Boys’ Track Preview

Posted: March 21, 2014
By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI

WINCHESTER — At the end of the 2013 season, Handley coach Mike McKiernan felt the best chance for his boys’ athletes to get all-state recognition would be to load up his relay squads.

The strategy worked — the 4x100 team placed third at the state track and field meet, and the 4x400 team placed fifth.

Three-fourths of that 4x100 team and half of the 4x400 team are not on the team this year though, with Northwestern District 200- and 400-meter champion Justin Washington being the cruelest loss. The other departures are through graduation, while Washington’s is because of a knee injury suffered during football season.

McKiernan still thinks the Judges can have some strong relays this year, but he’s also got ample reason to believe that at least one of his returning relay members can break out on the state level individually this spring.

Following standout seasons in football and indoor track, Handley junior Dontae Mauck is looking to close out his 2013-14 school year in style.

Mauck — who won the district meet 100 and long jump titles as a sophomore and also placed in the top three in the 200, triple jump and high jump that day — took second in the Group 4A state indoor meet in the 55 meters with a time of 6.52 seconds and third in the long jump with a mark of 21 feet, 5 inches. Mauck’s top long jump overall during the winter was 22-0 1/2 — a half-foot better than his best long jump last spring.

Mauck’s athleticism means he can succeed in about anything — he had virtually no high jump training before last year’s district meet, where he took third — but McKiernan seems particularly enthused about Mauck’s 100 potential. Mauck’s top time as a sophomore in that event was 11.24 seconds.

“I don’t want to put any pressure on him, but I think he has the chance to go under 11 [seconds],” said McKiernan of Mauck, whose top time as a sophomore was 11.24 seconds. “He’s so much stronger than last year, and he’s running so fast.”

In other words, McKiernan believes Mauck can contend for a state title. Though they were running into a slight wind, no one at the Group AA state meet last year ran under 11 seconds. Everyone who ran that time at the Group AAA state meet last year has either graduated or is not in Group 4A this year.

Mauck’s just one reason why McKiernan likes Handley’s large-meet potential. Senior Jordan Dowrey also returns after having a huge 2013 season that saw him place eighth in Group AA in the shot put to grab all-state honors, in addition to winning the district title. And senior Jarett Cestaro — a member of the 4x400 team last year — and sophomore distance runner Aaron Arslan are others for whom McKiernan has big expectations this year. The Judges also add basketball players Solomon Finley and Tre’ Brown.

The area will feature several other talented athletes who could make a mark at the state level in this, the first year of the Virginia High School League’s six-classification system.

James Wood, Millbrook and Sherando will be grouped in Conference 21 of the Group 4A North Region along with Dominion, Heritage, Loudoun County, Park View and Woodgrove.

Handley will be in Conference 23 of the 4A North with Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Louisa County, Amherst County and Harrisonburg.

Of the aforementioned schools, Loudoun County was third in Group AA and Region II champion last year, and Louisa, Fluvanna and Charlottesville each placed within the top six in Region II.

In these conferences, the top eight finishers in each individual event will move on to the 4A North Region meet.

For all regions in all groups across the state, the top six finishers in each event, as well as those meeting qualifying standards, will move on to the state meets.

Millbrook’s team this year will include Connor Faint — who was district champion in the 300 hurdles and has a strong chance at improving on last year’s seventh-place finish at the Group AA state meet — and a powerful distance crew that helped the cross country team place second in the state in the fall and had a successful winter.

Sophomore Tyler Cox-Philyaw — the district champion in the 800 and 1,600 last year — placed sixth at the indoor state meet in the 1,600, and also won regional titles in the 1,000 and 1,600. His top time of 1:57.13 last year ranks as the second best returning time in Group 4A in the 800. And freshman Alec Schrank — The Winchester Star Boys’ Cross Country Runner of the Year — placed fifth in the 3,200 at the indoor state meet.

“Individually, we will be very strong in the mid-distance, distance, and hurdles with Tyler Cox-Philyaw, Alec Schrank, and Connor Faint looking to be big point scorers for us in those areas in all levels of the postseason,” Millbrook coach Kevin Shirk said.

Sherando figures to get a strong push from its distance crew this year. The Warriors’ foursome of Ryan Hindle, Daniel Snapp, Justin Hammer and Trevor Whiteside placed third in the 4x800 at the state indoor meet with a time of 8:19.

“I think those guys have a good chance of having success in their individual events as well,” said Sherando coach Tom Grim, whose team will also receive a boost in sprints from a sizeable contingent of football players. “The school record is 8:07, and I know they want to make a run at that.”

Led by seniors Matt Vitagliano and Owen Bales, James Wood also has some individuals who looked poised to have standout springs after having success as juniors despite battling through injuries.

Vitagliano was eighth at the indoor state meet in the triple jump, and he won the district title in that event last year with his top season mark of 42-5 despite battling a right heel contusion. Bales won the district title in the 110 hurdles last year, but he struggled with foot injuries at the end of the year.

Clarke County will be in Conference 35 of the Group 2A East Region with Madison County, George Mason, Strasburg, Stonewall Jackson, Luray and Page County. The top six individuals and top three relays in each event, as well as those meeting regional standards, will move on from the conference to the region meet.

The Eagles will have to make do this year without Zach Campbell, The Winchester Star Boys’ Track and Field Athlete of the Year after a 2013 season that saw him win the Group A state title in the 800 and place second in the state in the 1,600.

Clarke County senior Matt Dietz — a state cross country qualifier in the fall — will be looked at to lead the Eagles’ distance squad this year, and Eagles coach Andre Kidrick hopes first-year athletes from the basketball team like Dakota Crim, Justin Dulaney and Kasey Lake can help out with depth.

For all the track teams, it’s definitely going to be a transition year. Though the Bull Run District will continue to have a meet for its teams, the Northwestern will not. The Northwestern will continue to have duals against each other, but those have never carried as much weight as the district meet because teams often don’t go all out, preferring instead to save their athletes’ legs for the Saturday invitationals.

Area coaches said they really won’t know what to expect this year from conference competition, because their focus in the past has been based on their district foes.

“Sherando has a successful program and a lot of kids out, and Millbrook’s always prepared,” said James Wood coach Matt Stegmaier of Conference 21. “We’re not deep, but we’ve got a small nucleus and guys who can win events a do a lot of different things. It reminds me of our district championship team [in 2009, the first of three straight for James Wood].”

The following is a glance at each area team:

Handley

Coach: Mike McKiernan, 3rd year

Last year: Northwestern District meet champions; 9th in Region II.

Key losses: Justin Washington, Darion Robinson, Stuart Carper, Jim Thomson, Kyrell Davis, Killian McPartland.

Top returning athletes: Dontae Mauck, Jr., sprints/jumps; Jordan Dowrey, Sr., throws; Jarett Cestaro, Jr., jumps/sprints; Aaron Arslan, So., distance; Cullan Kerner, Jr., sprints; Domonique Glover, Jr. sprints; Michael Felder, Jr., sprints; James Ballard, Jr., middle distance.

Key newcomers: Solomon Finley, Sr., sprints/ jumps, Tre’ Brown, Sr., sprints/jumps; Malachi Strother, Sr., sprints/jumps.

McKiernan’s outlook: “I think we’ve got a lot of people who are capable of scoring in big meets. With enough training I think Solomon could be an excellent triple jumper. Our conference is going to be challenging, but facing competition like this is how you get better.”

Opener: at Woodberry Forest Invitational, April 5

James Wood

Coach: Matt Stegmaier, 9th year

Last year: 2nd in Northwestern District meet; tied for 17th in Region II.

Key losses: Daniel Aldstadt, Trenton McCarty.

Top returning athletes: Owen Bales, Sr,. hurdles; Matt Vitagliano, Sr., sprints/jumps, throws; Sawyer Michelitch, Sr., sprints/jumps; Logan Shiffler, Sr., throws.

Key newcomers: Chris Vitagliano, Fr., sprints/jumps/throws; Landon Rutherford, Jr., throws; Andrew Shade, Jr., distance; Max Lindquist, Fr., distance.

Stegmaier’s outlook: “Owen really toughed it out with his injuries last year, but now he’s back at 100 percent and feeling great. Both Owen and Matt [Vitagliano] have really matured physically and turned into men. We’ve got a lot of guys stepping up to do different events and doing what they can to help the team.”

Opener: at Mountain View Invitational, March 29

Millbrook

Coach: Kevin Shirk, 3rd year

Last year: 3rd in Northwestern District meet; tied for 10th in Region II.

Key losses: Tre White, Nick Helmut, Logan Rodeffer, Adrian DeNeal.

Top returning athletes: Connor Faint, Sr., hurdles; Tyler Cox-Philyaw, So., distance; Zack Somers, So., middle distance; Israel Lockhart, Sr., distance, Jake MiHill, So., sprints.

Key newcomers: Alec Schrank, Fr., distance; Max Bader, Jr., distance; KeSean Brown, Fr., middle distance; A.J. Brandon, So., sprints/throws.

Shirk’s outlook: “We have a large team for boys, with most of them looking to find a way to contribute. We’re hoping that their competitiveness with each other raises the bar and brings our team to a level where we can compete with the top of the conference. Individually, we stack up very well with anyone in the conference, but we'll need those younger guys to step up and score the minor points that can potentially push us over the top. It will be a true team effort, but I believe we can compete with the best.”

Opener: at Mountain View Invitational, March 29

Sherando

Coach: Tom Grim, 15th year

Last year: 4th in Northwestern District meet; 16th in Region II.

Key losses: Chris Smith, Seth Chewey, James Reese.

Top returning athletes: Justin Hammer, Jr., distance; Ryan Hindle, Sr., distance; LeeQuan Johnson, Jr., sprints; Branden Litten, Sr,, hurdles; Andrew Mathew, Sr., sprints; Landon Ridge, Sr., sprints; Daniel Snapp, Sr. distance; Donovan Walton, Sr., throws/hurdles/jumps; Noel Weber, distance; Trevor Whiteside, So. distance.

Key newcomers: Timothy Coleman, Jr., sprints/jumps; Josh Ojo, Jr., sprints/jumps; Thomas Powars, So., distance; Thomas Shea, So., distance; Trenton McCarty, Jr., throws.

Grim’s outlook: “I think we can do some damage this year. We haven’t been strong in the sprints the last few years, but I think with guys like [LeeQuan] Johnson and Josh Ojo we’ll be better. Thomas Shea qualified for the indoor state meet in the 1,600, and I think Trenton McCarty, a transfer from James Wood, can really help us.”

Opener: at Cave Spring Invitational, March 29

Clarke County

Coach: Andre Kidrick, 8th year

Last year: 6th in Bull Run District meet; 7th in Region B; tied for 7th in Group A.

Key losses: Zach Campbell, Chris Collins, Jack Parker, Peyton Shiley, Dane Duncan.

Top returning athletes: Matt Dietz, Sr., distance; Travis Fairman, Jr., distance; Vincent Nappi, Jr. throws; Andrew Desantis, So., jumps/sprints; Nick Almond, So., jumps/middle distance.

Key newcomers: Dakota Crim., Jr, sprints; Justin Dulaney, Jr., jumps/sprints; Kasey Lake, Sr., sprints/relays.

Kidrick’s outlook: “I think we’ll be OK, but we could use more help in the sprints. It’s been a few years since we’ve had someone who can score consistently there. I think Matt Dietz really wants to have a strong season. I think Dakota Crim could be a decent 400 runner for us, and I think Justin Dulaney and Kasey Lake could help us in sprints and relays.”

Opener: at Central meet, March 29

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