Warrior girls aim to defend state track title

MAT-SU — The post-Morgan Dampier era for Wasilla High girls track and field begins the same as any season for the two-time defending state champions. That’s the message head coach Nathan Ford is preaching in a young 2013 season that shows plenty of promise for the Warriors.

“It’s going to be hard to replace Morgan, and that’s what everybody’s asking — how are you going to replace those points,” Ford said.

Those would be the 38 points Dampier, now running for Division I Sacramento State University, scored for the Warrior girls in last season’s state title run. She won the 200-meter dash, 400- and 800-meter runs, and placed second in the 100.

Trying to replace Dampier isn’t a good strategy, Ford said, adding he’s excited about a strong group of athletes who all have potential to qualify for state and score points.

“You only compete to win, so we’re definitely looking for a region title here,” he said. “We’re a few points out of that (right now) until we get everything dialed in. … You know what? We always shoot for the top teams, and historically, state champs have always been Dimond in the past, so everybody’s looking for Wasilla and Dimond, and hopefully it’s the same this year. We like to think we can continue to compete for that.”

Dampier may be gone, but Ford is pleased with a strong group of returning athletes, including senior leadership from distance runner Jenna Ford and hurdler Alysha Devine. Add talented sophomore Peggy Mathis and Danika Ingersoll in the sprints and jumps, and Ford said he’s pleased with the level of diversity for the Wasilla girls.

Mathis “is probably going to be one to score some points, and maybe she can spread out and maybe do an 800 this year,” he said.

Ingersoll looks to be strong in the jumps and will contribute to relays.

“She’ll jump in, like, the 4x4 relay and stuff like that,” he said. “We’re trying to get people into positions where hopefully we can score some points.”

One of the biggest challenges isn’t replacing talent, it’s finding adequate space and locations to practice, Ford said. Wasilla is on schedule to have a new artificial turf football field and track installed, but for now doesn’t have a track to practice on. Add the late winter surge, and Mother Nature has thrown another monkey wrench in local training.

“With the problems we have with facilities, we haven’t been able to get (Mathis) to run an accurate 400 or 800, so she’ll do her distance days outside and do some sprint work, but for running a 100, 200, 400, 800 — we don’t have anything that can do that. We tried the parking lot, but that doesn’t work as well.”

While the Wasilla girls are poised to defend their state title, there’s ample room for optimism at Colony High, head coach Mark Strabel said. And as Dampier was the spark for Wasilla last season, Audrey Michaelson promises to be the star for the Knights.

The senior returns as the two-time defending state champion in the 3,200 and the 2012 champion in the 1,600.

That experience and leadership will be invaluable for the 2013 Knights, Strabel said.

“We’re working with her and making sure she can repeat on her state championships last year in the 1,600 and 3,200,” he said. “We have a good crew all-around this year.”

That crew includes senior McKenzie Thompson, who is expected to run the mile, two-mile 800 and 3,200 relay; Natalie Lautrup, a junior hurdler who qualified for state last season in both the 100 and 300 hurdles; and a promising freshman in Chase Stevens, who “continues to surprise us,” Strabel said.

“In the Big C (Invitational), she was sixth overall in the 100-meter dash,” Strabel said of Stevens. “And as a freshman, that’s huge. Her potential is limitless right now. She’s so raw, and every time she runs she shocks us all. Every time she surprises us. We’re trying her out in a lot of different events to figure out what her best events will be.”

The high expectations for Colony don’t end with the girls, the coach said. He believes the Knights also have a strong boys team.

Senior jumper Jordan Black is back and recently posted a season state-best triple jump of 40 feet, 7.25 inches.

And a thrown-together 1,600 relay team shows great promise, Strabel said. The team of Kenneth McCoy, Darien Sinnet, Boaz Sessom and Daniel Bilafer posted a season state best time of 3:33:50 at the Big Cs to start the season.

“That was one of those relay teams you put together and say they should be alright,” the coach said. “Then, a couple of them come out of nowhere and you’re, like, holy moley, where’d that come from?”

One of those coming out of nowhere is Sinnet, a senior who hadn’t run track before this season. He has promise in the 400, 800 and distance relay teams, Strabel said.

“Both the boys and the girls squads this year, we’ve got to be looking at making a run at state and how to maximize our points and give Wasilla a run for their money,” Strabel said. “This season, once we started practice, we thought, ‘Hey, we’ve got something here. Let’s see how good this can be.’”

Cross-town rival Palmer High may not have the depth or senior experience of Colony or Wasilla, but coaches Francine Lombard and Tim Popowski said the Moose have a lot of potential with their youth.

“We’re a small team this year, but we have a lot of potential,” Lombard said.

Leading the way is senior Taylor Blake, who placed fourth in the shot put in last year’s state meet and has already posted the top put so far this season at 39 feet, 1 inch.

Having just finished basketball season, Blake “came in here in great shape,” Lombard said. “I think she can go back to state and her goal is to compete for the state record this year.”

Blake has that potential, Popowski said.

“Taylor wants to compete really well at state,” he said. “I think that’s something she wants, but we’ll definitely take it meet by meet. She’s got a ways to go before she gets there.”

Blake is joined by Sammy Buresh and freshman Leyla DePriest, who is an intriguing athlete, Popowski said.

“She’s got a lot of potential,” he said of DePriest in the shot put. “She’s already improved a couple of feet.”

Keeping with the theme of strong weight events, on the boys side senior Hayden Niekamp also has a goal of not only qualifying for state in the shot put, but “to get there and compete really well,” he said.

Young Moose to watch includes Kohei Wantenabe, a high jumper who recorded a leap of 5 feet, 8 inches in his first meet, Lombard said.

“He’s doing really well, and his twin brother (Shoya) are both doing the hurdles,” she said. “One’s doing the 110 hurdles, the other’s doing the 300 hurdles. I look for them both to do very well this year.”

This season also didn’t start the way it has for the last two decades at Palmer. The school’s new regulation track hasn’t been built yet, which means the Moose couldn’t host the Palmer Relays this year.

“This is the first time I won’t be hosting a meet — the first time in 20 years,” Lombard said. “To not have Palmer Relays is a pretty sad thing, but we can bring it back bigger and better than ever, I hope.”

Across the Valley at Houston High School, going smaller is the ticket for a renewed enthusiasm for track and field, head coach Pat Egelus said. That’s because the Hawks have moved down from competing in class 4A to class 3A with schools of similar enrollment.

“We’re looking good,” he said. “It’s going to be nice going to 3A. We keep them all healthy, I think we have a good shot at getting to state and scoring some at state.”

Changing to 3A has been a shot in the arm for Houston, he said. “It’s great. With all the sports, it’s changed the whole outlook of the school and improved school spirit.”

For the Houston boys, Egelus is encouraged by the ability of senior Charlie Buzby in the sprints and relays.

“We’re looking at a minimum of a top-3 finish (at state) for him,” Egelus said.

Ben Bayne, another senior, is strong in the hurdles and short relays, and “he should be looking at trying to get a state championship in the 300 high hurdles and the 110 (hurdles),” the coach said.

A new face on the track, but familiar to Houston fans, is Matt Barron, a junior who hasn’t competed in track and field since eighth grade.

“He hasn’t done track since eighth grade and we went down to The Dome and he rant the 800 and a relay and ran a 2:08:00 split, which is promising. He also did the high jump and jumped 5-8 his first time,” Egelus said. “That was amazing, because we don’t really have any facility for (practicing) the high jump.”

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.