BCR Boys Track & Field Preview

A breakdown of all the boys track and field teams in the area.

Princeton

Coach: Dan Foes

Top returners: Keegan Fogarty, Sr. (sprints); Drew Harp, Sr. (sprints/shot); Teegan Davis, Jr. (LJ/HJ/sprints); Ethan Thompson, Sr. (sprints); Mack Williams, Sr. (200).

Key newcomers: Connor Hickey, Jr. (sprints), Gabe Jackson, Sr. (sprints/hurdles), Ian Morris, Fr. (throws), Cade Odell, Fr. (throws), Ethan Wallace, Jr. (sprints), Bennett Williams, So. (throws).

Worthy of note: Numbers are down in the Tigers camp this year with 11 upperclassmen (5 seniors, 6 juniors) and just six underclassmen. But coach Dan Foes is quick to say, “We still have a lot of great talent.” ... Team strengths will be the sprints and jumps, led by Fogarty, Davis, Thompson and Harp. Fogarty is a returning state medalist in the 200m and 4x200 and state finalist in the 100m and 4x100. He qualified for the indoor state in the 60m (second) and 200 (fifth). Foes said Harp is an unique talent with a combination of size and speed, competing in the shot and sprint relays. Harp and Thompson (LJ) are returning state medalists in the 4x200 and also ran on the state 4x100. Davis was a 2A state medalist in the high jump and state finalist in the long jump and is coming off a first-place indoor state crown in the high jump. He also is a valuable member of the sprints and sprint relays. ... The Tigers will also be strong in the throws with a young crew led by sophomores Jack May, Payne Miller and Bennett Williams and freshmen Odell and Morris joining Harp. ... As for the other areas of the team, Foes said, “We will have to see how everything develops.” ... Junior Chris Yepsen heads up the distance crew looking to build off a strong cross country season. Senior Gabe Jackson returns to the team in sprints/hurdles after a couple years off. ... Rounding out the roster are juniors Gabe Glass (hurdles), Chris Ossola (distance) and sophomore Andrew Peacock (PV, TJ, sprints).

St. Bede

Coach: Marty Makransky.

Key returnees: Duncan Lawler, Sr. (jumps); Anton Cain, Sr. (sprints); Tyrke Fortney, Sr. (sprints/jumps); Josh Grob, Sr. (sprints); Henry Orteza, Sr. (distance); Tom Makransky, Jr. (jumps/PV/mid-distance).

Key newcomers: Rylan Heersink, Sr. (throws); Ethan Sramek, Sr. (sprints); Miguel Jones, Sr. (distance); Stephen Shaver, Sr. (mid-distance); Ryan Migliorini, Jr. (throws).

Worth noting: The Bruins will rely on a large group of seniors. “I’m excited about that,” Marty Makransky said. “Seniors are a little easier to get to be conditioned.” Leading the way are Lawler and Fortney. Lawler is a two-time state qualifier in the high jump and has cleared 6-4 indoors. “I’m expecting big things out of Duncan,” Makransky said. “He has a real good work ethic, he’s really technical and real critical of himself. I expect him to do very well this year.” Fortney, when he’s not playing baseball, will run the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes and relays and may also compete in the long jump. “Ty could do whatever he wanted,” Makransky said. “If he can stay healthy and we can get him on the track at the right time, there’s no doubt he’ll be good enough to run at state.” Fortney won the 60 and 200 at the indoor state meet. Sramek and Shaver missed large portions of last season due to injuries, but will make an impact if they stay healthy. Tom Makransky is adding triple jump this season and also will be the Bruins’ first pole vaulter in many years.

Hall

Coach: Rob Malerk.

Key returnees: Zack Bosi, Sr. (jumps/sprints/relays); Tanner Englehaupt, Sr. (jumps/hurdles/ relays); Caleb Savitch, Sr. (PV/sprints); Caleb Bickett, So. (400/relays).

Key newcomers: Ryan Bosi, Fr. (sprints/jumps/relays), Rylan Kerper, Sr. (throws), Gianmario Nugnes, Sr. (400/relays)

Worth noting: Savitch qualified for state in the pole vault last spring, while Zack Bosi narrowly missed a trip to Charleston in the triple jump. “Caleb made it to state last year and is ready to return,” Malerk said. “Zack missed state last year by a few inches, which motivated him to work hard during the offseason to make it to state this year.” Savitch also will run in sprint relays, while Zack Bosi will also compete in the long jump, sprints and sprint relays. Englehaupt and Bickett are other returnees who could make an impact, while newcomers Ryan Bosi, Kerper and Nugnes will play key roles as well. “A strength of our team is we are a close-knit team and very supportive of each other,” Malerk said. “The goals and expectations this year are to work hard during practice to be competitive at every meet and to have fun.” ... Rounding out the Red Devils’ roster are senior Luis Reyes (sprints/relays), sophomores Anthony Fiocchi (sprints/LJ/relays), Leo Lopez (sprints/discus), Jacob Moore (sprints/LJ) and Gage Szymovicz (distance) and freshmen Eri Martinez (400/distance) and Anthony Reeser (throws). ... There are no juniors out this year.

Bureau Valley

Coach: Dan DeVenney.

Key returnees: Evan Entas, So. (sprints/relays); Elijah House, Jr. (distance); Ben Roth, Jr. (distance); Beau Spencer, Jr. (sprints/relays); Eli Attig, So. (sprints/relays).

Key newcomers: Mason Goosens, Jr. (sprints).

Worth noting: The Storm are in an interesting position with no seniors on the roster this year. Only Attig, Entas, House, Ben Roth, Beau Spencer return from last year’s team. All the others are first-year kids, though Goossens went out his freshman year, but that got cut short because of COVID. “I’m extremely pleased with how the four juniors have stepped up into a leadership role,” DeVenney said. “This young team has shown a willingness to take on all the challenges that have been placed in front of them. They are growing up very quickly. We’ve had a successful indoor season, and they now know what it’s going to take to compete in our competitive conference. I have no doubt that they are going to be turning some heads as we progress through the season.” ... Goosens qualified for the Illinois Prep Top Times Meet, placing 25th in the 60. House is coming off a strong cross country season in which he qualified for the state meet. In the indoor season, he missed the Prep Top Times Meet in the 800 meters by a tenth of a second. He also ran a sub-five minute mile indoors at 4:58.66. ... Rounding out the Storm squad are sophomores Jonathan Davis (sprints/jumps), Jon Dybak (throws), Max Horner (hurdles, PV) Aiden Morris (throws) and Brock Shane (sprints/jumps) and freshmen Landon Hulsing (throws/jumps), Rhiley Pinter (sprints/relays), Cameron Stodghill (distance) and Ryan Wasilewski (sprints/jumps).

Amboy co-op

Coach: Jeramey Wittenauer.

Key returnees: Brock Loftus, Sr. (distance); Wyatt Lundquist, Sr. (mid-distance); Kyler McNinch, Jr. (mid-distance/distance).

Key newcomers: Ian Sundberg, So. (throws); Kelton Schwamberger, Jr. (sprints/mid-distance); Zane Murphy, Jr., (sprints).

Worth noting: With Ashton-Franklin Center joining Amboy, LaMoille and Ohio in the co-op, the Clippers have increased numbers with 31 athletes out. The Clippers don’t have many upperclassmen, but do have some talented ones, led by Loftus, a two-time state qualifier. “He’s never placed at state, so his goal this year, at least in the 3200, is to medal at state,” Wittenauer said. ... The Amboy coach said the Clippers will look to mesh the upperclassmen with the young talent. “We’ll try to get a mixture of upperclassmen and newcomers and see if we can get some relays put together and see how the season progresses.”