In a perfect world, Connor Delp punctuates his track and field season in June by bringing four medals home from Indiana University.
All the same, the Center Grove junior would be perfectly content with three.
Delp, who is projected to compete in the maximum four events each meet, is emboldened by the experience he gained last spring in qualifying for regional in all of his specialties and the state finals in two of them.
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He’ll run the 100- and 300-meter hurdles and take part in the Trojans’ 400 and 1,600 relays. The relays made it to state last season, finishing 17th and 16th, respectively. The 400 relay should be particularly formidable this spring, as participants Clay Stambaugh and Brandon Wheat also return.
“We’re going to set the goals high,” Delp said. “I think it will be similar this season in the 400 relay because we graduated only one person, but in the 1,600 relay, I’m the only one returning. I enjoy them both.
“The 1,600 relay … is something else. It’s the last event of the track meet, so we’re all tired. Everyone’s legs are sore. It’s all about who has the most left in the tank. It’s been a lot of work for everyone, but we’re excited.”
No more so than Center Grove track coach Eric Moore, who as the school’s football coach watched Delp amass 1,121 all-purpose yards in four categories (rushing, receiving, kick and punt returns) for a squad that was the Class 6A runner-up in the fall.
“In track, Connor Delp is one of those rare athletes where he could probably compete in seven events,” Moore said. “He’s 100 percent in on everything he does and is an awesome teammate. There’s nothing on the downside to say about him.
“We’ve had a lot of guys here like that, but Connor is a very honorable kid. He is strong and is just a total athlete. He could play any sport at Center Grove. He could do anything.”
Early on, that’s exactly what Delp did. He eventually pared the list to two, proving equally as versatile in both.
“I played everything when I was young, but I always enjoyed football more than anything,” Delp said. “As a sixth-grader, I knew I wanted to run track.”
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Center Grove Trojans
Coach: Eric Moore
Last season: Won Johnson County and Columbus North Sectional titles, second at Warren Central regional, tied for 56th at state meet
Top returnees: Evan Brooks, Jalen Goines, Archit Malik and Nick Wilson, seniors; Connor Delp, Jackson Schott, Clay Stambaugh and Carson Steele, juniors; Jordan Cox, Earl Ridlin and Brandon Wheat, sophomores
Key newcomers: Drew Costellow, Micah Coyle, Ty Garrett, Zach Greller, John Lyon, James Schott and Drew Wheat, freshmen
Outlook: The Trojans’ streak of top-five finishes at the state meet came to an end last spring, but it appears they might soon be poised to return. Moore brings back a core of veteran athletes, and looks forward to gauging the progress of what might be the most promising freshman class in his 23-year tenure.
“I’m very excited about Jalen Goines in the hurdles and Stambaugh and Wheat in the sprints,” Moore said. “Delp will probably be the anchor in two relays. I don’t know if we’ve ever had as many talented freshmen as we do in this group. We have a really good combination of young and old kids in sprints, distance events and field events.”
Edinburgh Lancers
Coach: Amy Schilling
Top returnee: Parker Young, sophomore
Franklin Grizzly Cubs
Coach: Mike Hall
Last season: Sixth at Columbus North Sectional, seventh at Warren Central Regional
Top returnees: Eli Cochrane, David Doan, Kamron Hill, Aaron Loos, Drew Hargis, Wyatt McCullough, Drew McGaha and Will Tucker, seniors; Ethan Pheifer and Conner Seet, juniors; Greg Hueston, Collin Webb and Jacob Wagner, sophomores
Top newcomers: Isaiah Klein, junior; Zion Barnett, sophomore; Noah Stevenson, freshman
Outlook: Franklin’s 4×800 relay should again be strong with three-quarters of last season’s 10th-place state finisher returning in Hargis, McCullough and Pheifer. Hall, now in his 35th season as coach, expects the Grizzly Cubs to be a factor in other areas as well.
“We had an awful lot of injuries last season,” he said. “Most notable of those back is Kamron Hill, who will help us in the sprints and jumps. We also picked up Isaiah Klein and Aaron Loos, who will help us in those events. I think we’re going to have a chance to pick up points we left on the track last season. There is a competitive vibe in our practices.”
Greenwood Woodmen
Coach: Blaine Williams
Last season: Fifth at Columbus North Sectional, 10th at Warren Central Regional
Top returnees: Spencer Aaron, Joey Brazelton and Harry Hardin, seniors; Tanner Allen, Luke Hommell and Noah McCracken, juniors; Allen Small and Conner Watson, sophomores
Key newcomers: LaNard Bolden and Gabe Long, juniors; C.J. Meyer, sophomore; Jordan Bonser, freshman
Outlook: "We really have a fresh slate almost. The top of our lineup from last year is almost gone," Williams said. "Tanner Allen went to the regional (in the 100-meter dash) last year, and I think that experience is going to help him a ton. We have a nice group of throwers and some good distance runners from our cross country team that went to semistate."
Greenwood Christian Cougars
Coach: Sean Branch
Top returnees: Jake Kleingartner and Peyton Slater, seniors; Jonathan Amador, junior
Key newcomers: Cole Boyer and Dominic Scellato, seniors; Max Johnson, junior
Outlook: "Obviously, we’re a Class A school, but we’re excited to have 24 boys out for the team," Branch said. "We don’t have a track at GCA, so we have to be creative with how we practice, but the biggest advantage we have now is having kids compete for the varsity spots. It makes everyone faster, everyone better."
Indian Creek Braves
Coach: Brady Devine
Last season: Eighth at Columbus North sectional.
Top returnees: Avery Schaub, senior; Jackson Fenton, Jordan Gorham, Chris Lister and Ethan Williams, juniors; Aidan Neathery, sophomore
Key newcomers: Connor Fruits, junior; Caden Ringer, sophomore; Dawson Headrick and Ryder Marshall, freshmen
Outlook: "Our strength is our youth and our depth on the distance side," Devine said. "We have only one senior on the team, and he’s a sprinter. It’s definitely a process developing a culture and getting the kids to buy into it."
Whiteland Warriors
Coach: Brandon Bangel
Last season: Third at Columbus North Sectional, sixth at Warren Central Regional
Top returnees: Logan Beers and Jacob Brown, seniors; Dalton DeBaun, Will Jefferson, Ethan Myers and Desmen Singleton, juniors
Key newcomers: Grason Milam, sophomore; Tayton Schakel, freshman
Outlook: Brown and Singleton placed third and fourth, respectively, in the pole vault at sectional last season, and should be counted on to consistently produce points for this Warriors squad.
"Our boys pole vault group should be very good this year. We think both of those guys should be state finalists and could be on the podium," Bangel said. "They know what the expectations are, and I think they can live up to them. We have a good balance from seniors to freshmen. We’re going to score well across 16 events, and that will help us in the conference and county meets."
Whiteland is also counting on Beers in the discus and DeBaun in the long jump to continue the team’s impact in field events. Jefferson, the reigning 12th-place state finisher in the 3,200 meters run, will again be a long-distance force.
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