Boys track team looking to continue on despite graduation losses

FREMONT – The Fremont Ross boys track and field team has had to replace the seemingly irreplaceable before.

Three years ago, coach John Elder wondered how his team would fare in its first season without Jeffrey Barnett, whose speed and long-jumping abilities gave the Little Giants a sure-fire collection of points heading into every meet they participated in.

“We were like ‘Man he scored 40 points for us at every big meet,’” Elder said. “But the next year we had an even better year. It can be done, so we’re not going to be pessimistic.”

This season the Little Giants have a trio of athletes they’ll be trying to survive without.

Jared Fox, Tyler Grine and Jaylen Spencer were three-quarters of the Little Giants’ state-bound 4×200 relay team who finished second at the regional meet and third at the state meet.

The relay’s opening leg runner, Matt Kuyken, returns, as does Ivan Starkweather, who ran on the relay in the district meet.

The 4×400 relay, which won at the district and regional meets on its way to a third-place finish as the state meet, must also replace Fox and Spencer, but Kuyken and Oliver Ellis return and Elder believes can continue to have a high level of success.

“We need two more at that level, (we’re looking at) Bryce McKinstry, Ivan Starkweather, Ka’Von Martin. We do have some strong hopes,” Elder said.

Elder is also hoping Ellis will be able to step into a more prominent role in the open 200 and 400 events, to help further alleviate some of the production left by Spencer and Fox.

Returning this year is senior Devyn Jagodzinksi who, as first-year track athlete, showed promise in the hurdles and was winning in the TRAC championship until failing to clear the final hurdle before the finish line.

Elder is excited to see Jagodzinki work with first-year volunteer hurdle coach Jennifer Long, a former Bowling Green State University hurdler.

“I’m really looking forward to her giving him better coaching than I gave him,” Elder said. “I’m real excited she’s here to help.”

The Little Giants will be looking for solid production from their distance runners as Kuyken returns, as do sophomores Ethan McClory and Zach Edmonds.

Among the newcomers to the program this season is sophomore Andrew Born who Elder hopes can run some of the sprints run by Grine last season.

“He’s looking pretty sharp, but he has to replace Tyler Grine, who has big shoes,” Elder said of Born. “He works hard and really wants to learn and figure it out, so I’m excited to see how he’ll do.”

Also joining the Little Giants is senior Maliek Johnson, whose brother Elijah, took second in the state in hurdles two seasons ago. While Elder isn’t sure where Johnson will fit, he’s excited to have his athleticism on board.

“I’m not thinking of him hurdling but we’ll see. I have no idea,” Elder said. “We’ll let the sprint coach decide and sometimes we let seniors have a voice, they’ve never done it before and we want him to have fun and some kind of success.”

In addition to the losses sustained in the form of Fox, Grine and Spencer, the Little Giants have to revamp their throwing events in the wake of the graduations of Jacob Schott, Alijah Fuller and Nate Mayle.

Elder is hoping sophomores Jason Burling and Brandon Carson, along with junior Zach Frye and first-year senior Tariq Williamson, can offset those losses.

“Jason Burling, who played football and basketball, and Carson Brandon, are kids with good size and a lot of potential if they can tap into that. We’ll have to wait and see but we’re excited about them.”

“Zach Frye was a 40-foot thrower for us last year, we’re hoping will step up and take Schott or Fuller’s place, is the goal. We’re young.”