With the district meet today in Petrolia

, the varsity boys track team has been participating in practice meets.
Sophomore Wyatt Schmitz said the season has gone pretty decent so far.
“I have done well in throwing this year,” Schmitz said. “Based on how I’ve done in previous track meets, I think this season is going to go great. Since it is sophomore year, I still have plenty of time to improve and work on the small things. One thing we need to improve on is definitely shot put. We need to work on throwing farther and being more explosive.”
Coach Kevin Wright said throwers are working hard on fundamentals.
“To prepare for district, throwers are working a lot on lifting in the weight room,” Wright said. “We are also working on footwork and getting a good warm up. In throwing, the little things are also the big things, so we are really focused on narrowing down on what we need to improve on. So far the season has been pretty successful. We have gotten better at every meet. We just need to peak at the right time, which is the district meet. The main things we need to improve on in throwing is explosion in legs and arms.”
Sophomore Reegan Deerinwater said he hopes the relay improves throughout the season.
“So far, the relay hasn’t gone as expected,” Deerinwater said. “We haven’t been running to the best of our ability, so we really need to improve our speed. Another thing we could improve on is our relay handoffs. If we get a good handoff, it could help our time and maybe get us a better placing. Although I don’t expect to advance, we could still improve during the season and become better than we already are.”
Freshman Liam Shewmake said he hopes to do better at district than he has done previously.
“I was expecting to have a pretty good season, but so far it hasn’t gone so well,” Shewmake said. “I hope the district is a little better and I place better in my events. I could definitely improve on speed and endurance. I run long distance, so the better endurance, the better speed. A better speed will then lead to a better time.”
Athletic Director Bradan Ritchey said the coaches are trying to find the best people for each event.
“For these first few track meets, we are letting many people compete so we can find the best kids for district,” Ritchey said. “When district comes, we want to have as many points as we can get. The season has gone pretty good so far considering we have a lot of younger athletes competing against older teams this year. I am proud of the competitiveness in both varsity and JV, especially the relays.”
Ritchey said he wants the team to improve on speed.
“I prefer being fast rather than having endurance,” Ritchey said. “Speed also helps those in other sports, not just in track. I think we have a good chance to advance. Sophomore Ty Gary could definitely go far in his jumping events and freshman Jesse Rodriguez in the 400-and 800-meter dash. I would love for the mile relay to advance as well.”