Hays High track high in numbers, young talent
By NICK McQUEEN
Hays Daily News
In his first season as head track & field coach at Hays High School, Rick Blosser admits he has a few names to learn. The Hays High graduate and former coach at Council Grove has spent the last few weeks getting to know the ins and outs of an already established system that has proved successful for the Indians in the past. He's also had a chance to see a wide variety of athletes and take a look at what each brings to the table.
"The coaching staff here is go great, and I really haven't come in and changed anything," Blosser said. "We've just come in and rolled with what's always been done, so we'll just work hard and get better. Things have been going well."
As far as the Indian athletes are concerned, Blosser and staff will have a more accurate evaluation after Saturday's competition in the Alex Francis Classic/Fort Hays Invitational.
The College / High School event gets underway at 10 a.m. with the college field events. The first high school event is the 3,200-meter run at 11 a.m. at Lewis Field Stadium.
"We're excited about the potential we have," Blosser said. "Our kids have been doing well, and we'll be able to answer a lot of those questions after Saturday's meet.
"We'll find out where kids are sitting."
The unlimited entry allotment in the Fort Hays meet should provide a good indicator. With 82 athletes on the roster, and several vying for spots in certain events, the Indians will begin the process of filling limited varsity spots for the rest of the season.
"The nice thing about this meet is we'll be able to see times on everybody,"¬ Blosser said. "After this, we'll have a good idea of where we're at."
For now, Blosser is sticking with the usual suspects in terms of success in Hays High track & field, tossing out names like Solomon Jackson, Brogan Miller, and Kristen Fleharty, just to name a few.
The trio of seniors are three of 14 returning state qualifiers from last season.
On the boys' side, Miller and Jackson have been the go-toguys in terms of leadership. Miller qualified for state last season on two relay teams, the 1,600 and the 3,200. Jackson went to state in four events, running a leg of the 1,600 relay and individually in the 100, 400 and 200 meters.
"Brogan Miller is kind of leader of the pack when it comes to working the pack, along with Sol Jackson," Blosser said. "Those two guys are going to be awful tough to beat this year."
On the boys' side, particularly, the Indians will be deep in the mid-distance events and in the throws -- as always. In Saturday's meet, the Indians will run two 1,600 relay teams and two 3,200 relay teams, along with eight individuals in the 800 meters.
"It's still early. We've got a lot of kids working so hard," Blosser said. "We're a fairly young team."
Out of those, sophomore Josh Munsch leads the pack as a returning state qualifier in both the 800 and 1,600 relay as a freshman.
On the girls' side, Fleharty returns in the hurdling events, where she qualified last season, along with running legs of both the 400 and 1,600 relay, which also qualified. Fleharty is one of several talented runners on the girls' side, a group that consists of several young athletes competing for varsity spots, Blosser said.
In the 1,600 relay, Fleharty will run along side, junior Raena Sander, sophomore Samantha Hardwick, and sophomore Ashli Dryden. Saturday, the Indians will also run a freshman 1,600 relay team in Bailey Zimmerman, Sheradin Fabrizius, Megan Draper, and Taylor Stewart.
"We've really got a solid group of freshmen and sophomore girls," Blosser said.
While Saturday's meet will be about placing some separation in those thick events, the Indians will see competition from quality opponents. Hutchinson, Great Bend, McCook, Neb., Thomas More Prep-Marian, Scott City, Quivira Heights, Ness City, and Victoria round out the competing teams for the high school portion. Last season, the high school portion was cancelled due to weather.
After that, the Indian varsity will compete at Kearney, Neb. on Thursday.
Assistant sports editor Nick McQueen can be reached at (785) 628-1081, Ext. 128 or by e-mail at nmcqueen@dailynews.net