miners best suits a turnout of nine boys and six girls, Rounds said. “It’s half of what we usually have,” Rounds said. “We’ve never been below 30 until last year (16).”