If you’re a fan of pure, raw athleticism, you might want to consider taking a trip to your local high school track and field meet.
Our seven boys teams from the Local.News1 coverage area — Waynesboro, Greencastle-Antrim, Chambersburg, North Hagerstown, South Hagerstown, Smithsburg and Fairfield — are loaded with postseason-hardened athletes who should provide plenty of highlights.
You can start at Smithsburg, a program that returns 11 indoor/outdoor state qualifiers, or North Hagerstown, which brings back an in indoor state medalist in distance ace Walker Mason. If you’re more into watching the throws, Waynesboro, Greencastle-Antrim, and South Hagerstown all return solid athletes who could all be threats in the postseason. And if speed is your thing, check out Chambersburg sprinter Antonio Harrison II, who returns for his senior season after nailing down district medals in two events last spring.
No matter what events you’re into, our area athletes are ready to deliver. We’ve taken a deep dive into the world of boys track and field and have produced previews for all our area teams.
Over the next several days, Local.News1 will be previewing multiple sports from the seven squads in our coverage area.
Below is a team-by-team preview for each of our area boys track and field squads:
Waynesboro Tribe
Coach: Jim Rickett
Division: Mid-Penn Colonial
Last season: The Tribe competed to a 3-3 record last spring
Top projected returners: Ben Williams (Sr., Throws), Keyan Mobley (Sr., Sprints), Julian Mencia (Sr., Sprints/Mid-Distance), Alex Williams (Jr., Sprints), Cole Peyton (So., Sprints/Mid-Distance), Ayden Strausbaugh (Jr., Sprints), Blake Jones (Jr., Sprints), Nicolas Soffe (Sr., Mid-Distance), Samuel Rea (Jr., Mid-Distance/Distance), Gavin Miller (Jr., Mid-Distance), Devin Barger (Jr., Mid-Distance/Distance), Noah Hoxie (So., Distance), Jonathan Helman (Sr., Distance), Alex Torbica (Sr., Distance/Jumps), Owen Shockey (Sr., Hurdles), Riley Morgan (Sr., Hurdles), Mick Torbica (Jr., Throws/Jumps), Nathaniel Adkins (Sr., Throws), Hayden Nolan (Sr., Pole Vault), Joshua Lynch (Sr., Pole Vault), Nathan Nolan (Sr., Pole Vault), Bryan Hall-Carr (Jr., Jumps)
Notable: There are no superstars on this Waynesboro squad, rather an athletic group of individuals who can wear a number of hats … The Tribe are led by senior Ben Williams, who gives Waynesboro a chance to sweep the throws in nearly every dual meet … Williams is coming off an outdoor season that saw him earn a seventh-place district medal in the javelin (171-7) and also qualify for districts in the shot put … After graduating Will Campbell and Noah Bockstie, two valuable point-scorers now at the college level, Waynesboro will attempt to fill those long distance-shoes with a young, but experienced group of runners that includes Devin Barger and Noah Hoxie … The Tribe will be counting on two others, Owen Shockey and Alex Torbica, to keep the team competitive on the dual scene … Shockey is Waynesboro’s top returner in the 110 and 300 hurdles, while Torbica represents the Tribe’s biggest threat in the long and triple jumps … The Tribe will miss the services of the graduated Preston Hammond, a district qualifier in the 100 and 200 who now runs for Ursinus.
Opener: Tuesday, March 25, at home vs. Boiling Springs
Greencastle-Antrim Blue Devils
Coach: Rich Secrest
Division: Mid-Penn Colonial
Last season: The Blue Devils posted a 6-0 record last spring.
Top projected returners: Nolan Carr (Sr., Sprints), Joel Amstutz (Sr., Distance), Connor Rennekamp (Sr., Throws), Reid Harper (Sr., Sprints), Jeremiah Amstutz (So., Sprints/Jumps), Jameir Simms (Jr., Sprints), Noah Parks (Jr., Distance/Jumps), Logan Bohrer (Jr., Distance), Abric Coy (Jr., Distance), Ryan Gearhart (So., Distance), Mason Gelsinger (Jr., Hurdles), Adam Elliott (Jr., Throws), Reece Plum (Jr., Throws), Brady Pappa (So., Throws), Brayden Shaffer (So., Throws), Joe Lofton (Jr., Pole vault), Adam Seylar (Jr., Jumps), Zach Beam (Sr., Jumps), Nolan Sullivan (So., Sprints)
Notable: Repeating as Colonial champs will be no easy task for the Blue Devils, who graduated three district medalists, most notably distance ace Hayden Parks, who qualified for states in the 1,600 last spring … Greencastle also lost to graduation two javelin district medalists in Conner Wright and Blake Diller, but should still have some pop in the throws thanks to the return of senior Connor Rennekamp, a returning district qualifier in the discus … The Blue Devils will be counting heavily on Rennekamp, as well as fellow district qualifiers Nolan Carr (400) and Joel Amstutz (3,200), to pick up the slack … The indoor season showed us the potential of Nolan Sullivan (200) and Jeremiah Amstutz (long jump), a couple of sophomores who each ranked No. 3 in their respective events on our Local.News1 leaderboard this winter … Greencastle also returns Mason Gelsinger, the team’s top returner in the 110 and 300 hurdles.
Opener: Tuesday, March 25, at Gettysburg
Chambersburg Trojans
Coach: Jim Boyer
Division: Mid-Penn Commonwealth
Last season: Chambersburg recorded a 6-2 record last spring.
Top projected returners: Antonio Harrison II (Sr., Sprints), Kaden Rife (Sr., Distance), Jonathan Dawe (Jr., Hurdles/Sprints), Blake Mallast (Sr., Sprints), Hewan Hennes (Jr., Sprints), Imari Watson (Sr., Sprints), Liam Kirkpatrick (Sr., Mid-Distance/Distance), Aiden Alleman (Jr., Mid-Distance), Sam Kinton (Jr., Distance), Dante Banks (Sr., Hurdles), Jude Grillo (Sr., Throws), Domonick Curtis (Sr., Throws), Alexis Garcia-Hernandez (Jr., Throws), Mason Mowen (So., Throws), Spencer Kessler (Jr., Throws), Micah Gunkelman (So., Jumps), Luke Mertz (Sr., Pole Vault), Tamoroin Daniels (Sr., Jumps), Alex Davila Cross (So., Jumps), Stanley Lozius (Sr., Jumps), Kason Besecker (Jr., Sprints), Harper Lintner (Jr., Sprints), Vuriel Theophile (So., Sprints), Cole Lehman (Fr., Sprints/Mid-Distance), Brock Chlebowski (Fr., Sprints/Mid-Distance), Daniel Casagrandi (Jr., Sprints), Julian Clark (Jr., Distance).
Notable: The Trojans graduated a treasure trove of talent, with seven district qualifiers waving goodbye to the Chambersburg program, including three district medalists in Peter Mertz (4th in shot put), Jermere Jones (3rd in 110 hurdles), and Owen Shrader (5th in 800) … There are plenty of reasons to get excited, however, as the Trojans bring back a top-notch sprinter in Antonio Harrison II, hurdles ace Jonathan Dawe, and distance standout Kaden Rife … Harrison medaled at districts in both the 100 (5th in 10.81) and 200 (4th in 22.29) and was a state qualifier in both events … Dawe was a district qualifier in the 300 hurdles last spring and is coming off a fine indoor season that saw him lead the Local.News1 area in the 55 hurdles … Rife qualified for districts in the 3,200 last year, and was successful during indoor season, leading local runners in the 3,000 and ranking No. 2 in the 3,200 … Several others from Chambersburg topped our area leaderboard during indoor season — Kason Besecker (55), Imari Watson (60), Daniel Casagrandi (400), Aiden Alleman (800), and Micah Gunkelman (long jump, triple jump) — and should make an impact this spring.
Opener: Tuesday, March 18, at home vs. Mifflin County
Fairfield Knights
Coach: Scott Motter
Division: YAIAA III
Last season: Fairfield was 2-4 last spring
Top projected returners: Nathan Davis (Jr., Sprints), Noah Davis (Jr., Sprints), Brock Herb (Sr., Sprints), Chris Brown (Jr., Sprints), Michael Fisher (Jr., Hurdles), Tyler Chendikum (Jr., Hurdles), Austin Snyder (Jr., Throws)
Notable: Fairfield is set to take a step forward this season with a roster that returns six district qualifiers … This list includes a solid group of sprinters in Nathan Davis (100), Noah Davis (100), Brock Herb (200), and Chris Brown (400) … Also slated to return for the Knights are a couple of district-qualifying hurdlers in Michael Fisher and Tyler Chendikum … Fisher was a district qualifier in both the 110 and 300 hurdles, while Chendikum competed in the 110s.
Opener: Thursday, March 20, at York Tech
North Hagerstown Hubs
Coach: Ethan Miller
Division: Washington County Public Schools
Top projected returners: Walker Mason (Jr., Distance), Donovan Baldwin (Sr., Sprints/Mid-Distance), Brady Bruette (So., Pole Vault), David Clifford (Jr., Sprints), Antonio Tolliver (Jr., Sprints/Jumps), Landon Call (Jr., Distance), Landon Kelly (Jr., Distance), Bradley Helman (Sr., Distance), Rishi Bhat (Sr., Distance), Gabriel Ohaegbu (Sr., Hurdles/Sprints), Thomas Owusu (So., Hurdles), Xavier Colbert (Jr., Throws), Justice Nshangalume (Sr., Throws), Garett Forrest (Jr., Throws), Elias House (So., Pole Vault), Jacquiste Clifford (Jr., Jumps), Cooper Byard (Jr., Jumps), Isaiah Seering (Fr., Sprints), Mordecai Ackah (So., Sprints), Evan Thomas (Fr., Sprints), Mikel Smith (Fr., Sprints), William Mazoe (So., Sprints), Allen Anderson (Jr., Mid-Distance), Gabriel Cassesa (Jr., Mid-Distance), Carson Wilt (Jr., Mid-Distance), Felipe Albuquerque (Jr., Mid-Distance/Distance), Nolan Kocher (So., Distance), Michael Feight (So., Throws), Gideon Williams (So., Jumps), Damon Kesler (Jr., Throws)
Notable: North Hagerstown will be aiming to reload this season after graduating 12 regional qualifiers, including a pair of state qualifiers in Ryder Johnston and Odin Desir … Johnston was a state medalist in the 300 hurdles (4th), while Desir earned region silver medals in both the 100 and 200 … Even with the losses, the Hubs hope to be as competitive as they were last season, when they finished second as a team at the region meet … Leading the way for North Hagerstown this spring will be a potent group of distance runners, highlighted by Walker Mason, a state qualifier in the 3,200 who earned regional medals in both the 1,600 (4th in 4:33.30) and 3,200 (5th in 9:48.56). Mason also recently medaled in the 3,200 at indoor states, taking seventh in 9:57.48 … Depth in the distance events will be provided by Bradley Helman, who took eighth in the region in the 3,200 last spring, and Rishi Bhat, who was a region qualifier in the 3,200 … The Hubs should also be strong in the hurdles with two returning region medalists in Gabriel Ohaegbu and Thomas Owusu … Ohaegbu is coming off an indoor state meet that saw him clock a 7.96 in the 55 hurdles for eighth place … North Hagerstown returns four other region medalists, including Brady Bruette (4th in pole vault), Donovan Baldwin (7th in 400), Garett Forrest (8th in discus), and Elias House (5th in pole vault) … The Hubs bring back five other regional qualifiers in David Clifford (100), Antonio Tolliver (200, long jump), Xavier Colbert (shot put, long jump), Justice Nshangalume (shot put), and Jacquiste Clifford (triple jump) … Cooper Byard was an indoor state qualifier for North Hagerstown.
Opener: Friday, March 21, at Charas Heurich Invitational
South Hagerstown Rebels
Coach: Nissa Freeman
Division: Washington County Public Schools
Top projected returners: Cahauri Alford (Sr., Sprints), Felix Annan (Sr., Sprints), Cassius Freeman (Sr., Sprints), Jack Rhodes (Sr., Throws), Clinton Otinkorang (So., Sprints), Ezekiel Myers (Sr., Sprints), Brayden Sisk (Sr., Hurdles), Dylan Mitchell (Sr., Sprints/Mid-Distance), Braden Sirbaugh (So., Mid-Distance), Dayvion Martin (Jr., Throws), Aarjay Berry (So., Throws), Shawn Siyou (Jr., Jumps), Morgan Caldwell (Jr., Jumps), Jowell Perez Eleazar (So., Jumps), Michah Evans (Jr., Jumps), Jameir Simms (Jr., Sprints), Jackson Ramsburg (Jr., Mid-Distance), Vincent Yang (So., Mid-Distance), Jack Burns (Jr., Mid-Distance/Distance), Caleb Mitchell (So., Mid-Distance/Distance), Daniel Vega (Jr., Distance), Michael Timmons (Jr., Hurdles/Jumps), Micah Rivera (Jr., Hurdles), AJ Bolalin (So., Mid-Distance), Nathaniel Tosten (Sr., Throws), Dustin Campion Jr. (So., Throws)
Notable: Look for South Hagerstown to shine in the throws this winter, with regional medalists Jack Rhodes and Dayvion Martin leading the way … Rhodes took second in the discus (128-7) and third in the shot put (42-4) last spring, while Martin claimed fifth in the discus (116-10) … Rhodes is South Hagerstown’s only returning outdoor state qualifier, as the Rebels lost Deonte Blake (200, 400) and Wisdom Moses (triple jump) to graduation, as well as six other regional qualifiers … The Rebels should be able to combat these losses with a “next man up” mentality, as they return plenty of talent in the sprints and jumps … Clinton Otinkorang was a regional medalist in the 400 (6th in 52.4) last spring, while fellow sprinters Cahauri Alford (100), Felix Annan (100), Ezekiel Myers (400) also return valuable postseason experience … Three region qualifiers return for South Hagerstown in the jumps, including Shawn Siyou (high jump), Morgan Caldwell (high jump, triple jump), and Michah Evans (long jump) … Brayden Sisk, a region qualifier in the 300 hurdles and shot put, is also slated to return for the Rebels, as is Aarjay Berry (discus).
Opener: Saturday, March 29, at Paul Arbogast Memorial Invitational
Smithsburg Leopards
Coach: Adam Rudy
Division: Washington County Public Schools
Top projected returners: Levi Miller (So., Sprints), Tyler Younker (Sr., Mid-Distance), Michael Wynkoop (Jr., Distance), Camilo Mellott (Jr., Distance), Dylan Herbst (So., Distance), Ethan Hurd (Sr., Sprints), Walker Hughes (Sr., Throws), Jacob Tyler (Jr., Jumps), Caleb Geissinger (So., Sprints/Jumps), Kaleb Ritter (Jr., Sprints), Carter Nesbitt (Sr., Sprints/Pole Vault/Jumps), Benjamin Jones (Sr., Sprints), David Craig (Jr., Sprints/Pole Vault), Jack Krumpe (Sr., Hurdles), Tanner Christ (Jr., Throws), Lucas Greenleaf (Jr., Throws), Anthony Villalobos (Jr., Throws), Connor Jessup (Sr., Throws), Rittenhouse Shuster (Jr., Jumps), Michael Jackson (Jr., Jumps), Josh Summers (Sr., Sprints/Jumps), Ja’Von Tyler (Sr., Sprints), Gavin Gross (So., Distance), Charles Higgins (Jr., Distance), Tyler Ward (Sr., Throws), Trevor Jessup (So., Throws), Elijah Bowman (Sr., Sprints/Pole Vault), Alex Bachtell (Sr., Sprints), Luke Gentzel (So., Mid-Distance), Dylan Lowe (Fr., Mid-Distance), Demari Whitaker (Jr., Hurdles), Mythius Smith (Sr., Throws), Matt Smith (So., Throws), Luke Scott (So., Pole Vault), Cadyn Nesbitt (So., Pole Vault)
Notable: With 11 returning indoor/outdoor state qualifiers and 11 more returners with experience at the region level, expect Smithsburg to have a big campaign this spring … Tyler Younker is slated to return for his senior season after earning Smithsburg highest finish at states last year: A fifth-place showing in the 800 (2:00.13) … Jumps ace Jacob Tyler medaled in the high jump at both states (6th in 5-10) and regionals (3rd in 5-11) last season … Levi Miller qualified for states in the 100 as a freshman last year, and shows no signs of stopping this year, as he recently medaled in the 300 (8th in 37.05) at indoor states … Speaking of indoor states, Smithsburg should be excited this spring for a group of kids who medaled at the big meet, including Dylan Herbst (3rd in 1,600), Michael Wynkoop (4th in 1,600; 5th in 3,200), Luke Gentzel (5th in 800; 7th in 500), Cadyn Nesbitt (5th in pole vault), Elijah Bowman (6th in pole vault), and Michael Jackson (8th in high jump) … The Leopards are hoping to carry this momentum from indoor season, where they finished fifth as a team at states, into the outdoor campaign … Smithsburg returns two other outdoor state qualifiers in Camilo Mellott (3,200) and Walker Hughes (shot put) … State qualifiers Ah’Ryan White (300 hurdles) and John Flint (pole vault) have both been lost to graduation.
Opener: Friday, March 21, at Charas Heurich Invitational
