Prep track: Moose boys show strength in different areas

May 1, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

PALMER - When it comes to overall team success in track and field, it's all about balance.

Teams can't rely on just studs in the sprints, giants in the jumps or titans in the throwing events. Programs must have a little bit of everything.

The Palmer Moose boys track and field squad won the Palmer Relays on Saturday thanks to that balance.

&#8220We're really pretty balanced,” Palmer coach Dale Ewart said. &#8220In the past we've had two or three components, now we have all the components.”

The Moose showed that depth and balance by registering wins in several different areas of competition - the sprints, middle distance, distance and throwing events - en route to earning the team title.

Palmer's 400-meter relay team - Devin Konkler, Tremain Benton, John Daly and Chris Forkner - won, as did it's 1,600-meter sprint medley team, junior Jake Parisien in the 5,000-meter and senior Nate Svedin in the discus.

The Moose scored 80 total points in the overall standings, well ahead of second-place Colony.

Two weeks ago Palmer finished second to Kenai in the traditionally tough Skyview Invitational. The Kards used a win in the final event of the day to edge Palmer by four points in the team standings.

Ewart said the Palmer coaching staff had some high expectations for the program.

&#8220We thought we had a pretty good chance of being pretty strong,” Ewart said. &#8220We definitely have a strong group of sprinters, and the mid-distance and long distance (runners) are starting to come on.”

Ewart said the only real need to is to find another jumper or two.

&#8220If we do that, we'll have a fairly strong team for the regional meet,” Ewart said.

Palmer's sprinters have been particularly strong this season.

The Moose posted the three top times in the 200 at the Skyview Invite. Daly won the event, with a time 23.47 seconds. Konkler (23.56) and Benton (23.93) were close behind.

Daly is making an immediate impact for the Moose, even though he is just a freshman. Ewart said as an eighth grader, Daly was scoring times comparable to good high school numbers.

&#8220He's definitely a pretty gifted kid,” Ewart said.

Parisien is leading the Palmer distance runners. The junior scored a win in the 3,200 at the Skyview Invite, and was second in the 1,600. He followed those marks with a win in the 5,000 at the Palmer Relays on Saturday.

&#8220It's nice to have Jake back. He's starting to post some good numbers,” Ewart said. &#8220I look for some really good things out of him.”

Among the most improved runners, Ewart said, is Kevin Smith.

&#8220His times have improved immensely from last year,” Ewart said. &#8220Right away we noticed a big change in him.”

The local track squads now have less than a month left in the 2007 season. The five prep programs are a little spread out this week. Palmer travels north to compete in the Lathrop Invitational - a meet that will feature mainly teams from the Interior. Colony is at Kenai, while Wasilla is at Homer. Houston is making the trip to Talkeetna to participate in the Susitna Valley Invitational.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.