Making it to the Warren Central boys track regional last season exposed Nick Young to a higher level of postseason competition.
Young, a Greenwood senior responsible for scoring points for the Woodmen in the shot put and discus, hopes to add yet another week on to his final high school season.
“Last year was my first regional. It was a good experience going against awesome throwers like (Ryder) Emberton and (Noah) Maness on a big stage,” Young said. “I missed making state (in discus) last year by nine inches, so getting there is extremely important. I’m extremely motivated.”
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryEmberton of Whiteland and Indian Creek’s Maness both graduated, leaving Young to vie for the top spot at local meets this season.
“Maybe not the No. 1 guy, but Nick is one of the top guys in the area for sure,” Greenwood coach Blaine Williams said. “He’s definitely put in the work to be that guy, and he wants to be that guy badly.
“I don’t know if I’ve coached many throwers who want to be as good as he does.”
Young worked on his strength and technique in the offseason, training regularly in Fishers under the tutelage of Tyler Miller, a former thrower at Purdue.
By the time the Warriors’ outdoor season begins in a dual meet at New Palestine on April 3, he hopes to be throwing the shot put 50 feet and the discus in the neighborhood of 170 to 180 feet.
His second-place discus toss at last year’s Columbus North Sectional traveled 151 feet, 1 inch. Young placed ninth in the shot put with a best of 45-5½.
Williams feels Young’s ability in the shot put rivals what he can do in discus competitions.
“Nick’s strength has always been the discus, but he has improved a lot in the shot put this winter,” he said. “Even during football season he would go throw at least one night a week. He’s making sure that he’s improving in both.”
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Center Grove Trojans
Coach: Eric Moore
Last year: County and Columbus North Sectional champion, fourth in MIC; second at Warren Central Regional, tied for fifth in state
Who’s back: Matt Fleener, Steven Mills and Connor Walsh, seniors; Sam Hohlt, Jacob Keith, Gavin Matheson, Lucas Roehling and Ben Siefert, juniors; Archit Malik and Nick Wilson, sophomores
Who’s gone: Logan Bontrager, Tyler Boyer, Austin Daming, Christian Goines, Trevor Hohlt, Zane Libke, Grant Mason, Titus McCoy, Travis Roehling, Adam Russell, Russ Yeast
Key newcomers: Jaylen Goines, sophomore; Conner Delp, Gabe Long, Clay Stanbaugh and Carson Steele, freshmen
Outlook: Fleener is primed to emerge as one of the state’s best in the 400 and is a mainstay of the 4×400 relay. Mills and Hohlt are other key holdovers as coach Moore works to build the Trojans into a top-10 contender by the state meet on June 2. This means taking sophomores and unproven freshmen to fill the spots left behind by the many key performers who graduated.
Moore says: “This is not a team that can win state, but what’s really surprised me are our freshmen. Clay Stanbaugh and Conner Delp have been very impressive so far.”
Edinburgh Lancers
Coach: Ashley Myers
Who’s back: Isaiah Estes
Who’s gone: Addison Lollar
Outlook: As was the case in cross-country season, Estes is the lone Lancer, though that could change should more athletes come out for track following spring break.
Myers says: “The beauty of track is you don’t have to win meets to feel that sense of accomplishment. I think Isaiah has learned to push himself on his own.”
Franklin Grizzly Cubs
Coach: Mike Hall
Last year: Mid-State Conference champion, second in county; fourth at Columbus North Sectional, ninth at Warren Central regional
Who’s back: Josh Campbell, Manny Cheam, Tyler Fromer and Nick Riggles, seniors; Andrew Bixler, Matt Frazier, Isaiah Lindsay and David Purdy, juniors
Who’s gone: Sam Barnett, Cole Bellmore, James Jones, Chandler McGaha, Travis Murr, Payton Utterback
Key newcomers: Clayton Coll and Alex Dokmanovich, juniors; Anthony McDonald, freshman
Outlook: The reigning Mid-State champions should be factors again. Fromer placed fourth in the 400 at the Columbus North Sectional, while Campbell and Bixler should be among county’s best distance specialists. Riggles excels in the hurdles events, and newcomer Coll could be utilized in any number of events.
Hall says: “We’ve got a nice nucleus of returning athletes in the distance area. Plus, we have some newcomers, mostly from football, who decided to participate in track for something to do in the spring.”
Greenwood Woodmen
Coach: Blaine Williams
Last year: Fourth in county and Mid-State Conference; fifth at Columbus North Sectional, 12th at Warren Central Regional
Who’s back: Brandon Albin, Justin Johnson, Ethan Pine, Conner Terhune and Nick Young, seniors; Lex Logan and Nick Patton, juniors
Who’s gone: Ryder Burchett, Lucas Oskins
Key newcomers: Tanner Allen and Noah McCracken, freshmen
Outlook: Pine returns for his final season after placing 21st at the state meet in the 1,600. Young and Patton should be among the area’s best in the shot put/discus and hurdles, respectively.
Williams says: “Ethan and Nick are the two main guys on the track and Nick Young in the field. I think Justin Johnson is going to have a solid year for us in the hurdles.”
Greenwood Christian Cougars
Coach: Sean Branch
Last year: 10th at Columbus North Sectional
Who’s back: Zane Stout, junior; Peyton Slater, sophomore
Who’s gone: Grant Slater, Daniel Witte
Key newcomers: Jackson Miller and Grant Stoops, juniors; Jake Kleingartner, Wil Tearman and Luke Walters, sophomores; Andrew Cruse, freshman
Branch says: “We have a wide variety of skills. Athletes who have done this for years and athletes who literally are literally in their first sport ever. Our goal is to support each other, score as many points as possible and get an individual or relay out of the sectional.”
Indian Creek Braves
Coach: Jake Taft
Last year: Sixth at Columbus North Sectional
Who’s back: Nick Parsley and Peyton Sisson, seniors; Nate Decker and Bryce Smith, juniors
Who’s gone: Tim Abel, Sean Bowman, Jaylin Brown, Noah Maness
Key newcomers: Zeke Davidson and Alex Tran, seniors; Avery Welch, junior; Avery Schaub, sophomore
Outlook: With 33 athletes out for track, first-year coach Taft is excited to see what the Braves can accomplish in terms of performance and depth. Having Welch, a sprinter, on the roster is key, as is the return of Decker in the distance events.
Taft says: “We’re hoping that we can climb up in our conference, so we’re trying to make some noise there. Come the postseason we’ll be trying to push some athletes through to regional.”
Whiteland Warriors
Coach: Brandon Bangel
Last year: Third in county and Mid-State Conference; fifth at Warren Central Regional, tied for 18th at state meet
Who’s back: Joe Leistner and David Ryan, seniors
Who’s gone: Jacob Ballain, Ryder Emberton
Key newcomers: Preston Phillips, senior; Dalton Debaun and Will Jefferson, freshmen
Outlook: Graduating four-year starters Ballain and Emberton hurts the Warriors in terms of point production in the field events, which means the team must focus in other areas.
Bangel says: “I don’t think we have a bunch of first-place guys, but we have enough pieces and enough depth to still be really competitive.”
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